U.S. Labor Protests Topics

Democracy Now! stories, posts and pages that relate to U.S. Labor Protests

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  • Button-harvey

    Ahead of May Day, David Harvey Details Urban Uprisings from Occupy Wall Street to the Paris Commune

    On Tuesday, May 1st, known as May Day or International Workers’ Day, Occupy Wall Street protesters hope to mobilize tens of thousands of people across the country under the slogan, "General Strike. No Work. No Shopping. Occupy Everywhere." Events are planned in 125 cities. We speak with leading social theorist David Harvey, distinguished professor of anthropology at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, about...
    Apr 30, 2012 | Story
  • Mlkwalk2

    MLK Remembered: John Nichols on Martin Luther King's Commitment to Labor Rights as Human Rights

    On the 44th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., we look at his history of activism in Wisconsin, a state that has been central to the history of labor organizing, and beyond. Near the end of his life, King was helping to organize members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), which was founded in Wisconsin in 1932. King argued that labor rights were human rights and civil rights,...
    Apr 04, 2012 | Story
  • Wisconsin-button

    On First Anniversary of Wisconsin Uprising, Gov. Walker Fights Recall Effort by Energized Movement

    Today marks the first anniversary of the Wisconsin uprising that erupted after Republican Gov. Scott Walker announced plans to eliminate almost all collective bargaining rights for most public workers, as well as slash their pay and benefits. Now, one year later, Walker is in the midst of a recall effort and faces an investigation for campaign corruption. "People have begun to recognize that they shouldn’t just wait for elections,"...
    Feb 15, 2012 | Story
  • Indiana2

    As Statehouse Row Erupts over GOP Bill, Indiana Reps Debate Curbs on Right to Organize Unions

    A fight over workers’ right to unionize erupted in Indiana on Wednesday as Democratic state representatives stayed away from the House floor, depriving the Republican majority of a quorum needed to push through a measure that would prohibit union contracts at private sector workplaces from requiring workers to pay dues or other fees to a union. If enacted, it could give new momentum to legislators who have previously pushed such measures...
    Jan 05, 2012 | Story
  • 2011_democracynow

    Year of Global Uprisings, from the Arab Spring to Occupy Wall Street: A Special Look Back at 2011

    Today we look back at 2011, a year that saw the U.S. killing of Osama Bin Laden, the ouster of a dictator in Egypt and the death of one in Libya, the meltdown of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan, and the expansion of the secret U.S. drone war in Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Arabian Peninsula. As U.S. troops leave Iraq, thousands of private security contractors remain to guard the U.S. embassy—the largest in the world. The Horn of...
    Jan 02, 2012 | Story
  • Ohio_vote_web

    Election Day 2011: In State After State, "Remarkable Wins for Progressive Politics"

    Advocates for labor, women’s and immigration rights are celebrating a number of key victories in Tuesday’s state elections. In Ohio, voters defeated Republican Gov. John Kasich’s controversial limits on the collective bargaining rights of state employees. In Arizona, Russell Pearce, the architect of the state’s controversial anti-immigration law has lost his state senate seat in an unprecedented recall vote. Meanwhile,...
    Nov 09, 2011 | Story

  • Once Enemies, Now They March Together: Organized Labor Expected to Join Wall Street Protest

    Organized labor will serve notice today on the bankers and the politicians that the young protesters of Occupy Wall Street speak for millions. The labor rally will signal just how far unions have come since that infamous day 41 years ago, when bands of construction workers rampaged through the Financial District and City Hall, writes Democracy Now! co-host Juan Gonzalez in today’s NY Daily News.
    Oct 05, 2011 | Web Exclusive
  • Postal_web

    Shock Doctrine at U.S. Postal Service: Is a Manufactured Crisis Behind Push Toward Privatization?

    Today, postal workers and their supporters are holding events across the country to press their demand for repealing the benefit-funding mandate and push back against calls for their workplace to be privatized. For months, Americans have heard dire warnings about the impending collapse of the United States Postal Service due to fiscal insolvency and a drop in the use of mail service. In early September, the U.S. Postmaster General told Congress...
    Sep 27, 2011 | Story
  • Hershey_button

    Alleging Captive Labor, Foreign Students Walk Out of Work-Study Program at Hershey Plant

    We look at the story of 300 foreign students who came to the United States as part of a work-study program and found themselves engaged in what they refer to as captive labor at a Hershey’s packing plant in Palmyra, Pennsylvania. The students — from Eastern Europe and Asia — went on strike two weeks ago, after they were reportedly required to lift heavy boxes, work eight-hour shifts beginning at 11 p.m., and stand for long periods of...
    Sep 01, 2011 | Story
  • Verizon_button

    The Verizon Labor Battle: As Strike Continues, Customers Report Delays and Disruptions to Service

    As a strike by 45,000 Verizon workers approaches the two-week mark, the company’s customers are beginning to feel the impact on its services. Consumers are reporting significant delays in booking Verizon technicians to fix and install landline telephone, internet and cable television services. The strike was called after Verizon pushed for the workers to accept far-reaching concessions, including a pension freeze and fewer sick days. The company...
    Aug 19, 2011 | Story