Workers & Unions

Jane McAlevey Working Class Hero

Jane McAlevey Working Class Hero

ByPaul Jay

Brilliant activist and union organizer Jane McAlevey died on July 7, 2024. To celebrate her work and life, we republish our series of interviews with Jane. One of the world’s leading “organizers’ organizer” Jane McAlevey, has trained thousands of activists in building more militant unions and winning electoral organizing; she sees the fight for effective unions as critical to winning transformative climate policy. Jane tells her story to Paul Jay on Reality Asserts Itself.

Workers’ Movements in Revolutionary Iran and Europe – Saeed Rahnema part 2/2
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Workers’ Movements in Revolutionary Iran and Europe – Saeed Rahnema part 2/2

ByTalia Baroncelli

In part 2, political scientist Dr. Saeed Rahnema discusses his experience in the workers’ council movement leading up to and during the Iranian Revolution of 1979-1980 and addresses the Islamic Republic’s opposition to unions.  He also contends that modern-day working classes in the West are ideologically and culturally segmented and that the left has failed to mobilize at numerous historical junctures.

The (In)conceivability of Real Workers’ Control – Saeed Rahnema part 1/2
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The (In)conceivability of Real Workers’ Control – Saeed Rahnema part 1/2

ByTalia Baroncelli

The workers’ council movement took shape in several forms across Europe, Russia, Tito’s Yugoslavia, Algeria, and Iran. Political scientist Dr. Saeed Rahnema discusses the failure of workers’ councils in these different historical contexts and traces out the tensions between workers’ control and workers’ participation under capitalism. Is real workers’ control feasible under capitalism, and do struggles for increased workers’ participation and higher wages necessarily lead to workers’ control? 

Why did UAW’s Shawn Fain Endorse Biden After Calling for a Ceasefire? – Frank Hammer
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Why did UAW’s Shawn Fain Endorse Biden After Calling for a Ceasefire? – Frank Hammer

ByTalia Baroncelli

UAW president Shawn Fain called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza yet endorsed Biden, who has been accused of complicity in Israel’s genocidal war. Frank Hammer, a former president and chairman of the United Auto Workers local 909 in Detroit, joins theAnalysis to discuss the role of the UAW and the working class in balancing opposing Biden’s policies and a possible Trump victory.

Wealth Supremacy vs. The Democratic Economy with Marjorie Kelly
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Wealth Supremacy vs. The Democratic Economy with Marjorie Kelly

ByColin Bruce Anthes

Renowned social theorist, systems thinker, and organizer, Marjorie Kelly, gives an early look at her new book: Wealth Supremacy. Speaking with Colin Bruce Anthes, she details the entrenched ways our current system is built around myths that make giving more wealth to the already wealthy seem necessary— even when we try to use our institutions for the common good. Kelly contrasts this with an outnumbered but successful democratic economy with many forms of democratized ownership and participation: public utilities, employee-owned companies, community land trusts, cooperatives, and more. We can create an economy that works for everyone, she argues, but only if we systematically discredit the moral status of wealth supremacy and turn towards a democratic economy paradigm.

UAW: Historic Demand to Eliminate Wage Tiers – Frank Hammer

UAW: Historic Demand to Eliminate Wage Tiers – Frank Hammer

ByTalia Baroncelli

Frank Hammer, former President of United Auto Workers (UAW) local 909 in Detroit and retired GM worker, explains how “legacy” workers are standing up for new hires. This is critical to building working-class solidarity. He also reflects on the history of autoworker strikes in the U.S. and in Mexico, reminding us of the deadly incident at the Ford Cuautitlán plant, in which thugs dressed in Ford uniforms shot dead one of the workers and injured ten others.

Practical Radicalism: Community Wealth Building with Neil McInroy
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Practical Radicalism: Community Wealth Building with Neil McInroy

ByColin Bruce Anthes

One of the few working-class movements scoring victories, democratizing ownership, and gaining momentum is the method of economic development called Community Wealth Building (CWB). Colin Bruce Anthes interviews Neil McInroy of the Democracy Collaborative on how CWB works, what it has accomplished so far, and its potential to lead a “new common sense” movement beyond neoliberal capitalism.

Detroiters Fight to Reclaim Their City From Real Estate Vultures – Linda Campbell

Detroiters Fight to Reclaim Their City From Real Estate Vultures – Linda Campbell

ByTalia Baroncelli

Linda Campbell, Director of the Detroit People’s Platform, has worked as a community organizer in Detroit for decades. She speaks about local initiatives which advocate for investment in affordable housing and oppose the public financing of big real estate projects which have historically contributed to community land dispossession. She also applauds the Michigan Democrats’ recent repeal of right-to-work legislation and calls upon the political leadership to fight for higher wages, particularly for non-union workers not covered by prevailing wage protections.

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