TED MORGAN Karl Marx identified the central contradiction of capitalism as the antagonistic relationship between workers and their capitalist employers. As Michael Yates has put it, “the essence of this relationship is the exploitation of the workers, the extraction of a surplus by the employers from their labor, necessary to fuel the accumulation of capital in a milieu of … [Read more...] about Class Conflict and the Amazon Union Drive in Alabama
unions
Police are the Enemy Within
by Michael D. Yates In 2017, Daniel Fetonte was elected to the National Political Committee of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), a rapidly growing left-wing organization in the United States. Fetonte was co-chair of the Austin, Texas, branch of the DSA and had been involved in labor union organizing for many years. However, he had also been employed by the Combined … [Read more...] about Police are the Enemy Within
Essential workers on strike
As of May 1, workers from the following places are on strike, primarily because those companies are making record profits, but won't protect workers with needed equipment and safe procedures: Amazon Instacart Whole Foods Walmart Target FedEx … [Read more...] about Essential workers on strike
‘Working People Will Make a Better World’: An Interview with Labor Historian Priscilla Murolo
Interviewed by Andy Piascik Priscilla Murolo teaches history at Sarah Lawrence College, where she formerly directed the graduate program in Women’s History. She also teaches in the Union Leadership and Activism Master’s Program at the University of Massachusetts. Beginning in the1960s, she has been involved in the women’s movement, labor organizing and many community … [Read more...] about ‘Working People Will Make a Better World’: An Interview with Labor Historian Priscilla Murolo
Jobs, the Environment, and a Planet in Crisis: Unions vs. Environmentalists or Unions and Environmentalists?
by Aviva Chomsky When it comes to heat, extreme weather, wildfires, and melting glaciers, the planet is now in what the media increasingly refers to as “record” territory1, as climate change’s momentum outpaces predictions. In such a situation, in a country whose president and administration seem hell-bent on doing everything they conceivably can to make … [Read more...] about Jobs, the Environment, and a Planet in Crisis: Unions vs. Environmentalists or Unions and Environmentalists?
You Can’t Litigate Your Way To a Union: The IWW Campaign at Boulevard Bingo
Editor’s Note: This essay recounts an early 1990s strike at a bingo hall in Allentown, PA, led by the local branch of the Industrial Workers of the World. It originally appeared in John Silvano’s book Nothing in Common: An Oral History of IWW Strikes, 1971-1992. by Lenny Flank The whole thing started in June of 1992. Jeff Kelly just happened to be … [Read more...] about You Can’t Litigate Your Way To a Union: The IWW Campaign at Boulevard Bingo