In These Times

Working Families’ Bailout Needed Urgently. But Who Will Make it Happen?

By Roger Bybee The hemorrhaging of jobs during the current Great Recession—reaching as high as 800,000 some months—has… more

It’s Official: Three Unions Merge to Form Nurses ‘Super Union’

By Lindsay Beyerstein Nurses have been called the new face of organized labor. Like an increasing percentage of… more

A Penny for Our Labor: Florida Farmworkers Protest Grocer

By Emily Udell Farmworkers in South Florida took to the streets over the weekend as part of a… more

Will Copenhagen Catalyze a Movement?

"Climate-change activists at Copenhagen will argue that, far from solving the climate crisis, carbon-trading represents the unprecedented privatization of… more

web only   

Death by Privatization

For-profit prison healthcare system implicated in death of inmate. more

web only    criminal justice, healthcare, prison

Senators Move To Shred Public Option, Fool Progressives While Unions Fight Back

By Art Levine Moderate, conservative and even some liberal Senators moved away Monday from the Senate leadership's already-modest… more

Old Criminal Records Are Life Sentences in Job Market

By Seth Wessler Almost two years ago, Vincent, a slim 46-year-old black man dressed in a plaid shirt,… more

INSIDE CUBA: Gay Life in Cuba

Not much has changed since Reinaldo Arenas’ time. more

vol. 33, iss. 12    cuba, international, lgbt

Forging International Labor Solidarity in Wartime No Easy Task

By Kari Lydersen CHICAGO—In Iran, trade unionists face imprisonment, or even death, for organizing... And they are gearing… more

INSIDE CUBA: Guerrilla Blogging

A virtual democracy against all odds. more

vol. 33, iss. 12    cuba, international, media, technology

INSIDE CUBA: From Fidel to Raúl

Continuity, change and perspective. more

vol. 33, iss. 12    cuba, international, politics

Labor Praises Jobs Summit, Calls For Action—But Obama Sending Mixed Signals on Major Spending

By Art Levine Today's suprising downturn in unemployment was welcome news, but there's still rampant unemployment amid a… more

Unemployment Toll: $1 Trillion in Lost Wages

By David MobergThe drop in the numbers of jobs lost last month and in November’s unemployment rate–from… more

Working in the Shadows: Undercover Writer Sheds Light on Immigrant Labor

By Kari LydersenThey call them the “jobs Americans won’t do”: picking lettuce, pulling apart frozen chickens, toiling… more

Guns and Butter: Labor Takes on Afghanistan

By Michelle Chen With epidemic joblessness and endless warfare dragging on alongside each other, the political tensionssurrounding… more

INSIDE CUBA: Against the Demons Who Kidnap Information

Without real news, a more open democratic socialism is impossible. more

vol. 33, iss. 12    civil liberties, cuba, international, media

Grassroots Movement Grows in Mexico, as Unionists Escalate Opposition to Government

By Micah Williams MEXICO CITY—As the Mexican government refuses to budge in its decision to disband a state-owned… more

Paid Sick Day Fight Pits Mother Nature vs. CEOs

By Roger BybeeThe very notion of government-mandated paid sick leave—even with the specter of potentially fatal H1N1… more

Deja Vu: Fearing Unrest, Goldman Bankers Packing Heat

By Lindsay Beyerstein Bloomberg News columnist Alice Schroeder reported earlier this week that Goldman Sachs executives are loading… more

Black, Urban Neighborhoods are Unemployment’s Epicenter

By Stephen Franklin If you drive a few blocks from Barack Obama’s Chicago home, you are plunged downward… more

Baseball Players Association Is Rarest of Things: A Strong Union

By Akito Yoshikane Baseball fans are accustomed to watching battles on the diamond field. But showdowns between the… more

The Legacy of 1989, in Two Hemispheres

November marked the anniversary of major events in 1989: "the biggest year in world history since 1945," as British… more

web only    human rights, international, war

Election Fray in Honduras

Human rights violations, voter turnout questions stain effort to elect legitimate post-Zelaya president. more

web only    elections, international, latin america

Progressives’ Memo To Obama: How To Create Jobs

By David MobergPresident Obama, who is holding a White House "jobs summit" Thursday, wants ideas about how… more

