I’m Sorry I’m a Teacher
Alan Haskvitz, a teacher for 45 years, honestly didn’t mean to place so many states in danger of going bankrupt. He just wanted a secure retirement plan. —– For over 45 years I have enjoyed making a...
View ArticleWhat It’s Like to Work in Walmart Hell
Thanks to recent teacher layoffs and the miserable job market, John Olympic has gone from substitute high-school teacher to Walmart associate. Teaching gave me weekends off for more pleasurable...
View ArticleShut Up and Sing: Let’s Talk Bob Costas and Make Some College Bowl Predictions
Bob Costas’ recent stance in favor of gun control has drawn the ire of many. Jim Jividen examines why his remarks about performance-enhancing drugs didn’t provoke a similar response. Gun control has...
View ArticleWalmart VP’s Brazen Attitude Toward Unionizing
David Tovar’s recent comments, more than anything, are a symbol of the times for working families. The Nation reports that Walmart Vice President of Communications David Tovar admitted, in an...
View ArticleWhere Labor Day Comes From
What does “labor” even mean in America any more? “Labor” is a strange word in American politics these days, a kind of vestigial holdover. We still have a Department of Labor, a Labor Secretary, and...
View ArticleJustin Timberlake: Responsible Employer
JT negotiates union contract for his backup dancers. First he makes Saturday Night Live funny again, then he turns out to be a fantastic actor, and then he puts out the outstanding 20/20 Experience...
View ArticleMusic and the State of the Union
There are many hard realities in the music business today which are stifling to creativity and the future of music. — I’m a music lover for as long as I can remember and can’t imagine being without...
View ArticleIs John Oliver’s Closer Look at Charter Schools the Whole Story?
It’s a conversation as hot and fiery as any other political touchstone out there: should there be a cap on charter schools, and are charter schools—overall—better for children, democracy, and society...
View ArticleLabor Day: In Praise of Workers
— Many small businesses are forced out of the competition by large businesses. Corporate officers fatten their salaries at the expense of employees on the bottom rung. Job scarcity makes it hard to...
View ArticleWho Wants To Join a Union? A Growing Number of Americans
Thomas Kochan, MIT Sloan School of Management; Duanyi Yang, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Erin L. Kelly, MIT Sloan School of Management, and Will Kimball, MIT Sloan School of Management Only...
View ArticleShould You Join A Labor Union?
— A labor union is an organization that acts as an intermediary between its members and the business that employs them. The main purpose of labor unions is to give workers the power to negotiate for...
View ArticlePaid by the Penny: When Disabled Workers’ Rights are Compromised
We must not forget the disabled when we talk about worker rights. — I was nine or ten the first time I asked my parents, “Am I old enough to get a job yet?” I saw the smiles in their eyes as they...
View ArticleMaking the Green New Deal Work for Workers
— Pictured (Left to Right): Sara Nelson, President, Association of Flight Attendants; Chris Lester of United Mine Workers of America (UMWA)-(VA); Cecil Roberts, President, UMWA; Tony Kodric, UMWA-(PA);...
View ArticleDemocracy Needs Unions
— By Christine Owens You deserve to have a say in matters that affect you. Everyone does. That’s democracy. This shouldn’t change when you go to work. Democratic rights in the workplace — including the...
View ArticleHow Central American Migrants Helped Revive the Us Labor Movement
— By Elizabeth Oglesby, University of Arizona In the United States’ heated immigration debate, two views have predominated about Central American migrants: President Donald Trump portrays them as a...
View ArticleA Guaranteed Income Can Increase Workers’ Bargaining Power
By Pressenza IPA An Interview by Àngel Ferrero with Daniel Raventós published by the Jacobin Magazin The economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic have brought calls for a universal basic income...
View ArticleWorkers Are Quitting Their Jobs — And That’s Good
By Jim Hightower Corporate bosses across America have been sputtering in outrage at you working stiffs this summer, spewing expletives about the fact that while the U.S. economy has been coming back,...
View ArticleThe Wrong Debate About the Minimum Wage
Very recently we passed the 12th anniversary since the last minimum wage hike was approved by Congress, lifting working class pay to $7.25 per hour. The twelve-year gap represents the longest stretch...
View ArticleReality TV Show Contestants Are More Like Unpaid Interns Than Hollywood Stars
By David Arditi, University of Texas at Arlington In December 2018, John Legend joined then-newly elected U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to criticize the exploitation of congressional interns on...
View Article
More Pages to Explore .....