Greenpeace activists in Portland, Oregon suspended themselves from the St. John’s Bridge to obstruct a Shell icebreaking trip en route to the Arctic. After forcing the ship to turn around yesterday, today the activists were removed by law enforcement officers. (via DemocracyNow!)
The NYTimes featured a long-ish read by Ian Urbina on “sea slaves,” workers from Cambodia and Myanmar sold into forced labor on fishing boats, fueled by “lax maritime labor laws and an insatiable global demand for seafood.” A horrifying and eye-opening article.
Teamsters labor organizers are holding a vote to unionize Google Express, the low-wage workers who power the online empire’s shopping service (via MotherJones)
The Guardian US became yet another media outlet to successfully unionize, when the newsroom staffers voted unanimously on Wednesday to unionize (via HuffPost)
Last week, 1000+ protesters headed to San Diego to demonstrate against the annual meeting of ALEC, the American Legislative Exchange Committee, “a conservative nonprofit organization known for drafting and sharing legislation amongst politicians, thus facilitating the collusion between corporations and government” (via WagingNonviolence)
How can the labor movement support police unions in a time of police brutality and oppressive injustice, particularly against communities of color? According to Shawn Jude at Jacobin, we can’t.
Trying to make sense of the New York State wage panel’s minimum wage proposal? Here’s an explainer, courtesy of the New York Times.
Happy hot, hot Friday. The world continues to turn — a promising week on the civil rights front, a high-intensity time on the geopolitical stage. Here’s what you might have missed:
South Carolina takes the confederate flag down from its state house. #finally. Check out Wanda Williams-Bailey, Strom Thurmond’s granddaughter — an interracial woman — talk about the decision on Democracy Now.
In somewhat related news, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the appointment of the Attorney General as a special prosecutor in all cases involving unarmed or potentially unarmed civilians killed by the police — a welcome step in the right direction. (via CNN)
The Obama administration is set to release new regulations on segregation “designed to repair the law’s unfulfilled promise and promote the kind of racially integrated neighborhoods that have long eluded deeply segregated cities like Chicago and Baltimore” (via Washington Post)
Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association will be tried before the Supreme Court next term, which starts in October. Learn more about the potential effects on public sector unionism at SCOTUSblog.
In the face of civil rights advances for same-sex couples, the culture appears to be shifting to final discussing the plight of transgender individuals. The NYTimes ran a feature this week highlighting some of their stories. Read about Joni Christian, a union member and transgender woman.
After a resounding “No” vote by Greeks to the last deal on the table with Greece’s creditors, PM Alexis Tsipras has surprised many by offering a deal with similarly harsh austerity measures.
What a couple of weeks. Civil rights tragedies and victories, both. Marriage equality, a supreme court upholding of the Affordable Care Act, direct action against the confederate flag. In the wake of the South Carolina tragedy, we want to celebrate and mourn, both. And yet, we can’t help sense the march of progress moving inexorably forward. In brief:
Tired of waiting for the South Carolina State Representatives to get with the program, activist Bree Newsome (she of #freebree) took direct action by climbing the flag pole in front of the State House to take the confederate flag down.
The Supreme Court’s been an active one. In addition to same-sex marriage becoming the law of the land, sections of the Affordable Care Act have been further upheld. In less uplifting news, the EPA’s limits on power plant emissions were deemed to be in violation of the Clean Air Act, and states have been given latitude to use questionable drugs in executions. Still coming up: Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association, a high-stakes case that could transform public sector unions for the worse.
Despite earlier setbacks and a strong opposition, after a 60-38 Senate vote in favor of the TPA, President Obama signed the bill into law — granting himself fast track authority to negotiate the forthcoming (and persistently opaque) Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement.
In These Times ran an interview by David Moberg of exiting CWA President Larry Cohen about the past and future of the labor movement. According to Cohen, “If labor is going to be just a group of unions with different strategies, it’s not going to be a movement. We need to be organizing other people.”
In a welcome act of common sense and dignity, New York City is banning “poor doors” — that is, developers will no longer be allowed to built separate entrances for rich and poor tenants in buildings constructed using tax breaks granted in exchange for low-income units.
