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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Labor

The Labor Movement Has a Game Plan for the Biden Era

This time, unions intend to get something done.

Labor

Chicago Teachers Are Considering a Strike Amid Pandemic Surge

With Covid cases rising, the Chicago Teachers Union and its allies are resisting Mayor Lightfoot's plan to force educators back into the classroom—and could walk off the job.

Labor

“This Strike Is a Fight for Our Lives”: Healthcare Workers Are Walking Off the Job to Demand Pandemic Protections

In Chicago and across the country, a wave of strikes by nursing home aides and other healthcare workers is showing that collective action is necessary for survival.

Labor

Millions of U.S Workers for Walmart, McDonald’s and Other Corporate Giants Rely on Food Stamps and Medicaid

A new report commissioned by Bernie Sanders shows that corporations are soaking up profits—while paying workers so little they depend on government assistance to survive.

Labor

"We Won’t Let Him": Unions Nationwide Are Planning a General Strike If Trump Tries to Steal the Election

President Trump has signaled he’s ready to declare victory before all the votes are counted. These unions are saying "hell no"—by planning massive workplace actions.

Viewpoint

Trump’s Calls for Voter Intimidation Are Already Being Heeded. Here’s How to Respond.

We could see a deluge of Trump-sponsored voter intimidation on Election Day. Protecting our democracy requires stopping it in its tracks.

Labor

The Nightmare Facing the Poor and Working Class If There’s Not Another Stimulus

With time running out and Republicans balking at more Covid relief, U.S. workers are facing a future of financial misery.

Labor

Healthcare Workers Are Leading the Largest Strike Ever at the University of Illinois-Chicago

In the face of a deadly pandemic, UIC’s largely Black and Latino hospital workforce is demanding workplace safety and livable wages.

Labor

OSHA Is Failing Essential Workers. Why Not Let Them Sue Their Bosses?

Labor

Weed That’s Legal and Union: Marijuana Dispensary Becomes First in Illinois to Unionize

Labor

Field Museum Workers Say It’s Time for the CEO to Start Making Sacrifices, Too

Labor

Labor Unions Were Crucial in Bernie Sanders’ New Hampshire Victory

Labor

To Build a Left-Wing Unionism, We Must Reckon With the AFL-CIO’s Imperialist Past

Labor

Why 15,000 Indiana Teachers Just Walked Off the Job

Labor

Elizabeth Warren Says Make the Rich Pay for Striking Chicago Teachers’ Demands

Labor

Chicago Teachers Won Public Support for Their Strike. Here’s How.

Labor

Graduate Workers Are Going to Fight Like Hell to Stop the Trump NLRB’s New Rule

Labor

Did You Get a Text Inviting You to a Picket Line? It Might Be from Bernie Sanders.