Fourteen Years and Counting

Fourteen Years and Counting

by C. A. Matthews

 

Most of us can remember our “first, real paying job.” For Americans, we were most likely in high school, and a classmate mentioned to us between classes how their boss was looking for more summer workers and that we should apply and make some money. I had been babysitting for our neighbors since I was about twelve years old, but it was very hit and miss work, and there was a lot of competition on our street. This was my chance to enter the “real paying job world” at age sixteen. I road my bicycle a couple of miles from my home to interview and got the gig. I worked a long, hot and stormy summer standing on my feet for eight hour shifts in a soft-serve ice cream walk-up stand along Main Street and made the huge sum of $1.25 per hour for about 32 hours of work per week.

Hard to believe $1.25 an hour was considered "good pay,"but that was the state’s minimum wage for “tipped employees” at that time. All restaurant workers were paid that amount hourly. It didn’t matter that we didn’t get tipped making ice cream cones for folks who walked up to the window. We were still considered “food service workers” and paid that lowly wage. I worked hard that summer and ended up getting a raise—a whole $1.35 per hour.

Wow. I thought I’d had it made.

The next summer, a friend told me about a job working at a warehouse clearance sale for a national franchised dress shop located in our local “mall,” a newfangled place built on the east side of town and not located downtown where a few of the big department stores were still to be found. I was overjoyed when I heard what this job paid—a whole $2.35 an hour! It was the federal minimum wage. It was what older people made working similar jobs, so I really felt like an adult at age seventeen. Even though I spent a lot on clothes with my employee discount of 10% off that summer, I saved a bit of money that I later used to get ready for college.

Almost a half century and many jobs later, the federal minimum wage hasn’t moved upward all that much when adjusted for inflation. For the past fourteen years, the federal minimum wage has been stuck at $7.25. But why? Corporate profits are up practically across the board or so we’re told on the nightly news. CEOs get huge bonus packages. “Bidenomics is working,” neoliberals insist. What’s wrong with us if we’re struggling to get by in the midst of all this “booming economy” we’re told exists in the US today?

Maybe it’s not us who are wrong about the reality of our situations. Consider this:

The federal minimum wage in the United States would be more than $42 an hour today if it rose at the same rate as the average Wall Street bonus over the past four decades, according to an analysis … by the Institute for Policy Studies.

Citing newly released data from the New York State Comptroller, IPS noted that the average Wall Street bonus has increased by 1,165% since 1985, not adjusted for inflation.

Last year, the average cash bonus paid to Wall Street employees was $176,700—75% higher than in 2008 but slightly lower than the 2021 level of $240,400.

The federal minimum wage, meanwhile, has been completely stagnant since 2009, when it was bumped up to $7.25 from $5.15. While many states and localities have approved substantial pay increases in recent years, 20 states have kept their hourly wage floors at the federal minimum.

US Minimum Wage Would Be $42 Today If It Rose as Much as Wall St.Bonuses: Analysis

So, where’s our $42 per hour? I guess it’s in the same place where our $600 went when we were promised $2,000 COVID relief checks when Biden took office, but we only received $1,400, right?

What’s a working stiff in the US to do? We can’t even afford to rent an apartment anywhere in the fifty states working full-time hours (if you can get them) at $7.25 an hour. There have been talks and protests centered around raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour, but can anyone even afford to rent a decent place to live on that amount? It’s doubtful. Not even a $25 minimum wage can help a family rent a home in many cities.

American workers do have one powerful option, but it’s rarely been discussed since Reagan took office. We have the ability to strike—if we’re not forbidden to do so by federal law, such as the case with railroad workers or air traffic controllers, that is. But so many Americans have been brainwashed into thinking that a strike will cost them their job and their health insurance, so they simply won’t consider it.

Are Americans cowards? Not necessarily. I’d say we’re realists. We know we have no safety nets like workers in other countries who are blessed with universal health care and universal basic income or "UBI" payments. With no way to provide for our families without our lousy paying jobs, we’d best stay put and put up with the harsh treatment of the bosses.

But are strikes really all that risky for workers? Where did we get this idea that we the working class are essentially powerless and only billionaires can get what they want? Consider this:

The Teamsters Union and UPS have reached a tentative agreement on a new contract to cover the 340,000 Teamsters who work for the package shipping giant.

According to a statement released by the union, the new contract is “the most historic tentative agreement for workers in the history of UPS,” promising wage increases, an end to the two-tier wage system, new air conditioning in vehicles, Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a full company holiday, and more.

