Washington, D.C. – Labor officials in Washington D.C. are preparing for the worst and hoping for the best as Donald Trump assumes the office of president of the United States after losing the popular vote by 2.9 million votes but winning enough electoral votes from the states to assume the presidency. Trump secured his Electoral College win by squeaking ahead just slightly of corporate Democrat Hillary Clinton in states like Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan.
The British vote to leave the European Union (EU) on June 23 has been recognized by communist and worker organizations across Europe as a substantial victory for the British and European working classes in the fight against EU austerity. However, the intentional media spotlight on the racist and xenophobic declarations of some Leave supporters, such as the former leader of the far-right UK Independence Party, Nigel Farage, masks the progressive nature of the leave vote and has left some progressives wondering if Brexit (British exit from the EU) and racism are synonymous.
Washington, D.C. – In a bold and historic move, British voters decided to leave the European Union (EU) on Thursday. In a 52% leave to 48% remain vote, the British people have struck a blow against the EU’s regime of austerity. June 23, the date of the British vote to exit the European Union (EU), will go down as the day that British workers turned their back on the anti-democratic and anti-worker EU.
Washington, D.C. – Thousands of visiting soccer fans and players were greeted with piles of rotting garbage and severe transportation delays as they arrived in France in time for the first day of the Euro 2016 soccer tournament on June 10. The foul-odored welcome comes courtesy of the French ruling class and the country’s governing Socialist Party.
Washington, DC – Nearly 40,000 Verizon workers returned to work on June 1, just days after a tentative agreement between the company and the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) unions brought their 44-day strike to an end.
Washington, D.C. – Ongoing strikes by workers against proposed austerity measures, which would strip workers’ pay and protections, are disrupting France’s economy. Workers have been engaged in strike activity for weeks now as labor unions in the French rail, subway and airport transit, maritime transport, nuclear power, and fuel depot and refinery industries issue calls for work stoppages.
Washington, DC – On May 14 Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro declared a constitutional state of emergency in that country. CNN reports indicate that there have been marches in support of the government’s push for a “state of constitutional exception and economic emergency” to last until July.
Washington, D.C. – Two of the largest and most influential labor unions in the U.S. have announced plans to substantially consolidate their work. The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) are actively considering a joint resolution that would build strategic collaboration between the two unions, up to and including a potential merger.
The two largest unions in Spain launched a one-day nationwide strike on March 29. Many flights and train services were canceled and factories were idled across the country. The auto manufacturing industry was hit particularly hard with almost all Renault, Volkswagen, Seat and Ford factories forced to stop production. Some television stations went off the air. Mines and ports were also severely impacted by the strike.
Selma, AL – Thousands of protesters gathered here, March 4 to kick off a five-day march to Montgomery. The Selma-to-Montgomery march recreates the route that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led civil rights protesters along in 1965. It marks the 47-year anniversary of Bloody Sunday, when 600 civil rights marchers were attacked, tear gassed and brutally beaten by Alabama state troopers and local police forces.
