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Lessons from the Air Traffic Controllers’ Strike of 1981
A.E. Martinez
August 3rd, 1981: Approximately 13,000 air traffic controllers across the United States declare a strike through their union, the Professional Air Traffic Controllers’ Organization (PATCO). Their strike echoed the usual demands of the labor movement: better wages, better working conditions, a shorter workweek, and ultimately a greater voice for workers at work. Indeed, the PATCO strike was hardly remarkable in any way. In our own decade, we have seen public-sector workers walk out several times over grievances basically identical to those of the PATCO workers, whether they were Chicago schoolteachers in 2012, New York City subway workers in 2014, or Philadelphia subway workers again in the same year.
Continue reading “Lessons from the Air Traffic Controllers’ Strike of 1981” »
Posted on August 25, 2014
Filed Under Economy, Labor | Leave a Comment
The Chinese and American Synthesis
By Mike Kolhoff
It’s been clear that the Chinese and American economies have become closely intertwined since the end of the Cold War. Once arch-enemies, China is now a close trading partner with the United States, able even to influence the content of American motion pictures (re: the remake of “Red Dawn”). A vast distribution network, evidenced most dramatically in the dollar stores, has arisen primarily for cheap Chinese-made consumer goods. Impoverished Americans now buy cheap goods made by equally impoverished Chinese workers. The pauperization of the American working class by neo-liberal policies has meant massive profits for the exporters and importers of these cheap commodities. Continue reading “The Chinese and American Synthesis” »
Posted on August 20, 2014
Filed Under Economy, International, Labor | Leave a Comment
Incapacity, White Supremacy, and the Destruction of Detroit
By Mike Kolhoff
The destruction of Detroit continues according to the plans of Michigan’s Teapublican-controlled state government. Their racist intentions are obvious. They want to drive out the existing African American population, and replace it with one more to their liking. The recent proposal by Governor Snyder to offer financial incentives to encourage high-tech workers to relocate to Detroit is only the most blatant, while cutting off WATER to thousands of current residents is certainly the most despicable. The parallel to the post-Katrina depopulation of New Orleans is brought to mind; New Orleans, that other major American city with a majority African American population. Continue reading “Incapacity, White Supremacy, and the Destruction of Detroit” »
Posted on June 30, 2014
Filed Under Anti-Racism, Housing & Community | Leave a Comment
Evaluating two decades of indigenous resistance in Chiapas – A Reply to Dan La Botz
By Steven Fake
Dan La Botz, a long-time labor activist who has considerable familiarity with Mexican affairs, marked the 20th anniversary of the Zapatista rebellion by penning a reflection on their legacy. His critique reflects his openness to electoral strategies for social change. La Botz is a member of Solidarity, one of the handful of Trotskyist-inspired groups of any visibility in the U.S. His views may be taken as broadly representative of a substantial chunk of the left, particularly Marxists.
In his assessment – “Twenty Years Since the Chiapas Rebellion: The Zapatistas, Their Politics, and Their Impact,” January 13, 2014 – La Botz accuses the Zapatistas of “political abstentionism.” The phrase requires some translation for those not steeped in left historical minutiae. Under this logic, political activity refers only to the electoral realm. One may engage in occupations, sit-ins, or demonstrations, while still being a political abstentionist. Continue reading “Evaluating two decades of indigenous resistance in Chiapas – A Reply to Dan La Botz” »
Posted on June 22, 2014
Filed Under Debate, International | 1 Comment
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Ideas and Action is a publication of the Workers Solidarity Alliance, a revolutionary group rooted in the anarcho-syndicalist tradition.