We Are All Goodyear Workers
Hollande announced a “state of economic and social emergency”. Consequences: on one side, 9 month jail time for eight Goodyear employees who, during 30 hours, held accountable two directors of a deceitful multinational that had just laid off 800 workers; on the other side many more billions in gift to the bosses, under cover of […]
Imagine What A Happy New Year It Would Be If…
We were not forced to choose between having time or having money. If everyone had a job – no one would have to work long hours – even 40 hours is too much. Everyone would have time to do what we want. Imagine if… Our health was a priority and healthy food was not produced […]
2016: Back to the Future
Hollande gave his best wishes for the new year in a festive way, but he was not very convincing: at war against terrorism alongside Obama, Putin and a new ally, Assad – who’s regime is responsible for 300,000 deaths since 2011. Let’s not forget Saudi Arabia – 47 executions last week – which is such […]
Trump Recycles the Racist Divide and Conquer Message
Donald Trump sank to a new low this past week with his call to temporarily prevent all Muslims from entering the U.S. in the wake of the shootings in San Bernardino. He even referred to the shameful chapter of history where the US government put Japanese-Americans into concentration camps during the World War II as […]
Electoral Circus and Social Front
Finishing first in six regions, the National Front (FN) comes out the winner of the first round of the regional elections. By choosing the FN, an openly racist and xenophobic party, one quarter of the voters who did not abstain have, in fact, followed the path opened by the Hollande-Valls government, which differs in no […]
Paris Climate Talks – The Future is Not Theirs to Decide
Leaders of countries from all over the world are in Paris, France at the U.N COP21 meetings to discuss the problem of global warming. Up to 30,000 people are participating in the conference and hundreds of thousands more have been demonstrating around the world for real action. Following the terrorist attacks in Paris, the French […]
Millionaire Water Wasters
The East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) recently released a list of 1,100 names of customers who were the largest water wasters in the Bay Area, those who used more than 1,000 gallons of water per day. The majority of the biggest water wasters are from some of the wealthiest households in the Bay Area. […]
Stephen Hawking is Right
Recently in an on-line question and answer forum, the famous physicist, Stephen Hawking, was asked a question about the connection between using robots and unemployment. This is what he replied: “If machines produce everything we need, the outcome will depend on how things are distributed. Everyone can enjoy a life of luxurious leisure if the […]
French Imperialism – The Origin of the Terror
On the 13th of November, Paris was struck by terrorist attacks. For many people this seemed like a random act of evil. Certainly, those who carried out these attacks have nothing but cynical goals. But leaving it at that does not account for why the attacks happened. For all of the focus on ISIS, the […]
University of Missouri Students Fight Racism
This fall, students at college campuses and high schools organized to confront the racism they face at their schools. These protests have often been followed by little response and minimal support for Black students from school administrations at majority white schools. Until, of course, the actions at the University of Missouri. Since then, student protests […]
Paris Climate Talks – A Useless Ritual
From November 30 to December 11, The United Nations 2015 Paris Climate Conference (also known as COP21) will bring together so-called world leaders from nearly 200 countries, along with scientists, environmental groups, and the heads of many corporations, some of which are in the fossil fuel industry. The stated goal of this conference is to […]
No to Their Emergency State to Silence Anger
Everyone to their action stations, during the Cop 21: 150 heads of state, 40,000 people gathered at le Bourget, supposedly to curb global warming. It is above all an opportunity for François Hollande and his staff of Ministers to lead a parade, not to say “Welcome to those coming to save the planet” as displayed […]
You Cannot Stay Quiet in a Barbarous World
The attacks on November 13 in Paris, sponsored by the Islamic State (IS), blindly killed 130 people and injured more than 300 among people who were at a concert, a football game, or a restaurant terrace… Since then, another Islamic terrorist group killed 19 people in a hotel in Bamako, the capital of Mali, while […]
Terrorist Attacks in Paris – No Excuse for War
On Friday the 13th, Paris was hit with a terrorist attack claimed to have been carried out by ISIS (the Islamic State in Syria). Coordinated attacks by terrorists killed 129 people and injured 352 in the middle of Paris. It was a terrible, brutal attack on innocent people. Immediately French politicians went into motion. Within […]
South African Students Struggle and Win
This month the South African government announced an increase in public university student fees of six or more percent. Outraged students protested, beginning a campaign called “Fees Must Fall!” The minister of education Blade Nzimande laughed when he heard about the protest and said, “If the students don’t accept this we’ll start our own movement […]
Hollande: A Friend (of Finance) Who Wishes You Well…
Between them, “there is something strong”, there is “mutual trust”, a “special relationship”… During his official trip to Greece, Hollande had only sweet words towards Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras. This “friendship” had been formed last July, when the French president and the German Chancellor had dictated their terms to Greece by imposing a third draconian […]
We Are All Air France Employees!
