Entries by Paul Becker

A NOTE FROM THE SUPREME COURT’S PAST

This current US Supreme Court has people worrying about some of its recent horrible decisions. Now the country is awaiting a decision that could virtually cripple a union’s right to strike (see item Pending Supreme Court case … on then Labor News page of this website). But a reactionary Supreme Court is nothing new. Privileged […]

FEBRUARY BITS AND PIECES

STRIKE VOTE AUTHORIZED AT CATERPILLAR Caterpillar, the big farm equipment manufacturer, is facing a possible strike in a few weeks after 6,000 members at its plants in Illinois and Pennsylvania voted overwhelmingly to authorize one. Their contract expires March 1.  A powerful encouragement for the Caterpillar labor action has been the strike at another farm […]

A NOTE FROM THE SUPREME COURT’S PAST

We describe on this page some episodes in the history of the American labor movement in the hope that it will prove inspiring to the generation of young workers in offices and restaurants and coffee shops and warehouses and factories around our country  who are fighting to build their unions, and in the process, to […]

NYC AND UNIONS HIT IMPASSE OVER NEW CONTRACTS

The efforts by New York City Mayor Eric Adamas and the heads of municipal unions in the Municipal Labor Council to push retirees out of Medicare and into a cheaper Medicare Advantage plan have led to a stalemate that is stonewalling negotiations on a new labor contract for 300,000 unionized city workers. Under the proposed […]

JANUARY BITS AND PIECES

STRIKES ENGULF BRITAIN AS WORKER DISCONTENT RISES About 100,000 civil servants in the UK are set to strike next month, affecting services around the country. Workers for 124 government departments and agencies will walk out on February. 1, impacting a range of public services including driving tests, passport applications and welfare payments, the Public and Commercial […]