Troublemakers Blog

A bearded man speaks at a microphone with his hands wide open
April 29, 2026 /
In the 1960s and 70s, conservative leaders of the AFL-CIO and many national unions viewed militant activists in the civil rights, anti-war, environmental, and women’s movements with alarm. When student radicals started migrating from campus and community organizing to unionized workplaces, labor officials did not welcome them. »
April 29, 2026 /
Union members in many states and cities are pushing for a stronger voice in pension investments. And sometimes they’re actually winning: They’re holding pension boards accountable and advocating for investments that insure worker protections, climate resiliency, and decent retirement benefits. »
workers march with “no contract, no coffee” signs, one with a megaphone
April 16, 2026 / Jenny Brown
Union baristas are finally back to the negotiating table with Starbucks, but the workers charge that rather than progressing, the company is reopening already agreed-upon issues. »
A vintage black-and-white photo shows a line of workers standing outside, one calling into a megaphone, facing down cops with folded arms. They are photographed from a low, dramatic angle.
April 15, 2026 /
In response to Jane Slaughter's interview of Frank Bardacke, I think Bardacke is right in pointing to the lack of democracy in the United Farmworkers as one reason why Cesar Chavez went unchallenged for so many years after sexually abusing women in the farmworker »
March 31, 2026 /
For months, the country and the world have been watching Minnesota, where the Trump administration’s military occupation by ICE, Border Patrol, and Homeland Security has been met by a multi-faceted grassroots resistance. »
Youngish workers pose with raised fists on a city street. Printed green signs say "OPEIU Local 153, Kickstarter United, On strike," One handwritten sign says "Protect the 4DWW"
March 18, 2026 /
When it comes to A.I., there’s a stark gap in ambition between business and labor. »
Trabajadores con un poster diciendo: Sin contracto no hay cafe!
March 13, 2026 / Natascha Elena Uhlmann
Desde que más de 4.000 agentes del ICE llegaron a la ciudad de Minneapolis, el barista de Starbucks Alex Rivers ha intentado a equilibrar la rigurosa concentración que exige el trabajo–se espera que los baristas escriban en cada vaso y completen cada pedido en cuatro minutos o menos, según él–con el miedo persistente de que los agentes puedan irrumpir en »
March 13, 2026 /
Labor Notes is delighted to welcome two terrific new staff writer-organizers and three great interns as we get ready for our big conference in Chicago in June. We’re also bidding a fond farewell to a retiring colleague. »
A group of green-shirted union members hold strike signs and smile.
March 12, 2026 /
The 24,000-member Oregon Nurses Association has elected a slate of reform candidates to statewide leadership positions. The Caucus for Powerful Reform (CPR) won 15 out of the 21 seats it ran for, including the presidency, vice-presidency, secretary, and a majority of board of director seats. »
March 05, 2026 /
As federal agents laid siege to the city of Minneapolis, rank-and-file postal workers in the Twin Cities organized two anti-ICE rallies. The first, on December 15, was held in response to ICE agents using the employee parking lots at the Lake Street and Powderhorn Post Offices to stage their operations. »

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