Climate Crisis is Threatening Hot Sauce!
The hot sauce that everyone loves, Sriracha, is disappearing off the shelves and at restaurants, and is even being stolen from the few stores that still have some bottles left. What’s goin on? Temperatures have been soaring because of the climate crisis, with each new decade shattering the temperature records of the previous one. This […]
Media Ignores the Death of 700 Migrants
Last week, the news wouldn’t stop about the five super-wealthy passengers of the Titan — the underwater sea vessel built by a billionaire to travel down to the wreckage of the Titanic. It is now believed the Titan quickly imploded from the pressure of the deep waters, killing the five on board. Also last week, […]
Summer Has Arrived — But Where’s the Time Off?
The summer months should be a time to spend with our families, visit relatives in other cities, see new places, and simply hang out and get some rest. But for many workers, any extra time for family or relaxation has to be squeezed into our schedules before we have to clock back in to work. […]
The Homestead Strike of 1892: The State Shows Whose Side It’s On
On June 25, 1892, the management of the Carnegie Steel Works in Homestead, Pennsylvania, posted notices that the men working at the works could no longer work there if they were part of a union, and that each man would have to negotiate individually with management in order to retain their job. Three days later, […]
Obama’s “Working” on Netflix: Why Now?
Former President Barack Obama stars in a recent 4-part Netflix miniseries called Working: What We Do All Day. He tells us in the first episode that it was inspired by the oral history Working, by Studs Terkel, first published in 1974, in which Terkel interviewed dozens of workers about the jobs they did and how they […]
The Oakland A’s Reverse Boycott: Sell The Team!
Recently, the billionaire owner of the Oakland A’s baseball team has made headlines after signing a deal to abandon Oakland for Las Vegas. The Oakland A’s have been in the city since 1968, in their current stadium at the Oakland Coliseum. Working class families have been connected to this team for multiple generations. And this […]
Overtime = Saving Kaiser $$
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Kaiser and Highland Hospitals in Oakland, CA. If you work at Kaiser, you’ve felt the pressure to work overtime, especially as we enter the summer months. You may feel the coercion from management, who calls on everybody to “contribute,” or the insistence may […]
Mini rooms, 22.4, and electric vehicles: What’s going on in the labor movement today?
This is a repost of an article written by Adam Shils for the International Socialism Project posted on June 19, 2023. The labor movement is back in the news. The Screen Writers strike has gained wide publicity as A-list actors support the picket lines. Starbucks workers appear to unionize a new store every day. High […]
Shipwreck in Greece: The Dead are at Sea but the Murderers are at the Helm of the European States
600 migrants were murdered at sea by the policies of European governments.
Student Loan Freeze Ends
People will soon be required to begin payments on student debt that they can’t afford.
Several youth sue Montana government for ties to fossil fuel companies
This week a lawsuit against the state of Montana was filed by 16 young people against the state’s support of the fossil fuel industry. The young people are suing the state, claiming that the government must uphold their right to “maintain and improve a clean and healthful environment … for present and future generations,” which is […]
Juneteenth – The Ongoing Struggle for Black Liberation
June 19th, known as Juneteenth, is the recognition of the last day of chattel slavery in the U.S. It was first celebrated by formerly enslaved people in Texas the year after Northern troops defeated pro-slavery forces there. This was two months after the end of the Civil War. It was the last battle against slavery […]
New Hires
The following is reprinted from Speak Out Now’s workplace newsletter at Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART). Classes of new hires have been graduating and joining the ranks. Of course there are some generational differences, there always are. But the question in every workplace is, who will provide support and orientation toward the day-to-day work? That’s up […]
Daniel Ellsberg, Longtime Activist and Whistleblower, has died at 92
It’s with great sorrow that we have heard about the death of Daniel Ellsberg. In his early life, he was drawn into the idea that the U.S. government stood for what it claims — freedom, democracy etc. As a researcher for the U.S. empire, he was exposed to the systematic lying of decades of administrations, […]
UPS Workers Vote to Authorize a Strike
The contract between the Teamsters Union (IBT) and UPS expires July 31. UPS workers have been voting for the last ten days to authorize the union leaders to call a strike if no tentative agreement is reached by July 31. According to the union, the strike vote was approved by 97 percent of those who […]
Insurance Companies Leave California, Citing Wildfires
Allstate and State Farm have announced that they are no longer selling new home insurance policies in California. This comes after an increase in destructive wildfires. The corporations had previously proposed increasing insurance premiums – even in areas of low wildfire risk – but were not allowed to do so by the state insurance commissioner, […]
As Smoke Covers East Coast Skies We Can’t Escape Climate Change
