ViewpointElection 2024

How Biden, Harris and the Democrats Abandoned the Working Class

Working-class voters didn’t unite behind a Democratic Party that failed to address economic pain—and Trump exploited those grievances to win back the presidency.

Jeff Schuhrke

LaborViewpoint

Donald Trump Wants to Poison the Soul of the Labor Movement

Trump is trying to court union members by saying he's a "friend" to labor—but he's actually a billionaire scab out to strip workers of their rights.

Jeff Schuhrke

Labor

After 49 Days, the Longest Adjunct Strike in U.S. History Comes to a Close

“They’re not just treating us as discardable anymore.”

Jeff Schuhrke

LaborPalestine

The Labor Movement's History of Backing Israel—and the Changing Climate Amid the War on Gaza

The U.S. labor movement has a decades-long history of supporting Israel wholeheartedly, punctuated by moments of pro-Palestine actions by rank-and-file activists. As Israel wages its war on Gaza, those pro-Palestine moments are becoming increasingly common.

Jeff Schuhrke

LaborPalestine

The AFL-CIO Squashed a Council's Cease-Fire Resolution. What Does It Say About Labor Right Now?

The move illustrates larger dynamics currently at play within the U.S. labor movement as the assault on Gaza rages on. While some unions and labor activists are advocating for an immediate end to the onslaught, most officials are keeping quiet.

Jeff Schuhrke

Labor

Here’s What UAW Workers Won in a “Historic” TA After Striking at Ford

After more than a month on the picket line, autoworkers have reached a tentative agreement with Ford including massive wage increases, cost of living adjustments and the right to strike over plant closures. Now the deal goes to the membership, while strikes continue at GM and Stellantis.

Jeff Schuhrke

LaborPalestine

The U.S. Labor Voices Opposing Military Aid to Israel

“U.S. military aid going in is pouring gasoline onto a fire. It encourages that there be military solutions, and military solutions will get more people killed.”

Jeff Schuhrke and Sarah Lazare

LaborViewpoint

Republicans Are Using Anti-China Rhetoric to Undercut Striking UAW Workers’ Demands

Rather than actually supporting auto workers in their strike against billionaire CEOs at the Big Three, GOP officials are instead using the labor action to rail against electric vehicles and stoke conflict with China.

Jeff Schuhrke and Sarah Lazare

LaborEn Español

“La lucha es global”: Trabajadores tras el mundo están en solidaridad con los trabajadores automotrices en huelga

Desde Brasil y México a Sudáfrica y Malasia, la solidaridad laboral internacional está reforzando la lucha de la UAW.

Jeff Schuhrke

Labor

It Shouldn’t Be a Big Deal That Biden Joined Striking Workers on the Picket Line—But It Is

“The most union-friendly president in U.S. history” may be a low bar, but Biden took another step toward clearing it by standing with Michigan autoworkers out on strike.

Jeff Schuhrke

Labor

“This Fight Is Global”: Workers Around the World Are Standing With Striking U.S. Autoworkers

From Brazil and Mexico to South Africa and Malaysia, international labor solidarity is aiding the UAW’s fight to reverse the global race to the bottom.

Jeff Schuhrke

Labor

UAW's "Element of Surprise" Strike Appears to Be Working

"We heard like everyone else at 10 p.m.," a Stellantis spokesperson says.

Sarah Lazare and Jeff Schuhrke

Labor

Here's What Striking Autoworkers Are Fighting For

The Big 3 automakers have made record profits in recent years. Now, union workers are calling for big raises, an end to tiers, a shorter work week and a just transition.

Jeff Schuhrke

Labor

Workers at a Chicago Safety-Net Hospital Went on Strike. They Just Won Across-the-Board Raises.

At Loretto hospital, around 200 hospital workers went on strike for over a week demanding better pay. Their new contract includes an average raise of 14.5% over three years.

Jeff Schuhrke

Labor

Cross-Union Solidarity Is Fueling the Historic Summer Strike Wave

From Hollywood to UPS, the U.S. labor movement is uniting to support striking workers and win contract demands across industries.

