With the midterms behind us, we have Nov. 4, 2020, to look forward to—labor’s next morning after. On Nov. 5, 2008, we were euphoric and full of delusional hope over the imminent passage of the Employee Free Choice Act and the restoration of labor. On Nov. 9, 2016, we were paralyzed by despair and denial. …
Forget Elections—Labor Needs To Get Back to Its Roots Read More »
So much for the economic independence that’s supposed to come with young adulthood. But when unemployment among young men workers is the highest it’s been in 61 years, as noted by New York Times columnist Bob Herbert, it’s little wonder that workers under 35 are facing so many economic obstacles. On Tuesday, the AFL-CIO released …
Young Workers in Free Fall: 1/3 Under 35 Live with Parents Read More »
Last week, the Arizona Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s July ruling that a proposed state constitutional amendment that sought to restrict how workers can vote in union representation elections was unconstitutional. Not surprisingly, it’s being pushed by opponents of the Employee Free Choice Act. But that hasn’t stopped Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) and the Republican-controlled …
Ignoring Courts, Arizona Gov. and Legislature Move Anti-Union Measure Read More »
Workers’ issues were the focus of five days of marches, rallies and workshops at the U.S. Social Forum in Detroit, which ended over the weekend. Grassroots activists and progressives from across the country came together to build new alliances, create new strategies and put new energy into the movement to turn around the American economy. …
Challenges within the primaries allow us to define what it means to be a real Democrat—to insist that the party truly puts the interests of working people first. That’s what makes elections like Tuesday’s run-off in Arkansas between Bill Halter and incumbent Senator Blanche Lincoln, the victor, so important. Labor and progressive movements got together …
Why Taking on Blanche Lincoln Was the Right Call Read More »
As kids, we all loved the sugar-coated fairy tales of handsome and brave princes rescuing beautiful princesses from despotic kings. The new CBS “reality” show “Undercover Boss” that debuted last night after the Super Bowl is a 21st century sugar-coated fairy tale. But this time, the brave prince is actually a CEO who goes undercover …
‘Undercover Boss’: A Fairy Tale That Ignores Grim Reality Read More »
Yesterday, the U.S. Chamber released a “nationwide poll,” which claimed to reveal the public’s fears about how the “Employee Free Choice Act” would hurt job growth. If the Chamber really wanted to stir up some press on their reinvigorated anti-worker campaign, perhaps they should have picked a less-obviously right wing polling company to make their …
U.S. Chamber’s “Card Check Compromise” Poll Compromises the Facts Read More »
The White House Task Force on the Middle Class today announced several initiatives it says will help middle-class families afford soaring child care costs, care for their aging relatives, cope with the challenge of saving for retirement and pay for their children’s college tuition. President Obama says the measures will help “ease the burdens on …
Middle Class Task Force Addresses Child Care, College Costs, Retirement Security Read More »
Martin Luther King Jr. will always be revered as one of the greatest civil rights leaders in America and the world. Most people know King died in Memphis, but did you know that he died while fighting for the right of sanitation workers to organize unions and choose their own leaders? King called unions “the …
In Honor of Martin Luther King Jr.: Let’s Protect Worker’s Rights Read More »
Business-sponsored ‘scholars’ deliver anti-union talking points. Testifying before the Senate labor and health committee hearing in March, economist Anne Layne-Farrar of the corporate consulting firm LECG warned about the horrendous impact of the Employee Free Choice Act. Its potential to increase union membership from between five and 10 percent, she said, “would result in an …
Madeline Messa is a 3L at Syracuse University College of Law. She graduated from Penn State with a degree in journalism. With her legal research and writing for Workplace Fairness, she strives to equip people with the information they need to be their own best advocate.
