ISG members on the picket line during the Big 3 contract battle and strike in 2023. Mansfield, MA. by Jeff BoothAFSCME Local 3650 (personal capacity)Boston, MA The United Auto Workers (UAW) is on the move with high-profile strikes and new union organizing, showing new determination to fight the big corporations. In April, the UAW reversedContinue reading “UAW Leading the Fight to Organize the South”
Category Archives: Issues & Struggles
ISG in Action: Railroad Workers United Convention
RWU Convention hosted a session on Logistics Chokepoints at Labor Notes 2024. by Nicholas WurstSMART-TD Local 1473 (personal capacity) & Railroad Workers United (personal capacities)Worcester, MA On April 18 & 19, ISG members participated in Railroad Workers United’s (RWU) ninth convention in Chicago. RWU is an activist organization of rank-and-file railroad workers, families, and supportersContinue reading “ISG in Action: Railroad Workers United Convention”
ISG in Action: Labor Notes 2024
Members of the Independent Socialist Group (ISG) joined with almost 5,000 other attendees at this year’s Labor Notes conference in Chicago, April 19-21. The conference, which is organized every two years, brings labor activists together to discuss rebuilding a fighting labor movement, including how to organize reform caucuses in our unions and how to overturnContinue reading “ISG in Action: Labor Notes 2024”
The Working Class and the 2024 Presidential Election
by B.W. SculosVice President, Rio Grande Valley United Faculty (TFA/NEA) (Personal Capacity) Edinburg, TX In the leadup to the 2024 US Presidential election, the working class is confronted with two major party candidates who will not represent our interests. Both Democratic Party nominee President Joe Biden and Republican nominee former President Donald Trump will continue toContinue reading “The Working Class and the 2024 Presidential Election”
Union Baristas Win First Contract at Coffee by Design
Lauren Gamble, member of the Independent Socialist Group, reflects on winning a first contract at Coffee by Design (CBD), a small coffee chain in Portland, ME. She served on the bargaining committee for Union by Design, which now represents CBD baristas and retail staff. Union by Design is affiliated to the Laborers’ International Union ofContinue reading “Union Baristas Win First Contract at Coffee by Design”
Meet A Socialist: Harper
Northeastern University encampment where I and other protestors were arrested. by Harper GlottmannMiami, FL Growing up in Miami, it was hard to ignore the wealth inequality all around me. Downtown, homeless people’s encampments stretch down several streets just a couple blocks away from luxury high rises. Most of my life I did not think criticallyContinue reading “Meet A Socialist: Harper”
Pride as Protest
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”
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 “
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”
Independent Socialist Group 