Category Archives: Issues & Struggles

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”

May Day 2024: The Labor Movement Needs Socialism

This article was originally published in Issue 17 (April-May) of Socialism Today. Pick up a copy today! International Workers Day is a socialist holiday started by US unions during the struggle for the eight-hour workday in the late 1800s. It was adopted by the socialist Second International in 1904 as a day to “demonstrate energetically…forContinue reading “May Day 2024: The Labor Movement Needs Socialism”

Freighter Collision Collapses Francis Scott Key Bridge, Fight for Workers Safety and Job Security

By Jacob Bielski & Claire Bayler (former Baltimore dockhand)Springfield & Worcester, MA On Tuesday, March 26th, the Dali, a 985-foot-long cargo ship, collided with and destroyed the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which spans the outer Baltimore Harbor in Maryland. Authorities shut down traffic after hearing the ship’s mayday calls, but eight maintenance workers on breakContinue reading “Freighter Collision Collapses Francis Scott Key Bridge, Fight for Workers Safety and Job Security”

Government Shutdown and Debt Ceiling: What Workers Need to Know

B.W. Sculos & Ashley RogersRio Grande Valley United Faculty, TFA, NEA member (personal capacity)Edinburg, TX / Philadelphia, PA On March 8, the Senate postponed a partial government shutdown by passing another temporary funding bill continuing the 2023 budget. The threat of a government shutdown, including furloughs of many government employees and the closure of vital services, isContinue reading “Government Shutdown and Debt Ceiling: What Workers Need to Know”

Hundreds of Thousands Vote Against Gaza War in Democratic Primaries: A First Step Toward Breaking with Pro-War, Capitalist Parties?

by Jacob BielskiSpringfield, MA In protest of the Biden Administration’s support for the Israeli state’s invasion, bombardment, and starvation of Gaza, 101,067 voters cast “uncommitted” ballots in the Michigan Democratic Primary on February 27th.  The campaign sparked a grassroots movement on Super Tuesday when 16 states and the US territory of American Samoa held theirContinue reading “Hundreds of Thousands Vote Against Gaza War in Democratic Primaries: A First Step Toward Breaking with Pro-War, Capitalist Parties?”

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 2024: Solidarity with Gaza and all victims of war!  

The potential power of working-class women in the US is huge. In the last 10 years we have seen mass demonstrations against Donald Trump, in defense of women’s and abortion rights, and opposing violence against women. Working-class women are playing major roles in recent strikes and unionization battles in the education, healthcare, service, entertainment, andContinue reading “INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 2024: Solidarity with Gaza and all victims of war!  “

 2024 Elections: Any Way Out of Two Evils?

by Peggy WangMassachusetts Teachers Association (personal capacity)Boston, MA American workers face a rotten “choice” this November in the presidential elections. The majority of voters don’t want either a Trump or Biden presidency. Biden, Trump, and their corporate parties don’t represent a real choice for working-class people.  Biden faithfully supports imperialist policies like sending billions ofContinue reading ” 2024 Elections: Any Way Out of Two Evils?”

Nebraskan Independent’s Senate Race Shows Working Class Politics Can Win

by Allison ABoston MA Independent challenger Dan Osborn leads by 2 points in the 2024 US Senate election in Nebraska against two-term Republican incumbent Deb Fischer. Osborn has been working in a Kellogg’s factory in Omaha for 20 years. He is currently the president of Local 50G of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers, and GrainContinue reading “Nebraskan Independent’s Senate Race Shows Working Class Politics Can Win”

Unionizing Portland, Maine’s Coffee By Design

An interview with Lauren G., a barista at Coffee by Design.by ISG Maine Branch What sparked interest in unionizing?  We were facing a huge amount of turnover and understaffing. Some resulted from poor planning because a good chunk of employees were leaving to go to college, and, at the same time, long-time workers decided theyContinue reading “Unionizing Portland, Maine’s Coffee By Design”