Troublemakers Blog

March 14, 2011 / Jane Slaughter
Wisconsin Republicans will start feeling nervous soon because of people like Karl Gartung, a Teamster at UPS cartage services in Milwaukee who's been out collecting signatures to recall his state senator. »
March 09, 2011 /
Far from the snowy battles of Wisconsin and Ohio, organizers had hoped for 100 people to attend the Labor Notes Troublemakers School in San Diego last Friday. But 284 packed the halls and classrooms. »
March 04, 2011 /
I can’t count how often I’ve heard radio sportstalk jockeys offer the following wisdom: “The fans want their pro football on Sunday. They couldn’t care less about millionaires fighting with the billionaires about dividing the NFL pie.” It’s not just the assumption that “the fans” are willfully ignorant; it seems the networks want to make sure we stay that way. »
March 03, 2011 / Mischa Gaus
What damage is done to schools if teaching becomes a revolving door job? Young teachers say they’d prefer not to find out. A group in New York schools called on state leaders this week to preserve “last in, first out” seniority rules. »
March 02, 2011 /
The wave of protest cresting in Madison is amazing: students, workers, seniors, everyone is coming together in peaceful but unyielding opposition to Governor Scott Walker’s attack on democracy. Our contingent from the LA County Fed arrived to find the self-organized, old-fashioned Tom Paine America. It ain’t dead yet. »
March 02, 2011 /
Wisconsin's Governor Walker insists he needs to strip state employees of their right to negotiate as a means of cutting costs. And the media dutifully repeat that language, never questioning whether it’s accurate, despite abundant evidence that it is not. »
March 01, 2011 /
Around the country union members have been inspired to go to Madison to join the protests and to organize solidarity actions back home. Here are a few reports of what they saw in Wisconsin and how they're bringing the spirit back. Note: you could try this at home. »
February 25, 2011 /
The state Assembly passed the “budget repair” bill at 1 a.m. this morning, and the biggest demonstration yet is planned for 1 p.m. Saturday. The central labor council says as many as 110,000 are expected. »
February 25, 2011 / Mark Brenner
You know what, Fox News? Public workers didn’t start this fire, but
they’ll be damned if it consumes their communities and leaves
generations of workers in cinders. I was back on the Faux network Friday to talk about the revolt surging through Wisconsin. The host kept arguing that taxpayers have »
February 24, 2011 /
As the world watched the jubilant crowds in Tahrir Square, few were aware that another hard-won victory for justice and democracy was in the making in Puerto Rico, half a world away. Students occupying their campus since December to protest a "special fee" forced the resignation of the university president and the withdrawal of police. »

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