Union Democracy Is a Value, Not a Strategy
Democracy is a central value of every trade union worth the name. But we shouldn’t assume that a more democratic union means a more militant union.
Dave Kamper is a labor organizer in the Twin Cities.
Democracy is a central value of every trade union worth the name. But we shouldn’t assume that a more democratic union means a more militant union.
Having Association of Flight Attendants president Sara Nelson as the head of the AFL-CIO wouldn’t cure all that ails American labor, but it would be an enormous boon for the project of building a more democratic, militant, progressive US labor movement. It won’t be easy, but there’s a real path to getting her elected.
Denying students a hot lunch because they’re too poor to pay is shameful. Food employee unions should lead the way in overturning this grotesque practice — by committing civil disobedience and serving all students, regardless of their family’s income.
The Amazon workers who went on strike yesterday took on the world’s richest man and one of the world’s most powerful corporations. They’re heroes, plain and simple.
Janus opens the door to active campaigns by the Right to get members to drop their union dues. Here’s how labor can fight back.
The Right’s strategy for undermining unions may be a shade more subtle than we think.
Medicare for All is a moral imperative. But the urgency of passing it doesn’t mean we can forget about the details.
The best place to fight Trump is the place where workers have the most power: at the point of production.
Trump’s anti-worker agenda won’t be implemented overnight. Labor has a narrow window to build its power.
From local to local, the labor movement needs to transform into an effective machine for fighting the Right.