PG&E Increases Profits After Rate Hikes
PG&E’s profits predictably increased after they raised utility rates.
CrowdStrike Chaos
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Kaiser and Highland Hospitals in Oakland, CA. On July 19, cybersecurity company CrowdStrike released buggy software that caused many computers internationally that run on the Microsoft Windows operating system to crash. The outage impacted millions of computers across the world and had varying […]
“On Call” Doesn’t Mean at Management’s Beck and Call
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Kaiser and Highland Hospitals in Oakland, CA. Kaiser expects a lot from its on call workers – but the obligation seems to only go one way. The most recent SEIU-UHW contract, for example, allows managers to require on calls give up to 10 […]
California’s Gavin Newsom Declares War On Poor People
On Thursday, California Governor Gavin Newsom passed an executive order that would call on state officials to begin dismantling houseless encampments. The displacement of unhoused people is nothing new and the eviction of encampments from public parks and under freeways and bridges happens all of the time. But this new attack is made possible by […]
Between a Rock and a Hard Place
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now workplace newsletter at Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) in the San Francisco Bay area. The way this contract has been presented, some workers feel like there are no good choices. They are caught between a rock and a hard place. A 2% increase every six months […]
What Do Managers Even Do?
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Kaiser and Highland Hospitals in Oakland, CA. Every day in the hospital, we see hundreds of workers caring for patients, cooking their meals, cleaning their rooms, and keeping us all safe. We work together, every day and night of the year, using our […]
Boeing Machinists Authorize Strike
Boeing’s unionized machinists held strike authorization votes on July 17th. As many as 30,000 of the company’s 33,000 unionized employees voted by 99.9% to authorize a strike. Bargaining started in the spring, but union officials say there has been little movement by the company. The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) called a […]
Behind the Prime Deals: Amazon Workers Suffer Record Injury Rates
Amazon’s Prime Day has become notorious not just for its deals, but for the massive toll it takes on the company’s warehouse workers. According to a recent Senate investigation, injury rates in Amazon warehouses skyrocket during this period, revealing the dire consequences of the company’s relentless drive for profit. Prime Day and the holiday season […]
Kamala Harris: Business as Usual
A lot has changed in the past few weeks. Right after Biden was finally forced to drop out of the presidential race and endorsed Kamala Harris as his successor, the Democratic Party received a jolt in the arm. They have been able to create some new buzz around Harris. The media is less critical of […]
Teamsters President’s Dead-end Politics
In most presidential election years, the heads of big labor unions usually endorse who the Democrats pick as their candidate, so when Teamster Union President Sean O’Brien announced he had accepted Trump’s invitation to address the GOP convention, it was a shock to many labor union officials and activists. The GOP shows its hostility to […]
Boeing Whistleblowers Stand Strong amid Retaliation
Boeing’s top brass is finally admitting what many have suspected for years: the company retaliates against whistleblowers. Outgoing CEO Dave Calhoun faced harsh criticism during a recent Senate hearing, where he acknowledged the company’s dirty tactics. But despite Boeing’s intimidation, whistleblowers are stepping forward in record numbers. Only this year over a dozen have […]
Kamala Harris – When Someone Shows You Who They Are, Believe Them
Much has been made of Joe Biden stepping down as the Democratic Party presidential candidate and Kamala Harris being coronated as the new presumptive nominee. Many people welcome the fact that she is younger and far more coherent than Joe Biden, which is not saying much. Many welcome the fact that she could potentially become […]
Bangladesh: Students Mobilize Against Quotas for Government Jobs
Since the beginning of July, demonstrations and blockades have been taking place in several cities across Bangladesh. The students behind the movement are contesting the quota system for government jobs: this system reserves 30% of positions for the children and grandchildren of those who fought for Bangladesh’s independence in 1971. In fact, this system favors […]
Next Public Meetings in Berkeley & Baltimore: Fri. Aug 16, 7pm pdt & Sat. Aug 17, 7pm edt
Our Society in Crisis: We Don’t Have to Accept This! A Speak Out Socialists Public Meeting and Discussion Below is the text of the talk that was given at the Bay Area event on August 16th: Good evening, everyone, and thank you for coming tonight. We have a lot to discuss, and we want to […]
Economic Crises Drive Political Crises
Political and economic crises are often linked, not separate events.
Samsung Workers Challenge Company
Samsung workers have gone on their first strike against the company.
While the Headlines Focus on Trump and Harris, Gaza Continues to Suffer
Although the Israeli genocide of Palestinians in Gaza has received less news coverage recently, it is still ongoing.
