Speak Out Now General Newsletter: March 31, 2024
Download .pdf leaflet Baltimore Bridge Disaster Didn’t Have to Happen At 1:28 a.m. on March 26, a massive cargo ship, known as the Dali, collided with Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge. In seconds most of the structure collapsed, killing six construction workers who were performing pothole repairs on the bridge. Before its collapse, the Key Bridge […]
The “Goon Squad”: A Symptom of U.S. Policing
So far, six police officers have been given 10 to 40 year prison sentences for the racist torture and sexual assault of two Black men in Rankin County, Mississippi. In January 2023 both men were beaten, tasered and sexually abused, and one nearly died during a so-called mock execution. The officers were part of the […]
Tennessee Volkswagen Workers Petition for Union Election
A “supermajority,” well over one half, of the 4,300 production and maintenance workers at the Volkswagen plant near Chattanooga, TN, submitted a petition to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) on Monday, March 18. The workers want the NLRB to schedule a secret ballot vote on April 17, 18, and 19 to determine if the […]
Baltimore Bridge Disaster Didn’t Have to Happen
At 1:28 a.m. on March 26, a massive cargo ship, known as the Dali, collided with Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, resulting in seconds in the collapse of most of the structure and the death of six construction workers who were performing pothole repair on the bridge. Before its collapse, the Key Bridge carried about […]
Standardized Tests Don’t Fix Education Inequality
For the first time, the college entrance exam SAT will be fully online, in a newer, shorter version. Top institutions will reinstate the SAT in admissions, reversing the pandemic-era decision to make the test optional. The shifts surrounding the exam have started a debate on the benefits and disadvantages of the SAT for students impacted […]
The Supreme Court Allows Texas to Police Migrants
The Supreme Court allowed Texas to police its border with Mexico, a power that was previously reserved for federal border agents.
A Revolution is Urgently Needed for a World without Bosses and Borders!
The French working class has nothing to gain from the electoral fight between the two major capitalist parties.
A 32 Hour Work Week?
Bernie Sanders proposed a 32-hour work week, though we don’t expect anything to come of it. Instead of waiting for reforms from the top, we can collectively accomplish much more by using our power.
From Gaza to Sudan: Hunger Crises Made by War
In Gaza and Sudan, war is causing people to starve.
Medical Waste is Making Us Sick!
The largest medical waste incinerator in Baltimore, Curtis Bay Energy, that was just fined $1.75M in October, is now being sued by the state environmental agency, the Maryland Department of Environment (MDE), to impose more fines on the company. On Wednesday, March 20, 2024, the Baltimore City Council had an informational hearing to discuss the […]
U.S. politicians put the lives of immigrants at risk in Arizona
Arizona officials threatened to close vital migrant shelters and warned of a severe spike in homelessness if they cannot secure federal funding for migrant services. Despite the rise in immigrants being released by the U.S. Border Patrol into Pima County Arizona, with a record of 46,000 people released there in December of 2023, Pima County […]
TikTok Ban? A Symptom of US-China Tension
Last week, the majority-Republican House of Representatives passed a bill that would ban TikTok, unless the Beijing-based parent company ByteDance sells the app to a non-Chinese buyer. The bill was passed under the pretext of national security, alleging that the Chinese government could use TikTok to spy on the U.S. public. In reality, they are […]
Airline Industry: Their Profits Over Our Lives
The airline industry in the United States has been in the news recently after a series of alarming safety incidents. In January, a panel blew off the side of a Boeing jet operated by Alaska Airlines in mid-flight, forcing pilots to make an emergency landing. In March 2024 alone, there have been at least 10 […]
“Uncommitted” In A System That Is Committed To Genocide
People in the United States have continued to watch the ongoing slaughter in Palestine with horror and have looked for possible ways to halt the genocide. As one of the forms of protest that people have turned to, hundreds of thousands have been refusing to vote for current President Joe Biden in the ongoing Democratic […]
Eviction Crisis in Rural U.S.