Interviewed October 19th on RTL, François Hollande had to concede, about the early morning arrests of four Air France employees, as if they were dangerous mobsters, that “I think there are other methods”, before claiming that the government was not responsible. But when Valls himself calls the angry Air France demonstrators “thugs”, when Macron calls […]
What Does It Look Like When The Working Class Takes Power?
We are already being bombarded by constant news about the 2016 elections. We are supposed to believe that the political circus of the Democratic and Republican parties should determine our future. But, if we want to change our conditions, it will depend on our organization, our struggles as well as our understanding that those parties […]
Turkey: “Erdogan, Murderer”
Thousands of people expressed their anger, this Sunday, in major cities of Turkey, against the attack that claimed one hundred dead and more than 500 injured in Ankara. They denounced the responsibility of Erdogan’s government. The emotion is intense. The Turkish unions, with the exception of the one linked to the government, called for two […]
Killed By Cops
In 2015, there have been 791 people killed by the police. Of those people, 103 of them were killed in the month of August alone. The youngest was 12 years old, while the oldest was 65 years old. They include Freddie Grey whose spine was severed while riding unrestrained in a Baltimore police van. They […]
What Future For Young People?
What kind of future is this society offering to young people today? From work to higher education, it seems like all the doors are being slammed shut. Pathways that are supposed to help you get ahead end up being dead ends. Try to get a job? You end up competing with millions of other people […]
New Orleans – Ten Years After Hurricane Katrina
Ten years ago, Hurricane Katrina landed on the coast of Louisiana, flooding New Orleans. Even though this was a massive hurricane, the chaos that followed was man made. Who can forget the TV images of New Orleans mostly black residents, flooded out of their homes with no safe place to go, no medical care for […]
Elections 2016: A New Opening or Business as Usual?
Two opposing voices have emerged amidst popular disgust over politics in Washington D.C. – those of Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders. They have both received a great deal of media attention and have generated a visible public response. It would be a serious mistake to dismiss Trump as a loud-mouthed clown. European rightwing parties, once […]
Fight Back Against the Attacks
“De Juniac, resign”, “Management, resign”, “Valls, sold out to the bosses!” … “Fed up to be played off against each other”. This is how hundreds of Air France employees demonstrated Monday morning, interrupting the extraordinary Central Works Council. Two members of management wanting to escape any discussion… have lost their shirts. Valls and others condemn […]
The Middle East – Ripped Apart by Imperialism
On September 30th, Russian bombs began falling on Syria. Russian jets targeted Islamic State bases as well as militant groups backed by the CIA to oppose the Islamic State. This makes Russia the thirteenth country to bomb Syria in the past few years. These bombs and missiles are launched by countries set on maintaining their […]
People Make History – Not Politicians
Every election season we are reminded about how important it is to exercise our right to vote. We are told to hold our breaths and pick between two parties that don’t represent our interest. We are told that voting is the way to change things. We are told that the Democratic Party is the party […]
When Revolutionaries Stood in Elections
In the elections most people have experienced, no matter how appealing the candidates seem, something remains exactly the same – the candidates are promising to run the system in our interests. Even so-called progressives like Bernie Sanders only promise better versions of the same system. They believe the best we can have is a slightly […]
2016 Elections: No Choice for the Working Class
The 2016 Presidential election primaries have begun. Many working people are distrustful of both political parties and politicians in general. President Obama’s approval rating has stayed around 40 percent while the approval rate for the U.S. Congress has been below 20 percent for over a year. In an April 2014 poll, a record high of […]
VW or The ABCs of Capitalist Profit
Caught with their hand in the cookie jar! Following the revelations of the US Environment Protection Agency, the Volkswagen Group had to admit to fraud. Eleven million of its diesel vehicles worldwide have been programmed to reduce polluting emissions during certification tests. But on the road, these cars emit up to 35 times more polluting […]
Elections 2016: A New Opening Or Business As Usual?
Two opposing voices have emerged amidst popular disgust over politics in Washington D.C. – those of Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders. They have both received a great deal of media attention and have generated a visible public response. It would be a serious mistake to dismiss Trump as a loud-mouthed clown. European right-wing parties, once […]
Migrants: We Can Fight Unemployment By Standing Together!
The migrants continue to make their way to the gates of a Europe that has closed its borders: barbed wires erected by Hungary on its border with Serbia; columns of exhausted refugees trying to reach the border with Croatia, only to face another wall, a wall of police officers seeking to channel them with batons. […]
The Refugee Crisis Is Our Crisis
Since the Syrian civil war began in 2011, half the entire population of Syria – more than 11.5 million people have been forced from their homes. More than 300,000 have been killed, 150,000 in the last year. Over four million Syrians have fled the country, into neighboring countries. The people attempting to escape to Europe […]
Welcome To Our Future Comrades!
