Striketober may very well be just a viral hashtag, but the growing worker militancy it invokes is unmistakably in the air
New working class heroes, not blinded by 21st century false promises, who hope to build better organizations from the ashes of the old -- should check out the writings of a deceased 88-year old New Yorker who knew what he was talking about.
Too often, leaders magnify the voices of a very small group of members... This reality reflects significant weaknesses in unions and their organizing practices, and illustrates how shallow and limited our understanding of democracy is.
The United Electrical Workers was one of America’s mightiest unions. Many leaders were leftists who challenged corporate power, so UE was decimated by McCarthyism. The union survived and UE's model of militant, democratic unionism can revive labor.
At a time of historic working-class weakness, it’s tempting to watch the portrayal of Jimmy Hoffa in Martin Scorcese’s The Irishman and long for similar labor leadership today. But his corruption and autocratic leadership paved the way for decline.
By building community support and staging disruption, the teachers hope to expand the boundaries of what’s politically possible and force the city to bend to its social justice demands
Supporting labor battles is at the center of the Bernie Sander's campaign. At a Chicago teachers rally he stated, “the only way to win prosperity for working people is when we significantly increase membership in trade unions all across America.”
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