Since moratoriums on evictions were lifted following the first two years of the Covid-19 emergency, we know that eviction filings by landlords have again climbed to pre-pandemic levels. In the past year alone, a little over one million evictions were filed nationwide. New research by the Princeton Eviction Lab shows that the rural U.S. is […]
Gaza: La hipocresía de EE.UU. en plena exposición
A medida que la temporada electoral se pone en movimiento, el Partido Demócrata se muestra desesperado debido a su descarado apoyo al genocidio en Gaza. Biden tiene un grado de aprobación muy bajo, y cada día pierde más votantes a medida que se intensifica el genocidio. Si las elecciones presidenciales se tuviese lugar hoy, es poco […]
Biden’s Budget: It Does Nothing for Workers, and It Won’t Inconvenience the 1%
When President Biden sent his proposed Tax and Budget proposal to Congress on March 11th, he claimed it would end the so-called “trickle down” government economic policies which favor the rich and big corporations. His actual proposals, however, show a huge gap between his rhetoric and the real policy of his administration. To manage the COVID […]
Speak Out Now General Newsletter: March 17, 2024
Download .pdf leaflet Corporations Report Record Profits by Squeezing Working People Looking at prices for basic necessities can make you want to cry. Since 2019, gas and housing costs are up 21%, a gallon of milk is up 30%, and a dozen eggs is up 97%. This doesn’t include the other necessities like heating, medical […]
The State of Our Planet (2023)
If there is a political arena where the hopes of reformism are wearing thin and being proven futile, it is among environmental activists. A revolutionary perspective is desperately needed in the climate movement, now more than ever.
It’s Survey Time at Highland
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Kaiser and Highland Hospitals in Oakland, CA. It’s that time again at Alameda Health System to complete the SCORE Culture of Safety Survey. Unfortunately, despite our annual attempts to diligently report our workplace safety concerns via this survey, management consistently ignores the survey […]
Haiti: On the Brink of Social Collapse
Haiti is on the brink of complete social collapse, engulfed in a mass crisis of escalating gang violence, brought on by economic and political instability after decades of foreign intervention. The Prime Minister of Haiti, Ariel Henry, announced on March 12 that he will resign, after weeks of increasing instability and mounting attacks on the government […]
Amazon at a Tipping Point?
A new study released last month estimates that if current patterns of global warming, drought and fires persist, nearly 47% of the Amazon rainforest (by far the world’s largest rainforest) could collapse and become grasslands or other types of ecosystems. In this case, huge amounts of carbon could be released into the atmosphere, adding to […]
Israel’s Genocide of Palestinians Continues with U.S. Support
Israel’s genocidal war continues as it inflicts a state of “total siege” on the people of Gaza. Access to food and water has been severely restricted by the Israeli siege. UNRWA (The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East) says Israel has blocked it from making any deliveries of […]
Gaza: US Hypocrisy on Full Display
As election season kicks into gear, the Democratic Party seems desperate due to their blatant support for the genocide in Gaza. Biden has a very low approval rating, losing more and more voters each day as the genocide intensifies. If the presidential election took place today, it is unlikely he would win. In response, the […]
U.S. Wants to Make an Example of Julian Assange
Any day now, a British court is expected to rule on Julian Assange’s final appeal of an order that he be extradited to the United States. If he is sent to the U.S., he will face prosecution under the Espionage Act, a 1917 law enacted during World War I specifically to stifle and punish dissent […]
Earth Day Event Video: We Will Not Be Sacrificed! Reports from “Sacrifice Zones” (Sat, Apr. 13)
Coal, oil, gas, and plastic industries continue their expansion at the expense of the ecosystems, and entire communities. Chemical and radioactive waste products affect all of us by contaminating the air, soil, and waterways. These waste products are concentrated in industrial areas, “Sacrifice Zones,” where residents and workers are lied to and often don’t see […]
Bosses have a new tactic to stop workers from forming unions
Workers at big non-union corporations like Tesla and Amazon have been trying to organize unions for the last several years. Some of them have been fired in order to scare the rest of the workers away from the effort. In spite of the firings, however, workers at these companies continue to organize. This alarms the […]
New CDC Guidelines Say Go Back to Work!
