Troublemakers Blog

March 23, 2022 /
The recent surge in union action has been met by an increase in union-busting by greedy employers—even in companies whose purpose is to serve and heal, such as hospitals. The pandemic has put an acute strain on an already chronic problem: short staffing. For years many hospitals have adopted tools from the hospitality and the assembly-line production industry. »
Crowd of excited owrkers stands outside warehouse in the dark holding up handmade signs. Most prominent ones read "Amazon burns workers," "Amazon exploits workers," "Amazonians unite! Without us they're nothing."
March 16, 2022 / Luis Feliz Leon
Around 60 workers at three Amazon delivery stations—the final stop in the company’s logistics chain—staged a work stoppage early this morning. Amazonians United, a network of rank-and-file worker committees around the U.S. and Canada, coordinated the walkouts in New York City and Maryland in its latest show of shop floor strength. »
People in blue "INA" shirts march. Some carry picket signs "Safety in Numbers," "Respect Nurses!" "Unfair Labor Practice Strike." One speaks into a bullhorn mic.
March 11, 2022 /
Content warning: This piece mentions death and suicidal thoughts. —Editors February 2020: “I don’t want to see anyone in the hallway with a mask on,” the manager said. We were standing at the nurses’ station, in what was to be the Covid unit. “Um, the CDC is saying this is airborne,” I said. “Not only do we need masks, we need N95s!” »
March 08, 2022 / Joe DeManuelle-Hall
When “microtransit,” the new rage in transit privatization, showed up in Denton, Texas, union activists decided to fight back. »
March 02, 2022 /
Ignacy Jóźwiak of the Polish union Workers' Initiative interviewed Witalij Machinko, leader of the Workers’ Solidarity Trade Union in Kyiv, Ukraine, on February 27. This interview comes to us via the International Trade Union Network of Solidarity and Struggle. »
Marchers bundled in coats, one carries printed sign: "The time is now!"
March 01, 2022 /
A wave of worker activism has shaken the labor movement and captivated the public’s attention as the pandemic stretched into its second and third year—and this wave couldn’t have come at a more important time. »
Several woman hold blue and yellow signs that read "Pass the Pro Act: Build Back Better with Unions."
February 21, 2022 / Jonah Furman
In January our movement got its annual punch in the gut from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, whose 2021 report shows 241,000 fewer union members than the previous year. Just 1 in 10 workers belongs to a union; in the private sector it’s 1 in 16. »
A child and an adult paint signs. Behind them are many more signs hanging already painted.
February 17, 2022 / Sarah Hughes
Holding a union sign at a picket line or rally is a rite of passage for a fighting union. But how often do we stop to think about how we are using these moments of collective action to strengthen our sense of unity, pride, and power? »
Laptop screen shows a map of the Northeast with lots of pushpins. Along the side are checklists of union names and campus job categories.
February 17, 2022 /
We in the U.S. have never had a national strategy for dealing with the adjunct/contingent problem in higher education, even as this precarious workforce grew to nearly 75 percent of all faculty in colleges and universities. »
February 16, 2022 /
A day before the planned strike by 1,200 City of Portland, Oregon, workers, members accepted the city’s last-minute offer in a 58 percent “yes” vote. »

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