On Tuesday, June 6, the afternoon air in the New York City metro area was hazy with a slight smell of burning. On Wednesday, June 7, as the day wore on, that haze and smell became an ominous blanket that darkened the sky, then turned it a bright orange, and became noticeable in the eyes, […]
U.S Troops in Peru – Reinforcing the Government Against the People
This June, the U.S. government began sending troops to the South American country of Peru to reinforce the government and train the armed forces. The Peruvian government, with a 6% approval rating, has faced months of major mobilizations, with another massive protest planned for July 19. The government of Dina Boularte came to power in […]
France: Attack in Annecy – Anti-immigrant Demagoguery as a Weapon of Mass Division
June 12, 2023 editorial of the Workplace Newsletters of the Etincelle fraction of the New Anticapitalist Party, translated from French. Politicians, from the Macronists (supporters of President Macron), to the Zemmourists (supporters of far-right politician Éric Zemmour), to Les Républicains (LR: liberal conservative party) and the National Rally (RN: far right party), haven’t hesitated to […]
West Oakland Pollution
For decades, West Oakland has been subject to extreme pollution from freeways, the Port of Oakland, and diesel trucks idling in the neighborhood. As a result, West Oakland residents, mostly Black and Brown workers and their families, visit the emergency room for asthma at rates 85 percent higher than the county average. Deaths from heart […]
Supreme Court vs. Teamsters: Intensifying Attacks Against Workers and Unions
The Supreme Court just made it harder for unions to strike with its decision on June 1 in a case brought by Glacier Northwest – a Seattle concrete company – against a local Teamsters union and some of its members. The decision was 8-1 for the company. The ruling expanded the power of a corporation to […]
Artificial Intelligence – A Danger to Humanity, Harnessed to Capitalism’s Greed
Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) has been in the headlines regularly in the last months. Many leading scientists and corporate officials in high tech industries have made statements regarding the dangers it poses. For example, Dr. Geoffrey Hinton, a computer scientist seen as the godfather of A.I., announced his retirement from Google, saying he regrets his work […]
Attack on Dissent: Members of the Atlanta Solidarity Fund Charged with Terrorism?
On May 31, a SWAT team in Atlanta raided the home of three board members of the Atlanta Solidarity Fund (ASF) and arrested them for the crime of bailing out protesters fighting the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, or Cop City, which is a planned massive training space for law enforcement officers from across the […]
France: June 6 and Beyond: Our Anger Runs Deep and Isn’t About to Cool Off!
June 4, 2023 editorial of the Workplace Newsletters of the Etincelle fraction of the New Anticapitalist Party (NPA), translated from French. On Saturday June 3, visitors to Paris’s Disneyland were surprised to see a parade of a thousand angry employees. For several weeks at the initiative of an “anti-inflation movement” (MAI) there have been protests […]
Indian and Other Rail Catastrophes
Last Friday’s train crash along a busy commuter rail line in eastern India brought to the fore – again – the deadly consequences of poor maintenance on rail lines around the world. The crash occurred on a busy intercity line when one passenger train collided head-on with a stationary freight train at 80mph. The impact […]
Solidarity on Striking Writers’ Picket Lines
On May 2, TV and movie writers went on strike for the first time in 15 years. Today’s strike includes some 11,500 film and TV writers, who belong to the union Writers Guild of America (WGA). The strike began when the union and the boss, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which […]
A World Sickened by the Violence of Society
May 30, 2023 editorial of the workplace wewsletters of the Etincelle fraction of the New Anticapitalist Party (NPA) in France, translated from French. On the night of May 22 or 23, a patient (with a psychiatric history) murdered a nurse on the psychiatric ward of the Reims University Hospital. Her death naturally aroused immense emotion, […]
France: We Stand With the Vertbaudet Workers!
May 22, 2023 editorial of the Workplace Newsletters of the Etincelle fraction of the NPA, translated from French. Last Tuesday, May 16, the police intervened to break up a picket line of workers at the warehouse of a children’s clothing company, Vertbaudet, in Marquette-les-Lille (northern French town). One worker was rushed to a hospital with […]
Harriet Tubman and the Combahee River Raid: One Battle in the Struggle for Freedom
On June 2, 1863, during the U.S. Civil War, two Union Army gunships (the Harriet A. Weed and the John Adams — both converted ferryboats) carrying 150 soldiers proceeded up the Combahee River, about twenty miles south of Charleston, in the heart of South Carolina’s lowland rice region. Guided by a woman with nearly 14 […]
Pride Month: Celebrate this June by Fighting for the World We Deserve!
Pride began as a fight against oppression, a fight that continues today.
Dodgers Pride Night: When The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence Win, We All Win!
The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence won back their invite to the Dodgers’ Pride Day after outcry from supporters.
Nebraska: Anti-Trans and Anti-Choice Legislation go Hand in Hand!
