The recent defeat of the UAW at the Chattanooga, Tennessee Volkswagen plant marked a serious setback for the working class, the auto-workers of the Tennessee plant, as well as hundreds of thousands of rank-and-file autoworkers within in the UAW. Workers at the plant voted against representation by a narrow margin of 712 to 626. A victory for labor would have marked the unionization of the first foreign auto plant in the U.S. and one of only a handful of unionized plants in the South. As the growth and survival of the U.S. labor movement in general, and the UAW in particular, depends in part on unionizing the largely unorganized South, union militants and rank-and-file activists need to draw key lessons from this defeat and augment our tactics and strategies.

Jobless hit by end to Extended Unemployment Compensation (EUC)

San José, CA – For the second month in a row, the Department of Labor employment report was weak, with only 113,000 new jobs created in January. Combined with the revised 75,000 jobs created in December, the two month average was only 94,000 new jobs each month, less than half the average increase in 2013 of more than 190,000. While the recession officially ended in the summer of 2009, there are still 850,000 fewer jobs than when the recession began in December of 2007.

Washington, DC – The Senate Democratic leadership announced today, Feb. 4, that a vote to extend benefits for long term unemployed workers is scheduled for Feb. 6.

Washington, DC – Another day has passed without the Senate taking action on Extended Unemployment Compensation (EUC) benefits. While Senators met Jan. 24, no agreements were reached on legislation to address the situation of the 1.3 million workers who have been cut off from benefits for the long term unemployed.

In honor of the 120th anniversary of Chinese revolutionary Mao Zedong’s birth, Fight Back! is reprinting his April 16, 1968 statement in support of the struggle of the African American people. Statement by Comrade Mao Zedong, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, in Support of the Afro-American Struggle Against Violent Repression

Gainesville, FL — Students at the University of Florida successfully advanced their campaign of tuition equity for undocumented students. Leading student organizations joined together to pass a resolution through Student Government in favor of tuition equality.

Odds are that Karl Marx would have enjoyed horror movies.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Peace Delegation of Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). The statement is addressed to a conference on the problem of illicit drugs which is taking place Bogotá, Colombia. The peace negotiations between the FARC and the Colombian government are taking place in Havana, Cuba.

Labor Force Participation Rate drops to 35 year low

San José, CA – On Sept. 6, the Labor Department announced that the official unemployment rate dropped to 7.3% in August, down from 7.4% in July. But even though 110,000 fewer people were working in August than July, 310,000 people gave up looking for work and were no longer counted as unemployed. The Labor Force Participation Rate, or the fraction of the adult population who are either working or looking for work, fell to 63.2%, the lowest since August 1978.

San José, CA – On July 1, interest rates for federally subsidized student loans to pay for college are set to double, rising from 3.4% to 6.8%. This will affect almost 10 million students who will be taking out new loans this coming year. Over the life of their loans, this rise in interest rates could add about $4000 to the cost of college for a student entering college in the fall of 2013.