All eyes were on Seattle in June, as the city council adopted a $15/hr. minimum wage plan — the highest in the nation for a major city. Organized labor and legions of low-paid workers celebrated mightily. The victory also gave fresh fuel to a movement that is scoring gains across the country. In November, San… Read more »
economy
Fast-food workers strike on Sept. 4
In their biggest action since launching the fight for $15 per hour, better working conditions and union rights, fast-food workers joined by homecare unionists took to the streets in 150 cities across the country. More than 450 were arrested, but remain unintimidated. Their bosses at McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy’s and KFC better watch out.
Living wage fight flourishes in California — Campaigns underway in San Francisco, Oakland, Los Angeles, and San Diego
As the cost of living in California climbs upward at a racer’s pace, alliances of progressives, socialists and trade unionists have launched intense campaigns to raise the minimum wage in cities across the state. San Francisco and Oakland have placed living wage measures on the November ballot; Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, under strong pressure… Read more »
Dateline Australia — Fight-back against austerity needs union leadership
An infamous image said it all. After drafting the largest attack on the poor in Australia’s history with a drastic budget scheme, chief finance minister (treasurer) Joe Hockey and his deputy were photographed smoking cigars outside Parliament house in Australia’s capital, Canberra. What did the image say? “Screw you!” And four days later, Australian workers… Read more »
Seattle tenants mobilize against massive rent hikes
Seattle Housing Authority (SHA) is pushing a proposal called “Stepping Forward” that could kick many low-income tenants out of their homes. The plan would raise rent for households with at least one “work-able” adult: anyone between 24-61 who does not have a disability that prevents them from holding a job. Residents, whose rent is typically… Read more »
The war on retirement security: How bosses and bankers are cracking your nest egg
One year ago last November, in Washington State, the Boeing Co. told 30,000 members of the International Association of Machinists: Stick ’em up! Your pensions or your jobs! CEO’s threatened to move new work out of state unless IAM members gave up their defined benefit pensions in exchange for a 401(k). After a fierce battle… Read more »
Harlem community battles developers, privatization of schools and housing
In his 1951 poem Harlem, Langston Hughes asks: “What happens to a dream deferred?” More than half a century later, with hedge fund honchos and real estate moguls calling the shots, the pursuit of profit is turning Harlem’s unfinished dream of Black liberation into a struggle by residents to block transformation of the neighborhood into… Read more »
Oil and the struggle for world domination
Oil and oil prices — they are on the minds of everyone. When the price of oil plummets, it’s a relief for beleaguered workers around the world. With wages falling or jobs gone, and services and education cut, paying 30 or 40 percent less for gas and heating fuel is huge. But the decrease is… Read more »
After a massive vote in Greece against austerity … Can the Syriza party deliver on its promises?
Banksters demanding debt payments have been hammering at Greece for years. When visiting there in September 2013, I was shocked at how government cuts had devastated the Greek people. And it’s much worse now. Three in five Greeks live in poverty. Pensions have been slashed by 60 percent, creating a homeless crisis among seniors. Youth… Read more »
Guns versus butter: Why tanks trump food stamps in the federal budget
Though hardly front-page news, the proposed federal budget for 2016 boosts funding for the Department of Defense. Obama earmarked $534 billion to these U.S. warlords. Their base budget in 2000 was around $300 billion. His proposal keeps baseline “defense” spending at its typical 20 to 30 percent of the total budget. This $534 billion does… Read more »