Don’t Fall for J.D. Vance
J.D. Vance does not represent the working class. Don’t fall for him!
The Olympics in Paris: Social Cleansing, Exploitation and Exploding Profits: The Other Side of the Olympic Medal
The Olympic Games are built on exploitation, so that a few can profit.
Heatwaves and Wildfires – Climate Crisis in California
As climate change generates crises around the world, California is plagued by relentless heatwaves, droughts, and devastating wildfires. As of July 20th, a staggering 4,045 wildfires are burning across the state, spreading over 248,972 acres and damaging or destroying more than 150 structures. The scale of this destruction has vastly outpaced last year’s wildfires, with […]
The Attempted Assassination of Trump Only Made Him Stronger
When a lone assassin attempted to assassinate Donald Trump this past Saturday, Trump supporters were enraged and threw blame for the attempt at Joe Biden, the Democrats, and “the radical left.” Millions of others, whether they said it aloud or not, wished the assassin had succeeded, believing that Trump deserves that end, and hoping desperately […]
Speak Out Now General Newsletter: July 22, 2024
Download .pdf leaflet For a Better Life, Dump the Democrats AND Republicans! The Republican National Convention was decked out in slogans of “Make America Great Again,” “strong again,” and “safe again.” The millionaire and billionaire politicians made speeches that touched on the anger we feel about the overdose epidemic, the housing crisis, on our need […]
TA Reached at AHS
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Kaiser and Highland Hospitals in Oakland, CA. The SEIU 1021 bargaining team has reached a tentative agreement (TA) with management, and voting takes place this week to ratify the contract. Looking through the 161 page agreement can be a bit confusing – all […]
COVID Cases on the Rise…
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Kaiser and Highland Hospitals in Oakland, CA. COVID cases are on the rise again in the Bay Area and many of us probably know of someone who has gotten it again in the past few weeks. While luckily this hasn’t translated to a […]
Short Staffing Tragedy
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Kaiser and Highland Hospitals in Oakland, CA. A few days ago at Kaiser Vallejo, a man lost his life while waiting in the emergency room. He arrived in critical condition and needed urgent care. However, due to short staffing, he waited for 8 […]
Highland ICU Nurses Win Victory in Firing Bad Manager
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Kaiser and Highland Hospitals in Oakland, CA. Last year, Highland Hospital hired a temporary manager to fill the vacant leadership role in the ICU. Nurses on the unit immediately found the new manager to be an incompetent bully, who flaunted his many years […]
France: For Our Demands, We’ll All Have to Pitch in!
July 15, 2024 editorial of the New Anticapitalist Party-Revolutionaries (NPA-R) in France, translated from French Since July 8 (election day), negotiations have been underway in all parties to put forward the name of a Prime Minister. In the New Popular Front (NFP), the various parties have still not managed to agree: the Socialist Olivier Faure […]
San Francisco’s General Strike, 90 years later
This week, we celebrate the 90th anniversary of the 1934 general strike in San Francisco, when 150,000 workers across the Bay Area shut down the city for four days in a tremendous display of worker power. The strike had begun on May 9 as a West Coast-wide walkout of the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA). Within […]
Technology Fads are Hungry for Power
Data centers are using huge amounts of electricity and producing carbon emissions.
Labor Peace or Class War?
(reprinted from the BART newsletter) Earlier this year during the negotiations with the Big 3 auto companies, UAW president, Shawn Fain said the working class in this country is facing a war – “a class war”. That is unusual coming from a president of a union in this country, where the focus is usually on […]
The 2024 Election: The Problem isn’t Who is on the Ballot
In recent weeks, there have been growing calls for President Biden to drop out of the presidential election. His performance at the debate, as well as in recent press conferences, have shown noticeable decline in his mental and physical capacities. He regularly struggles to complete sentences, calls people by the wrong name, and has difficulty […]
U.S. Military Anti-vaccine, Anti-China Campaign in Philippines
On June 14, 2024, Reuters published an exposé showing that the Pentagon under both Presidents Trump and Biden ran a secret anti-vax campaign across Asia in order to sow doubt about China’s Sinovac vaccination. The majority of their efforts were put into the Philippines, a crucial U.S. ally in the South China Sea. The propaganda campaign also […]
Supreme Court’s Presidential Immunity Ruling More Serious Than Giving Trump a “Get Out of Jail Free” Card
In the last year, much of U.S. politics has been focused on the efforts of the Biden Administration to prosecute Trump for his crimes committed while he was trying to overturn his 2020 Presidential loss. After he was indicted, Trump claimed the U.S. Courts had no authority to prosecute him for any crime he may […]
Bird Flu: Is This the Next Pandemic?