How We Are Part of the Sweatshop Economy

By Richard Greenwald The International Labor Rights Forum has named Abercrombie and Fitch, Gymboree, Hanes, Ikea, Kohl’s, LL… more

Workers Give Rite Aid CEO the Raspberry for Unionbusting

By Rand Wilson, AFL-CIO communications coordinator Tuesday night in Manhattan, a Rite Aid drugstore worker from California and… more

We Need a Manufacturing Strategy—And CEOs Agree

By Leo W. Gerard, USW International President Defying popular stereotype, CEOs and labor representatives sat on a panel… more

INSIDE CUBA: Mystery Island

How Cubans resolve to survive. more

vol. 33, iss. 12    cuba, human rights, international

Stupak: A Massive Headache for Organized Labor

By Roger Bybee Michigan Congressman Bart Stupak seems to have a split personality—and it may torpedo the best… more

Another Slaughterhouse Hazard: Pig Brain Mist

By Emily Udell "Aerosolised porcine brain." The mere words make me shiver. A report released yesterday by the… more

Reevaluating Immigration Reform: What’s it Worth?

By Michelle Chen The immigration debate these days looks more like a balance sheet than a political conversation.… more

100 Miles of Mirrors

A simple, feasible plan for averting global climatic disaster. more

web only    activism, campaigns, environment, international

INSIDE CUBA: Voices From the Island

Welcome to Cuba. more

vol. 33, iss. 12    cuba, international

Labor Watchdog Slams Wal-Mart for Chinese Suppliers’ Abuses

By Jeremy GantzYou'll have to excuse us here at Working In These Times, as the Thanksgiving holiday… more

Health Reform Debate Starts As Unions, Liberals Pressure Reid for Stronger Bill

By Art Levine Even as Senate Republicans led up to the floor debate on health reform Monday afternoon… more

After Massacre in Phillipines, It’s Workers Against Warlords

By Lindsay Beyerstein Last week in the Phillipines, dozens of politicians and journalists were dragged from a campaign… more

Empathy, Not Apathy

An open letter to my students. more

vol. 33, iss. 12    activism, education, youth

Dear ITT Ideologist: Vexatious Nations and Komunists

Dear ITT Ideologist, As an informed citizen, I keep a list of vexatious nations so that, in the event… more

vol. 33, iss. 12   

Detroit Restaurant Workers Hungry for Justice

  By Kari Lydersen   Detroit has been the poster child of the economic crisis, ,… more

Shawn of the Left

Wallace Shawn speaks for himself. Usually. more

vol. 33, iss. 12    activism, media, theater

Colbert Conservatism

Pop quiz--name the political leader who said the following: "We must be willing to pull the plug before sinking… more

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Flawed Health Reform Could Hurt Dems in 2010—Part 2

By Roger Bybee For the first part of this piece, go here. Once Americans sort out the meaning… more

Banana Repugnant

Can a military dictatorship hold 'free' elections in Honduras? more

web only    international, latin america

Flawed Health Reform Could Hurt Dems in 2010—Part I

By Roger Bybee Many progressives appear to know little about the latest proposed Senate health reform bill, other… more

Dear USA Today: Asian-American Unemployment More Nuanced Than You Think

By Akito Yoshikane … more

Who Would Benefit From ‘Gitmo North’?

By Kari Lydersen THOMSON, IL.—The nearly empty maximum security prison at the edge of town has come to… more

Waiting on the Street Corner, Waiting For a Miracle

By Stephen Franklin CHICAGO—Alejandro waits eagle-eyed on the street corner with the other day laborers. He has three… more

Assassinated by the State

The federally sanctioned murder of a Black Panther. more

vol. 33, iss. 12    books, race, social justice

No ‘Turnaround’ in WTO 10 Years Ater Seattle Protests

By David Moberg Ten years ago, tens of thousands of union members, environmentalists, and other progressive critics of… more

Trading Tomorrow for Today: Why Saving is So Hard for Poor Families

By Michelle Chen As the recession bottoms out, we're slowly coming to understand how we got here: a… more

Do Unions Sometimes Behave Like Cults?

