UPS has told management and supervisors to be at work in early August to handle a possible strike. So there may be some serious contingency planning behind the “win-win” veneer. Interestingly, UPS competitors, such as FedEx, are positioning themselves to sweep in and grab UPS customers if there is a strike.
Industrial strikes are rare enough today. So when two occur within a few months of one another and literally a few minutes’ walk from one another, it’s worth paying some attention. This is what’s happening in Bedford Park, an industrial suburb just south of Chicago.
The new young trade unionists desperately need the skills, knowledge, and toughness of the older generations. The old established unions need the drive, vigor, and esprit de corps of their new comrades. When these two trends merge, the labor movement will be back on the road—with a vengeance.
“Politicians are happy to voice platitudes and heap praise upon us for our heroism throughout the pandemic,” said one rail leader. “Yet when the steel hits the rail, they back the powerful and wealthy Class 1 rail carriers every time.”
At the top of the ballot, Amendment 1, also known as the Workers Rights Amendment, offers voters the chance to constitutionally protect the fundamental right of Illinois workers to unionize and collectively bargain over wages, hours, working conditions and economic benefits.
When one looks at the American labor movement today, one immediately sees an important contradiction. There are very few strikes, yet a considerable number of young people, most prominently at Starbucks, are organizing into unions.
Four thousand trade unionists gathered in Rosemont, Illinois, this past weekend. The occasion was the conference of Labor Notes, a left labor magazine and current. The purpose of this article is to explain why this conference was such an important event.
The expectation of a strike wave in October, dubbed “Striketober”, was greatly exaggerated by both the mainstream and left press. Amazon, however, is the real thing. The sheer numbers involved show this is a real victory.
If the board decides to continue on a confrontational course, the Chicago labor movement will have to come to the aid of our brothers and sisters at Proviso.
A recent article on this site analyzed the recent period in the US that many were calling Striketober. The purpose of today’s piece is to look at developments since then.
The purpose of this presentation is to examine Striketober, the series of strikes that received a great deal of media attention this Fall.
Since 9/11, thousands of taxi drivers have accrued massive debt largely due to the city artificially inflating the cost of taxi medallions, the permits required to drive a taxi.
It is the largest strike in the country since the Chicago Teachers Strike in 2019 and the largest private sector strike since the General Motors walkout in the fall of that year. This means that it’s important to follow this strike carefully.
Terrible working conditions and speed-ups in that industry have now led to an important workers struggle at the El Milagro tortilla factory in Chicago.
Today, a strike is taking place at the maker of products that everyone in the country knows. No more Oreos, Ritz Crackers, or Chips Ahoy! Nabisco’s on strike.