Janitors from eight companies across the Twin Cities, representing 50 retail locations, participated in a one-day strike on July 1st, raising the profile of organizing efforts within the difficult-to-organize cleaning sector.
NYC is set to receive expanded wi-fi coverage with the arrival of LinkNYC, which will turn converted pay phones into wireless hubs. Three cheers for digital access and connectivity! The downside? This means the arrival of “tall, thin pillars with digital tablet interfaces and large ads slapped on the sides.” So long to the psychic environment. We hardly knew ye.
It’s anybody’s guess what’s going to happen in Greece and Puerto Rico in the face of un-payable national debts. Stay tuned.
Unions. What can we say — we love ‘em. And if recent news is any indication, the future’s looking (mostly) bright. Some developments from the past couple weeks…
Gawker Media became the first digital media company to be unionized (via CBS News)
Contingent faculty members at Barnard have moved to organize (via Columbia Spectator)
About 1,300 low-wage workers gathered in Detroit to celebrate minimum-wage hikes (via Al Jazeera)
On Wednesday, the NYC City Council passed the Fair Chance Act, blocking private companies with 4+ employees from discriminating against applicants based on arrest or criminal record (via Colorlines)
Internal training materials from Walmart reveal an unfortunately not-so-shocking anti-union bias. Steven Greenhouse describes in detail over at The Atlantic. (“How Walmart Persuades Its Workers Not to Unionize”)
NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration released OneNYC, an update to predecessor Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s sustainability and resilience plan, PlaNYC. De Blasio’s additions claim to account for poverty and income inequality.
On a related note,over at Labor Press, James Parrott explains the recent growth in wages in NYC — but cautions that most of the increases are going to those who are already relatively well-compensated.
The Machinists union has withdrawn a petition to hold a union vote to organize Boeing workers in South Carolina due to what it’s calling “a toxic atmosphere and political interference” — including two organizers being held at gunpoint. (via KomoNews)
In an instance of nationwide backlash against Putin’s economic policies, wildcat strikes took hold across Russia this past week. (via NYTimes)
The Illinois Tollway board just did away with a 20-year-old agreement requiring contractors “to use union workers on construction projects in exchange for assurances against strikes, slowdowns or walkouts.” (via Chicago Tribune)
In an article by Nathan Schneider over at the Nation highlighting the battle over unpredictable scheduling and insufficient hours, the Retail Action Project’s efforts get some attention.
Getting amped for May Day next week? CultureStrike, in partnership with Mobilize the Immigrant Vote (MIV), has released an art-making kit to help you make “stencils, banners and other art projects for your future events, marches and actions.” Check it out.
Spring is officially upon us. We saw it in the Fight for 15 protests, bringing workers and activists to the streets in cities across the country. We see it in the upcoming days of action for climate justice. Possibility is in the air. How will you help fight for the world we want to see? Some updates from the week:
On Wednesday, workers in 200 cities walked out of work and took to the streets to fight for a $15 minimum wage. Was it the “largest protest by low-wage workers in US history”? It very well might have been.
Republican and Democratic lawmakers came to a deal on something! Unfortunately, it’s an agreement to give Pres. Obama fast-track authority on the Trans Pacific Partnership — meaning it will be negotiated in secret, and presented to congress for a yes-or-no vote, with no amendments allowed.
Nathan Schneider wrote an excellent story for VICE on Catalan bank robber and activist Enric Duran and the Catalan Integral Cooperative, an organizing initiative and network of cooperatives with potentially transformative political, social and economic implications. A must-read.
The Intercept published a video from Federal Prison Industries calling prison labor the “best kept secret in outsourcing” — what with prisoners being available for as little as 23 cents an hour. Charming stuff.
Denver cab drivers have started building a worker cooperative — an Uber-like service that’s worker-owned. (via Yes! Magazine)
Last weekend, Murphy served as a sponsor for the annual Organizing 2.0 Digital Boots conference. Lots of mingling, workshops, and conspiring. ‘Til next year!
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