By Paul Garver Some… more

Struggling Vermont Dairies Shaken by Federal Subpoenas

By Emily Udell Vermont is a state that rarely pops up in labor news, but the Green Mountain… more

Pitbullies of the Right

By the time you read this, election day will be over and pundits will have told us all about… more

vol. 33, iss. 12    media, obama, politics

Unions Ramp Up Pressure to Save Public Option, Drop Tax on Health Plans

By Art Levine Despite the votes on Saturday to proceed to a floor debate, the fate of the… more

Union Hypocrisy and Calif. Health Workers’ Fight For ‘Free Choice’

By Steve Early As organized labor tries to sustain its inside-the-Beltway campaign for an Employee Free Choice Act… more

In Chicago—And Around U.S.—Workers Continue Wage Theft Fight

By Kari Lydersen CHICAGO—Boguslaw Moskal started working for Walter Bochenek, a prominent Polish contractor, in 1997. Bochenek owns… more

OSHA to Retailers: Practice Safe Sales

By Lindsay Beyerstein Black Friday traditionally marks the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. With so many Americans… more

Toxic Turf?

More popular than ever, fake grass may not be so safe. more

vol. 33, iss. 12    environment, medical & health

Snapshot: H1N1 in Afghanistan

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN--Young Afghans wear face masks as they walk in the main market on Nov. 2, 2009, in Kabul,… more

vol. 33, iss. 12    international, medical & health, middle east

Holiday Season Memo: How to Shop Sweatshop-Free

By Diana Novak This holiday season, give gifts that only come at a cost to you by thinking… more

New Goldman Sachs, Buffett PR Gambit: Give $500 Million To Small Businesses

By Art Levine John D. Rockefeller gave out dimes to little kids to burnish his image, helping launch… more

Intelligentsia Against Intelligence

In the parlance of our times, the term "Idiocracy" means a nation run by idiots--and the term "idiot" is… more

web only    middle east, military, military, obama, war

Obama’s ‘Race to the Top’ Could Pose Hurdles for Teachers

By Michelle Chen The Obama administration is enlisting the nation's schools in a "Race to the Top," but… more

Exhibits of Conscience

A nationwide initiative pulls museums into one of today's most highly charged issues: immigration. more

vol. 33, iss. 12    human rights, immigration, social justice

Chinese Labor Repression Undermines U.S. Recovery

By Roger Bybee "We cannot go back," President Barack Obama said in September, "to an era where the… more

Hotel Workers to St. Francis Hotel: Live Up to Your Good Name

By Carl Finamore SAN FRANCISCO—The name St. Francis generally invokes serene images of the devout canonized Catholic aesthetic,… more

Stimulus Bucks for Green Job Training

By Lindsay Beyerstein Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis yesterday announced $5.8 million in green capacity building grants through… more

The Ugly Truth about Jobs

Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke has given Americans a glimpse of the ugly truth about their future job… more

web only    economy, media, social justice

Good Grief

Opaque prose aside, Judith Butler's new book asks crucial questions about how we tolerate state-sanctioned death. more

vol. 33, iss. 12   

Huge Anti-Sweatshop Victory for Activists—And Hondurans

By Jeremy Gantz Honduras hasn't exactly been full of good news since June, when President Mel Zelaya was… more

After Protests, A Win for Illinois Graduate Students

By Akito YoshikaneGraduate instructors at the University of Illinois are back in the classrooms Wednesday following protests… more

Trucker’s Dream? Obama Reconsiders 11th-Hour Bush Decision

By Stephen Franklin You're tired. It’s dark. This part of the highway is tough driving. And the humongous… more

Out of Control

Too big to regulate, the banks need to be broken up. more

vol. 33, iss. 12    congress, corporations, economy

10 Years After: Labor Needs Spirit of Seattle Protests

By Roger Bybee Ten years ago, U.S. labor—led by the Steelworkers and West Coast Longshoremen—and a vast alliance… more

Hyatt Continues Catching Flack over Fired Boston Workers

By Emily Udell Hyatt's efforts to woo fired housekeepers back have been mostly unsuccessful, with only six taking… more

