The wealth tax is probably the best idea being introduced by any of the Democratic candidates, bar none, if only because it addresses one of the key problems with the concentration of wealth. Right now the only mechanism we really have to deal with massive fortunes is the estate tax, and it’s no coincidence that… Read more

I was an organizer with AFSCME in the mid 2000's. Not to say AFSCME was perfect because I was involved with some campaigns I didn’t agree with (like in-home caregivers faux “unions”). But others I was really passionate about like non-professional hospital workers (e.g. cleaning staff, cooks, CNA level caregivers,… Read more

SEUI member here, since 2003, and am currently a member. They were going downhill by 2010, have continued to go downhill. We used to have union member meetings, or at least one meeting before union contract negotiations, to hear members concerns. Now the SEUI leadership spend more time playing softball in the… Read more

As a public school teacher, I would never, ever go to a charter school. Not surprising that this dude has no fucking principles because he’s a scab.
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Unions get backstabbed, betrayed, and cheated all the time. That’s how you can tell they work and scare the bosses. Never forget a scab who stabs a union in the back. No lower type of person. Read more

Grand scale sell-out was the first thing that came to my mind. Worst of all, his presence on boards or chambers of commerce gives them the imprimatur of being labor friendly, which makes him worse than a sell-out: he’s a turncoat. Read more

Sounds like a sell out basically, didn’t need to go far, but still completely turned his back on labor, probably being very well compensated for using his labor pedigree at least. Read more

Next level scabbing Read more

Yes the teachers of the US clearly have to much money, power, and influence. That’s why they *checks notes* barely make a living wage.... huh.
I hate capitalism more and more with each growing day. Read more

Consider alternatives to shipping through Amazon. Order direct from retailers. Go to local stores. I’ve been doing this. Read more

Looks to me like the separation between journalism/editorial and sales staff is working exactly as intended. Read more

I’m really proud of how the unions stick up for immigrants, in the face all of the class/race war baiting from conservatives. I used to work with unions in my professional capacity, and for all of the other shennanians that Unions get up to, they really stick by the people. Read more

“Is It Time for a General Strike?” Read more

but it’s hard to pile that risk on a bunch of writers who do not have any safety net Read more

I was a “full-time” adjunct in the Northeast for 6 years (5-6 classes per semester across 3 different colleges in 2 states). If my mom hadn’t died and left me a $30k life insurance policy, I would not have been able to keep doing it as long as I did. Three things lead me to leave teaching: Read more

I work at two different colleges in MA and if it weren’t for the efforts of the unions we established, it would not be a tenable situation financially. There is NO WAY I could be making a living without the bargaining power the union gave us.  Read more

Do NOT get a PhD unless it fully funded at one of the top programs in the country - Ivy league or the premiere public universities. Even people with PhDs at Harvard or Berkeley will struggle to get a full time job. Regional universities do a huge disservice to students by granting PhDs and implying that students will… Read more

I did sessional at a Canadian uni. You were given last minute contracts and were required to resubmit your resume and references every semester. As a ghost prof, how do you develop refs? You had to teach a minimum number of courses the previous year in order to be eligible for benefits. If you lectured from the text, y… Read more

It took me a long time to get my PhD, and by the time I was done last month(!), the whole landscape of academia had changed. When I was applying for jobs there were NO full time jobs available in my field, only part time adjunct positions. It’s very discouraging, to say the very least. Read more

Thank you for posting this brilliant piece. I am am adjunct who lost her job, for petty reasons that I detail in the link below. I am now praying that I can make a moderate income as a writer. It has to be better than adjuncting. Thank you for sharing our stories and for reading mine, - Read more