Jeff Schuhrke

Labor

Amazon Says a Worker’s Death Was Not Work-Related. But a 911 Call Appears to Contradict the Company’s Narrative.

A 911 call, obtained through a FOIA, only cites dehydration as the possible cause of the fatal medical emergency.

Sarah Lazare and Jeff Schuhrke

Labor

Airline Pilots in the U.S. Are Barreling Closer to a Possible Strike

American Airlines pilots have voted overwhelmingly to walk off the job over substandard working conditions—and pilots at Southwest are now conducting their own strike authorization vote.

Jeff Schuhrke

Labor

Bernie Sanders Is Putting Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz In the Hot Seat Over Union Busting

Under pressure, Schultz will face questioning in front of a congressional committee headed by Bernie Sanders—the latest in a line of billionaire CEOs to be taken to task for anti-labor behavior.

Jeff Schuhrke

Labor

Tesla Workers Announced a Union Drive. The Next Day They Were Fired.

More than 30 workers at a Tesla facility in New York were fired after going public with a union campaign. It’s the latest in a long line of alleged labor abuses by CEO Elon Musk.

Jeff Schuhrke

Labor

Here’s How Rail Workers Are Fighting On After Biden Blocked a National Strike

Politicians may have headed off their strike, but rail workers haven't stopped organizing for paid sick leave and safe staffing.

Jeff Schuhrke

Labor

The Biggest Strike in Starbucks' History Is Underway

Starbucks workers at around 100 stores have begun a national three-day walk out, the union campaign’s largest action yet.

Jeff Schuhrke

Labor

Why Is ‘Pro-Union’ President Biden Pushing a Labor Deal That Rail Workers Rejected?

While the Biden administration is seeking to avert a strike by backing a contract over union objections, Bernie Sanders and other progressives made a last-ditch effort to win guaranteed paid sick leave.

Jeff Schuhrke

Labor

U.S. Rail Workers Are Poised to Begin a National Strike Next Week

After rejecting an agreement brokered by the White House, railroad workers could walk off the job ahead of the busy holiday season.

Jeff Schuhrke

Labor

Unionizing Is Now a Constitutional Right in Illinois. Here’s How It Happened.

In Tuesday's midterm elections, a majority of Illinois voters backed the Workers Rights Amendment which will enshrine the ability to organize. A coalition of unions, along with socialists, helped propel the campaign.

Jeff Schuhrke

Labor

Why Starbucks Cares So Much About a Little Pin

A barista in Buffalo says he was fired for wearing a suicide awareness pin. Now, workers in at least seven other states are wearing it in solidarity.

Jeff Schuhrke

Labor

“It’s Not Over”: While Biden Touts Rail Deal, Workers Have Yet to Vote—And Many Remain Skeptical

A national rail strike could still be on the table if rank-and-file workers reject the tentative agreement announced by the White House this week.

Jeff Schuhrke

LaborDispatch

Intelligentsia Workers Vote to Unionize, Fueling the Fire of Coffee Industry Organizing

Workers at the coffee chain have joined fellow baristas at Starbucks and Colectivo in unionizing their workplaces.

Jeff Schuhrke

Labor

U.S. Railroad Workers Inch Closer to a Possible National Strike

After Biden appointed an emergency board to help resolve the labor dispute, rail workers warn: “We have the ability to stop the trains from moving.”

Jeff Schuhrke

Labor

Intelligentsia Coffee Workers Join Starbucks and Colectivo in Unionizing

The cafe organizing wave continues to grow as workers at all Intelligentsia stores in Chicago file for a union election.

Jeff Schuhrke

Labor

Teachers at the Blue Man Group’s "Progressive" School Strike Over Union Busting

The private Blue School in New York teaches labor history. Its teachers just walked off the job.

Jeff Schuhrke

Labor

The Real Scandal at the Oscars Was When Celebrities Crossed a Picket Line

Forget the Will Smith and Chris Rock altercation—hospitality workers got thrown under the bus when a host of Hollywood elites entered an Oscars night party at a hotel under union boycott.