Your Boss Swears Your Job is Perfectly Safe

By Lindsay Beyerstein We're accustomed to reading statistics from the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration about workplace… more

After Release, Former Prisoners Robbed of Opportunity

By Michelle Chen Millions of Americans know how tough it is to break out of unemployment. Few can… more

Catholics Bishops Put Sex Obsession Ahead of Social Justice Mission

First they threatened to take down health-care reform over abortion coverage. Now they're threatening services to the sick and… more

web only    civil rights, healthcare, religion

Unions Must Attract the Young and Hip—or Become Obsolete

By Richard Greenwald Our mental images of labor seem so out of date. More to the point, they… more

Business Council Honoring Vale CEO for Clipping Workers

By Leo Gerard, United Steelworkers International President A business group is honoring Roger Agnelli, the CEO of Vale,… more

Sitting in for Healthcare

A new group takes the fight for a single-payer system directly to insurers—and politicians. more

vol. 33, iss. 12    campaigns, congress, medical & health

SEIU Leads Protest Against Goldman’s So-Called ‘God’s Work’

By Art Levine SEIU President Andy Stern is joining hundreds of progressives—maybe more—in a newly organized protest outside… more

School’s Cool

If we are to revive American schools, we must stop dwelling on despair and celebrate the power of learning, a new book argues. more

vol. 33, iss. 12    campaigns, education, social justice

Union Sparring in California Gets Even Uglier

By Kari Lydersen The battle between SEIU and the National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW) over organzing home… more

Where Are the Real Deficit Hawks?

Let's say you're a congressperson or tea party leader looking to champion deficit reduction--a cause 38 percent of Americans… more

web only    economy, healthcare, military, military

‘Blood and Fire’ in Honduras: An Interview with Mel Zelaya

As peace accord negotiations continue, the ousted president speaks from his Brazilian Embassy refuge. more

web only    human rights, international, latin america

Unions, Progressives Spurring Reversal On ‘Cadillac Plan’ Tax

When it comes to healthcare reform, Washington's conventional wisom is, as always, wrong again. Just about a week… more

Manager’s Conviction Cold Comfort for Detained Immigrant Workers

By Kari Lydersen On Thursday, Sholom Rubashkin, former manager of the Agriprocessors kosher meatpacking plant in Postville, Iowa,… more

Got Green? Mobilizing Women and People of Color to Seize the Green Promise

By Yvonne Liu“Green jobs” has become the latest buzz-word, with stimulus monies pouring into green job creation… more

Not Just ‘Tools That Breathe’: Labor Activism Steps Forward in China

By Michelle Chen As Obama embarks on a tense diplomatic visit to Asia, the political buzz surrounding China… more

Despite Swine Flu Spread, Businesses Oppose Paid Sick Days

By Roger Bybee … more

Blowing Their Tops

Miners, environmentalists clash over coal. more

vol. 33, iss. 12    activism, environment, labor

Domestic Workers Go on Offensive With Ad Campaign, Conference

By R.M. Arrieta La Colectiva de Mujeres (Women's Collective) in San Francisco has launched a media campaign unveiling… more

Workers, Students Take On University-Funded Hotel Firm

By David MobergFerdi Lazo escaped the civil war in El Salvador 22 years ago and moved to… more

The Tempification of the American Workforce

By Lindsay Beyerstein The tempification of the American workforce continues apace. While job losses make headlines, we don't… more

Where Have All the Good Jobs Gone?

By David MobergPeople don’t just want a job. They want a good job. And over the past… more

Arms Control is Not Enough

Early on a Friday morning, I switched on my radio to listen to the news as I slowly woke… more

vol. 33, iss. 12    international, national security, obama

Meet Rosie the Nurse, the New Face of Labor

By David MobergA quarter century ago the typical American union member was a white man who worked… more

20 Years After the Wall’s Fall, What Happened to International Solidarity?

by Richard Greenwald This week seems all about celebrating the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall,… more

The Workers Behind the Burgers

By Stephen Franklin While you are considering a hamburger tonight, let me tell you something you probably weren’t… more