Covid changed everything in the country and has certainly affected the labor movement. So, it’s quite reasonable to see Covid as a unique and unusual damper on militancy.
United States
The Trumpification of American politics?
Undercurrents of racist, anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim and social conservative politics have long coincided among the Republican base with the economic conservatism that more upscale voters support.
Tribune calls for attack on public sector workers
This is not just an attempt to divide public sector workers from private sector workers. It shows a deeper thorn in the side of the ruling class
GOP crackup? Not likely
In an atmosphere of continued political polarization and of GOP expectation that it will regain the congressional majority in 2022, there is no incentive for Republican politicians or operatives to drive a wedge through its ranks.
Chicago teachers continue fight for school safety
The union has argued that the poor condition of the school buildings, the very uneven protective measures taken by the CPS, and the difficulties of social distancing with younger children all make the spread of the virus a serious concern.
Stop the game – I want to get off!
What this little story of GameStop shows is that company and personal pension funds run by the ‘smart people’ are really a rip-off for working people. What is needed are state funded pensions not subject to the volatility of the financial game.
Hunts Point Strike: Fightback is possible!
When the working class movement is seen as a movement of action and struggle, people become open to its fundamental world outlook. Ideas of class solidarity and unity come forward.
The limits of Biden’s plan to “rescue” US foreign policy
Biden wants to draw a sharp contrast with Trump, but their foreign policies share similar assumptions, especially that of seeing China as the U.S.’s main competitor, economically and militarily, in the future.
Chicago teachers say, “Safe Return or No Return!”
The most probable explanation for Lightfoot’s rush to reopen the school system is class vindictiveness towards the CTU. Lightfoot feels, correctly, that she was bested by the CTU in the 2019 strike.
Statement of ISP on current Washington events
However shocking, these events shouldn’t surprise us. In the last few years, our sense of what is politically “normal” has been stretched.
The working class and Covid in the New Year
Many jobs are never going to comeback. This is not just the case in small businesses that have gone under. Capital is using the pandemic to reorganize itself.
Healthcare workers fight both the virus and the employers
The length of a healthcare strike during a medical crisis is a thorny problem that unionists will need to think carefully about. Instant cries of bureaucratic betrayal may miss the mark.
Trump’s election challenges disintegrate
The fact that Trump has failed miserably in his attempt to overturn the election doesn’t mean that he will give up trying. Some impulsive gimmick such as a “Counter-Inauguration” is certainly on the cards.
Trump lost, but no “blue tsunami”
The only thing that can alter that course of events is mass struggle, and a genuine commitment to political activity independent of the Democrats’ electoral calculations.
Fightbacks in the workplace today
We can see where the areas of fightback are today: the small strikes, the hospitals, for safety during the pandemic in schools, and the Teamsters’ opposition.
