by Ronan Foley & Milena GermonBoston, MA / Portland, ME Pride began as a protest with the Stonewall Riots in June 1969 in New York City. The Stonewall Riots were far from the first moment of resistance from the LGBTQ+ community against police and state violence—even just a few years before in 1966, the Compton’sContinue reading “Pride as Protest”
Author Archives: Independent Socialist Group
Support A Strong Contract for the Boston Teachers Union!
The Independent Socialist Group (ISG) supports the 10,000+ members of the Boston Teachers Union (BTU) in their fight for a contract to improve staffing and pay. The union wants a $4/hr increase for paraprofessionals, who make under $30,000/year yet are required to live in Boston, where median rent is almost $4,000/month. Inflation has gone upContinue reading “Support A Strong Contract for the Boston Teachers Union!”
No Summer Breaks for the Palestine Solidarity Movement
by Ben Desjarlais & Jacob BielskiSpringfield, MA Organize Protests to Pick Up Where the Campus Encampments Left Off! On April 17, hundreds of Columbia University students started a Gaza solidarity encampment after efforts to force divestment were answered by a crackdown on pro-Palestinian activity across the campus. University president Minouche Shafik called in New YorkContinue reading “No Summer Breaks for the Palestine Solidarity Movement “
Defying the ban on Massachusetts public sector strikes
by Miranda AlpertSharon Teachers Association / Massachusetts Teachers Association (personal capacity)Boston, MA There has been a recent wave of strikes by members of the Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA), part of the National Education Association (NEA). Although public-sector strikes are illegal in 37 states, including Massachusetts, educators in Brookline, Malden, and Haverhill in 2022, as wellContinue reading “Defying the ban on Massachusetts public sector strikes”
Why Labor Unions and the Working Class Need a Workers’ Party
by Peggy WangMassachusetts Teachers Association/Association of Professional Administrators (personal capacity)Boston, MA Workers have been making headlines by unionizing, striking, and making militant demands. But winning first contract agreements is taking longer, corporations like Amazon refuse to negotiate at all, and only one in ten US workers are in unions. Corporations use their vast amounts ofContinue reading “Why Labor Unions and the Working Class Need a Workers’ Party”
Meet A Socialist: Vicki
by Vicki PProvidence, RI I suppose you could say I was a typical liberal when I first started to become politically engaged; I understood that “voting is important,” but I didn’t really try to understand how politics touches our everyday lives beyond that. For example, I was a black kid growing up in Warwick, RhodeContinue reading “Meet A Socialist: Vicki”
We Need Our Unions to Take Up Socialist Ideas to Make a Breakthrough
Stand together and build a new political party for working people Image: ISG members and other supporters at the Teamsters picketline outside an Amazon warehouse in Norwood, Massachusetts (October 2023) In the last few years, our unions have made important gains in organizing and contract struggles. Public support for unions is up to 71%, butContinue reading “We Need Our Unions to Take Up Socialist Ideas to Make a Breakthrough”
Labor Calls for a Ceasefire, Next Steps to Stop Genocide in Gaza
By Jacob BielskiSpringfield, MA On February 16th, “Seven national unions and over two hundred local unions today formed the National Labor Network for Ceasefire (NLNC) to ‘end the death and devastation’ in the Middle East, and to expand support for the ceasefire among unions nationally.” In doing so, these unions outflanked many Democratic politicians byContinue reading “Labor Calls for a Ceasefire, Next Steps to Stop Genocide in Gaza”
Why We Need Public Ownership of the Railroads
Originally published April 2023. Updated April 2024. by Nicholas Wurst & Claire BaylerSMART-TD Local 1473 (personal capacity) & Railroad Workers United (personal capacities)Worcester, MA Check out publicrailnow.org and railroadworkersunited.org/support-public-ownership for more info. In October of 2022, amid the highly contentious battle over the Class 1 freight railroad workers’ contract, Railroad Workers United (RWU) adopted aContinue reading “Why We Need Public Ownership of the Railroads”
All Out for a Railroad Strike!
by Nicholas WurstSMART-TD Local 1473 & RWU Steering Committee (personal capacity)Worcester, MA Railroad workers cannot afford another drawn-out, “business-as-usual” bargaining process. BNSF and Union Pacific railroads carried out mass layoffs this past winter, and the corporations are attempting to eliminate freight conductors and implement one-man crews. We need to fight, all-out, for the future ofContinue reading “All Out for a Railroad Strike!”
Independent Socialist Group 