The Nebraska legislature passed a bill that attacks both reproductive rights and trans people’s rights.
Aderrien Murry: Even an 11-Year-Old isn’t Safe from the Police!
11-year-old Aderrien Murry was shot by the police after calling 911. Even children are not safe from police violence.
Corruption In D.C. Comes To Light — Why Now?
Corruption has always existed in U.S. politics. Why is there a big deal about it now?
Endless Money for War, Stingy for the Poor
A few days ago it was announced that the Pentagon made an error when calculating its total funding for aid to Ukraine, a country still locked in its struggle against the brutal Russian invasion and occupation. Pentagon accountants apparently overvalued some of the weapons sold to Ukraine, leading them to conclude that it has received […]
Biden’s Border Policy – More Trump than Trump
The Trump-era border restrictions known as Title 42 expired on Thursday, May 18. These are the policies that, in the name of limiting the COVID pandemic, turned away asylum-seekers and forced thousands of people to wait in Mexico in dangerous situations. Trump’s border policies generated scandals and horror stories, from child separation, to mass imprisonment […]
Iraq is Environmentally Devastated
War and oil extraction have devastated the environment of Iraq.
Oakland Teachers’ Strike — A Balance Sheet
On May 4 teachers in Oakland, California, went on a seven-day strike that ended with a tentative agreement. Many teachers felt that the contract was mediocre at best. The timing of the strike was very difficult for students, teachers, staff, and families, since the end of the school year is a special time for field […]
France: Against the Extreme-Right, and For the Solidarity of Working People
May 15, 2023, Editorial of the Workplace Newsletters of the Etincelle fraction of the New Anticapitalist Party (NPA), Translated from French After months of extreme right-wing demonstrations in the city of Saint-Brévin-Les-Pins, from the National Rally (RN) Party to neo-fascist groups and Éric Zemmour’s far-right party, the Mayor of the town had no choice but […]
Ocean Heating Adds Urgency to Our Task
A new United Nations climate assessment report builds on previous reports to paint a picture of oceans continuing to heat up along with our global atmosphere. This is the latest in a series of reports that show a more rapid rate of increase in global ocean surface temperatures than previously expected. In the words of […]
Gold Mine Fire in Peru Kills 27 Workers
A gold mine fire killed 27 workers in Peru. Workers are not safe when profits matter more than safety.
U.S. Nuclear Submarines in South Korea – One Step Closer to Disaster
The U.S. has sent nuclear-armed submarines to South Korea to threaten North Korea.
Rutgers Faculty Win Victory, But The Fight Isn’t Over
Rutgers workers won pay increases, but they will need to continue to fight against future challenges.
BART’s Future?
The news media are raising concerns about the future of BART. The problems with BART are a product of wider societal problems.
Jordan Neely’s Killing Reflects the Backwards Priorities of this Society
The killing on May 1 of Jordan Neely, a 30-year-old unhoused Black man with a history of mental illness, on a New York City subway has sparked outcry and protests in the past couple of weeks. Neely was reportedly yelling on the subway when 24-year-old Daniel Penny, a former Marine, placed him in a chokehold […]
Hottest Days Ever in Southeast Asia
Temperatures hit all-time recorded highs in early May in Vietnam and Laos. Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, also reached a record high. Much of these three countries and the rest of Southeast Asia have also been blanketed with heavy smog. The combination of extreme heat and smog is deadly. Scientists say that this is the […]
France: Macron in Trouble Plays the Race Card, and the Billy Club!
May 8, 2023 editorial of the Workplace Newsletters of the Etincelle fraction of the New Anticapitalist Party (NPA), translated from French. The government is still trying to end the fight against the pension reform… It can even thank the trade union leaders, who agreed to meet with Macron on May 17, and who set the […]
Where Is It Safe Anymore?
The city of Davis, California, has been rocked in recent weeks by a series of stabbings that left two people dead and one hospitalized. While the suspected killer is now off the streets, this small college town will suffer lasting trauma from the incidents. The first victim, David Henry Breaux, was found slain on a park bench […]
The UC Berkeley Anthropology Library Occupation
For over two weeks now, University of California (UC) Berkeley students, faculty, and community members have occupied the George and Mary Foster Anthropology Library. The UC Berkeley administration has been trying for months to close three campus libraries: the Mathematics-Statistics Library, the Physics-Astronomy Library, and the Anthropology Library. Students in the Physics, Math, and especially […]
Horses Die for Owners’ Profits
Last weekend was the Kentucky Derby, a nearly 150-year-old horse race, attended by spectators with elaborate hats sipping mint-julep cocktails. This year, while the fancy crowd dressed up and relaxed, the horses who actually ran the race were dying – literally – to entertain them. Seven horses died this year in the lead-up to the race […]