Bird flu has the potential to become the next pandemic, and capitalism makes it more likely.
France: After Election Time, Let’s Bring on the Time for Social Struggle!
July 8, 2024 editorial of the New Anticapitalist Party-Revolutionaries (NPA-R) in France, translated from French [Far-right leaders] Bardella, Le Pen and their ally Ciotti were unable to break out the champagne on Sunday evening, and all the better for it. Seeing the defeated faces of the Rassemblement National (RN – National Rally party) leaders on […]
Healthcare Workers Say: No Pride in Genocide!
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Kaiser and Highland Hospitals in Oakland, CA. Over the Pride weekend, healthcare workers marched together Friday at Trans March to show solidarity with Palestinians, using the demonstration as an opportunity to bring attention to the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Gaza only has one […]
Beryl a Symptom of Global Warming
The strength of hurricane Beryl is a symptom of the global warming that is being caused by the capitalist economic system.
Review: American Dreams by the San Francisco Mime Troupe
American Dreams A play for our time… This summer’s San Francisco Mime Troupe’s production, American Dreams, is a show not to be missed. It is a musical comedy for people of all ages. A lively song-filled exploration of the challenges faced by a grandfather and his granddaughter, with the presidential election a few months away. […]
It’s Always the Workers Who Sacrifice
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Kaiser and Highland Hospitals in Oakland, CA. Governor Newsom finally approved a new budget for California’s 2024-25 fiscal year last week. The original budget plan featured state funding for minimum wage increases for healthcare workers starting on July 1st. The wage increases are […]
Speak Out Now General Newsletter: July 8, 2024
Download .pdf leaflet Billionaires, Not Migrants, are the Source of Our Problems Listening to the Presidential debate, you would think we are at war and the country is facing an invasion that is overwhelming the people of the Untied States. Although the Democrats and Republicans may use different language about immigration, their policies are overwhelmingly […]
Supreme Court steals power for themselves – We can organize for working class power
On June 28, the justices of the Supreme Court provided yet another colossal victory to the far right. In Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, the six conservatives on the court ruled that judges no longer have any limits on their power to overrule decisions made by federal agencies on how to apply and enforce laws. […]
Kenya Protests and Imperialism
For more than a week, hundreds of thousands in Kenya hit the streets to protest a recently proposed finance bill that would have raised taxes on many everyday essentials. Bread, cooking oil, sugar, sanitary napkins and more basic necessities would have been hit by the tax, which would have struck hardest at the working poor […]
The Supreme Court Says Homelessness is a Crime
The Supreme Court has ruled that local governments can punish people for being homeless.
4 de julio: Necesitamos nuestra propia independencia
Esta semana es el 4 de julio, fecha en la que se celebra la fundación de Estados Unidos tras la Revolución Americana. Los afortunados que tengamos el día libre podremos ver fuegos artificiales o pasar tiempo con la familia. Independientemente de lo que acabemos haciendo, nuestra sociedad se llenará de eventos para celebrar la historia […]
France: Against the Extreme Right and Those Who Have Paved the Way for It
July 1, 2024 editorial of the New Anticapitalist Party-Revolutionaries (NPA-R) in France, translated from French No solution will come from the ballot box: the future lies in our struggles! The first round of legislative elections brought the expected result, in fact prepared by [President] Macron’s decision to dissolve the Assembly for an express (special) election […]
An Unbelievable Debate and a Crisis for the Democratic Party
On June 27, the world watched as the two candidates from the Republican and Democratic parties held their first debate of this election cycle. Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, faced off against Joe Biden for the Democrats. The debate itself was already abnormal, as after many examples and experiences of Trump’s disregard and lack of […]
Julian Assange is Finally Free After 14 Years
Julian Assange was freed on June 26 under a plea deal with the U.S. government where he pleaded guilty to one charge of violating the U.S. Espionage Act and was sentenced to time served while in the British jail. Assange is the founder of WikiLeaks, an internet site designed to expose crimes and corruption committed […]
Baltimore: Let’s Applaud a Cleaner Inner Harbor, But Not for Profit’s Sake
Baltimore has cleaned up its harbor somewhat, but there is still more work to be done. Let’s not forget that we want clean water for us, and not as resource to be used for profit.