Tens of thousands of demonstrators marched this weekend in London, Copenhagen, Madrid, Stockholm and other European cities to demonstrate their support for the refugees. “Refugees Welcome” and “Open the borders” could be read on the banners. More than ever, we will need to again express our solidarity with these families, with these workers who risk […]
Three Days When Labor Showed Its Power
For those of us who have jobs, Labor Day can mean a day off work to spend with family and friends or maybe overtime. Some unions may organize a barbecue. But how much does this holiday have to do with honoring our contributions to society or celebrating our history? Today it can seem like we […]
A Recovery Only For The Rich
It has been seven years since the economic crash of 2008 – when tens of millions of workers lost their jobs and millions of families were kicked out of their homes. The government’s response to this crash is well known – they gave trillions of dollars to bail out corporations and the financial institutions that […]
Killed By Cops
In 2015, there have been 791 people killed by the police. Of those people, 103 of them were killed in the month of August alone. The youngest was 12 years old, while the oldest was 65 years old. They include Freddie Grey whose spine was severed while riding unrestrained in a Baltimore police van. They […]
Straight Outta Compton
Straight Outta Compton is the story of the rap group NWA, which launched the careers of Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, and the late Eazy-E. The story revolves around the group’s struggle to make their music while being manipulated by their management. As many critics have pointed out, the film avoids important and ugly parts of […]
The 1934 Minneapolis General Strike
The Minneapolis strikes of 1934 have always occupied a special place in the historical understanding of the Trotskyist movement
What Future For Young People?
What kind of future is this society offering to young people today? From work to higher education, it seems like all the doors are being slammed shut. Pathways that are supposed to help you get ahead end up being dead ends. Try to get a job? You end up competing with millions of other people […]
Puerto Rico Debt Crisis – The Rich Make The Poor Pay
On July 7, the Puerto Rico government failed to make a 5.8 million dollar payment due on the Island’s immense 72 billion dollar debt to Wall Street banks. The governor of Puerto Rico explained that the Island’s debts were unpayable given the long-term decline of its economy. Immediately following Puerto Rico’s default, the bankers demanded […]
Back to School in a Failing Society
School bells are ringing again as students are going back to their own daily grind behind the desks at the public schools. Cramming into over-crowded classrooms with insufficient resources, students are facing an uphill battle looking at their future. Parents have to watch their children go out the door into a more dangerous world with […]
The Origins of the Police
For most of human history, daily issues of society were settled by people themselves, in their communities. There weren’t always police on every street corner with the power to stop, search, and harass people in the name of the law. Police forces were introduced by governments controlled by the wealthy, not to protect people but […]
A Nation of Mass Incarceration
The US has the largest prison population in the world. With five percent of the world’s population, it has 25 percent of the world’s prisoners, half a million more than China, which has five times the population. There are about 2.3 million prisoners in the US and about seven million either locked up or on […]
Climate Change? No! We Need a System Change!
There have been five major extinction events on earth where most of the larger plant and animal species were wiped out. The last extinction killed the dinosaurs. An asteroid crashing into earth and drastically changing the climate caused that extinction. Now we are living in what could be the sixth extinction. But this time, our […]
Racism – A Cancer of This Society
We live in a society based on divisions. The main division, which is hardly ever discussed, is the division between those who control the wealth and productive forces of society, and those who do the work. Those in control of the economy determine what to produce, who will produce it and who it is produced […]
Summertime Should Be Easy!
The summer months are a time to spend with our families, visit relatives in other cities, and simply hang out and get some rest. But for workers, the family time and relaxation has to be squeezed into our schedules before we have to clock back in to work. Without a job all you have is […]
Evictions Can Be Stopped
During the depression of the 1930s as many as 35 percent of workers were unemployed. They had no unemployment insurance and quickly fell behind in their rent. But much of the time they didn’t get thrown out of their homes because large numbers of people stood up together against the police to block evictions. With […]
What Happened to Public Housing?
In 1937, in a period when workers were fighting all over the country for jobs, wages, housing and more, the U.S. Government began a program that promised to provide affordable public housing for low-income families. But the Government never followed through on this commitment. It wasn’t until the 1950s and 60s that most black families […]
The Bay Area – Too Expensive to Live
The average one-bedroom apartment in San Francisco is $3,200 – the highest in the country. Oakland and San Francisco had the highest year-to-year increase in home prices in the country – over an 11 percent increase since last year. Rents in San Francisco increased over 14 percent in one year, and 19 percent in Oakland, […]
New York: Making the Housing Crisis Worse
Rents are skyrocketing in New York City. In the last five years rents have climbed 55 percent while wages have fallen by four percent (when adjusted for inflation). In the last six months, rents have soared twelve percent, and most New Yorkers pay over 42 percent of their income in housing. For most working-class renters […]