Jeff Schuhrke

Labor

For the First Time in History, Public Television Workers in Chicago Are Out on Strike

Technicians for the local PBS affiliate WTTW have walked off the job to make sure their workplace remains a union shop.

Jeff Schuhrke

Labor

Chicago Teachers Voted to Teach Remotely Amid Omicron Wave—And Were Locked Out

The teachers’ union demanded greater safety measures in classrooms, and in response the school district cancelled classes and locked educators out of online learning platforms.

Jeff Schuhrke

Labor

Capping Off a Year of Labor Action at Amazon, Warehouse Workers Walk Off the Job in Illinois

For the first time, Amazon is experiencing a multi-site U.S. work stoppage. It comes at the end of a year marked by union organizing and labor militancy at the retail giant.

Jeff Schuhrke

Labor

Labor Activists Want to Know Why Workers Were Left to Die in Extreme Tornadoes

Grief, anger, and demands for answers after tornadoes kill at least 14 U.S. workers.

Jeff Schuhrke

Labor

These Tortilla Workers Walked Out and Won a Day Off Work

Gathered outside Chicago's flagship El Milagro taqueria, workers remembered those who died from Covid-19—and celebrated a victory that granted them Sundays off.

Jeff Schuhrke

Labor

No, the Strike Wave Is Not About Vaccine Mandates

The recent spate of militant labor action has been over workers demanding better pay and working conditions—not opposing Covid vaccine requirements.

Jeff Schuhrke

Labor

Why Are Major Unions Undermining the Progressive Strategy on Reconciliation?

Labor leaders from the AFL-CIO and AFT are undermining left Democrats in the reconciliation fight. But members are pushing back.

Jeff Schuhrke

Labor

“It’s Time to Turn This Tortilla Around”: El Milagro Workers Walk Out, Demanding Fair Treatment

Alleging abusive conditions and staff shortages amid the pandemic, workers at the iconic Chicago tortillería walked off the job—only to to be locked out by management.

Jeff Schuhrke

Labor

An Exhibit of Worker Power: Art Institute of Chicago Workers Join the Museum Union Wave

Employees at the historic museum are organizing for pay fairness and transparency, part of a growing movement to unionize cultural institutions across the country.

Jeff Schuhrke

Labor

No Justice, No Italian Beef: Workers at Portillo’s Food Chain Walk Out on Strike

A group of non-unionized workers at the Chicago-based chain staged a week-long walk out, part of a growing wave of strikes in the area.

Jeff Schuhrke

Labor

Chicago Nurses Are Going on Strike—And Management Is Bringing in Scabs Through a Text Blast

Nurses and support staff in the Chicago area are joining other militant healthcare workers across the country by walking off the job, despite attempts by their bosses to hire strikebreakers.

Jeff Schuhrke

Labor

U.S. Unions Are Voicing Unprecedented Support for Palestine

While some national labor groups remain silent, union locals across the country are speaking out to defend Palestinians from Israeli aggression.

Jeff Schuhrke

Labor

Just 3 Democrats Stand in the Way of the PRO Act Coming to the Senate Floor for a Vote

Facing pressure, Sens. Joe Manchin and Angus King have signed on to the landmark labor bill, leaving just three Democratic holdouts: Kyrsten Sinema, Mark Kelly and Mark Warner.

Jeff Schuhrke

Labor

The Movement to End At-Will Employment Is Getting Serious

Unlike much of the world, the U.S. doesn’t ensure “just cause” employment. This coalition in Illinois hopes to change that.

Jeff Schuhrke

Labor

After Threatening Strike, Chicago Teachers Set “New Standard” With Safer School Reopening Plan

Hard-fought negotiations and a strike threat led to Chicago teachers reaching the “most comprehensive agreement for reopening schools” in the country, potentially setting a model for other districts nationwide.

Jeff Schuhrke

Labor

Chicago Teachers Are Showing the Country How to Fight an Unsafe Reopening

As the mayor tries to force them back into schools, teachers may be headed into another strike.

Jeff Schuhrke

Labor

The Labor Movement Has a Game Plan for the Biden Era

This time, unions intend to get something done.

Jeff Schuhrke