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced on March 1 that it is lifting its recommendation to isolate for five days after testing positive for COVID. It now recommends “returning to normal activities when, for at least 24 hours, symptoms are improving overall, and if a fever was present, it has been […]
NY/NJ Port Workers For Peace Say, “Stop Genocide in Palestine.”
Activists in New Jersey held a rally at Elizabeth Marine Terminal to educate workers and rally support for the Palestinian people.
Mergers: Another Attack on our Wallets
The largest grocery store merger in history is taking place between Albertsons and Kroger. These chains boast over 5,000 grocery stores in 48 states, and employ almost 700,000 people. These chains include Safeway, Ralphs, Kroger, and Vons. If this merger goes through it would be worth $24.6 billion and would cause 22% of the grocery […]
Welsh and Ukrainian Miners Show Solidarity Across Borders
Welsh miners went to Ukraine with supplies to show solidarity with Ukrainian miners, who helped them during a 1984 strike.
Profits for the Rich, Inflation for the Poor
As oil and gas companies make record profits, gas prices continue to rise. From 2021 to 2023, the country’s top-10 wealthiest of these companies made a combined net income of $313 billion. Average gas prices have now reached $3.34 per gallon, costing people $40 to $50 to fill up their car tank. But, in some […]
Genocidio en Gaza: por Israel Y EE.UU.
Desde el 7 de octubre, la masacre genocida de palestinos por parte de Israel ha continuado sin pausa, matando a 30.000 palestinos en Gaza, entre ellos más de 12.000 niños. Miles siguen sin ser identificados, sepultados bajo los escombros. Más de 360.000 viviendas han quedado destruidas o dañadas, barrios enteros reducidos a ruinas, mientras los […]
Trapped Indoors
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Kaiser and Highland Hospitals in Oakland, CA. In a recent memo sent by the Kaiser administration, we were warned not to leave the downtown Oakland building during our lunch breaks. This was after a couple of workers at Kaiser were victims of theft […]
SON General Newsletter: March 4, 2024
Download as .pdf leaflet International Women’s Day: Give Us Bread, but Give Us Roses, Too! March 8th is International Women’s Day. This is a day to commemorate the working women who have struggled and fought to better their conditions. Today in the United States, the attacks on abortion and reproductive rights continue. The Alabama Supreme […]
What’s Going on With Bargaining at AHS?
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Kaiser and Highland Hospitals in Oakland, CA. Our Highland SEIU-1021 contract expires May 31st, which is only 3 months away! So far, we’ve had a contract kick-off rally, where we chanted, ate some burritos, and got ourselves a purple union t-shirt. We’ve also […]
U.S. Airman Sacrifices His Life to Free Palestine
Aaron Bushnell’s self-immolation outside the Israeli embassy in Washington, DC captured the attention of the world. The active-duty member of the U.S. Air Force, disillusioned by the military and U.S. government, morally rejected the U.S. government’s support for Israel’s genocide of Palestinians. The U.S. has provided Israel with the weapons and intelligence to carry out […]
To Save a Buck, Let’s All Catch TB!
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Kaiser and Highland Hospitals in Oakland, CA. We know that Kaiser is notorious for cutting corners, but the recent email sent to all Kaiser employees that the hospital would no longer be mandating tuberculosis (TB) testing, appeared almost like an early April Fool’s […]
International Women’s Day: Give Us Bread, But Give Us Roses, Too!
March 8th is International Women’s Day. This is a day to commemorate the working women who have struggled and fought to better their conditions. Today in the United States, the attacks on abortion and reproductive rights continue. The Alabama Supreme Court recently ruled that all “unborn children are ‘children’” and that an embryo in a […]
Texas Court Discriminates Against Black Hair
In the midst of a climate crisis of epic proportions, an ongoing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, the rise of the far right across the world, and many other life-changing problems and crises, the Barbers Hill School District (BHISD) in Texas has decided that the best way to spend their energy is by…harassing Black students […]