In the days and weeks to come, members will debate the pros and cons of the proposal as thousands of UPS Teamsters vote on whether to ratify the contract. But one thing seems undeniable: Any significant gains won by Teamsters against a reluctant employer will have come about because rank-and-file workers showed the company that they were prepared to strike.

UPS Workers Disproved Corporate Media’s Narrative That Strikes AreHarmful

I put that last sentence in italics for emphasis. It bears repeating: Any significant gains won by Teamsters against a reluctant employer will have come about because rank-and-file workers showed the company that they were prepared to strike.

Rank-and-file workers actually have power? Yes, we do! Even the possibility of a strike can motivate a reluctant employer to sit down and discuss the workers’ grievances and demands. And if push comes to shove, the workers walk out and give the employers even more to worry about as the company's profits take a hit and its reputation as being a fair and honest employer is thrown into the dumpster.

Fourteen years of a stagnant federal minimum wage (with no maximum wage for billionaires set) and no universal health coverage for all Americans should be a wake up call even for the sleepiest of workers. Our government doesn’t work for us, the people, but for those who already have more than enough wealth and power and obviously don’t give care one bit about how many workers can’t even afford to rent an apartment or put food on the table for their families. Our government doesn’t care if we or our loved ones get sick, and we have no way to afford medical care other than to beg strangers for donations via GoFundMe.

Face it, America. It’s time to lose the blind loyalty to both your employers and to our government. They don’t have our best interests at heart. And we have the power to make them see things our way—strike! 

Related Articles and Interesting Links:

UPS Workers Disproved Corporate Media’s Narrative That Strikes Are Harmful https://truthout.org/articles/ups-workers-disproved-corporate-medias-narrative-that-strikes-are-harmful/

UPS & Teamsters Reach Tentative Deal, Averting Strike https://scheerpost.com/2023/07/28/ups-teamsters-reach-tentative-deal-averting-strike/

 

“We have to show them we’re not going to retreat, we’re not going to concede”: Southern California warehouse worker speaks out against UPS contract https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2023/07/28/upsi-j28.html

The UPS Strike Looms As Corporate America Cashes In
https://popularresistance.org/the-ups-strike-looms-as-corporate-america-cashes-in/

Record Wages Should Be Received If Record Profits Are Being Generated https://popularresistance.org/record-wages-should-be-received-if-record-profits-are-being-generated/

US Minimum Wage Would Be $42 Today If It Rose as Much as Wall St. Bonuses: Analysis  https://www.commondreams.org/news/minimum-wage-wall-street-bonuses

‘An Abomination’: Today Marks 14 Years Since the Last Federal Minimum Wage Increase https://scheerpost.com/2023/07/25/an-abomination-today-marks-14-years-since-the-last-federal-minimum-wage-increase/

Michigan Amazon Workers Stage Largest Delivery Station Strike Yet  https://labornotes.org/2023/07/michigan-amazon-workers-stage-largest-delivery-station-strike-yet

Canadian and US autoworkers must fight together in upcoming contract battle https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2023/07/27/kxes-j27.html

 

Ignoring Warnings of Mass Job Loss, Fed Hikes Rates to Highest Level in Decades https://www.commondreams.org/news/fed-rate-hike-july-2023 

 

Americans With Health Insurance Are Increasingly Putting Off Important Medical Treatments They Can’t Afford
https://capitalandmain.com/americans-with-health-insurance-are-increasingly-putting-off-important-medical-treatments-they-cant-afford

Chris Hedges: The Forgotten Victims of America’s Class War https://scheerpost.com/2023/07/30/chris-hedges-the-forgotten-victims-of-americas-class-war/

The Yellow Corp. bankruptcy: A brutal attack on the working class
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2023/07/31/rntl-j31.html

A Vital Atlantic Ocean System Could Collapse Sooner Than Previously Thought
https://scheerpost.com/2023/07/31/a-vital-atlantic-ocean-system-could-collapse-sooner-than-previously-thought/

A video tribute to Daniel Ellsberg
www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/watch-my-video-tribute-to-daniel
 

 

Patrick Lawrence: No, The Truth About Biden Is Not Democratic

https://scheerpost.com/2023/07/27/patrick-lawrence-no-the-truth-about-biden-is-not-democratic/ 

 

The Russiagate psyop was about trying to prevent the rise of BRICS, and it’s failed to do this https://rainershea.substack.com/p/the-russiagate-psyop-was-about-trying

Zelensky: The Selling of a President https://open.substack.com/pub/joebrunoli/p/zelensky-the-selling-of-a-president

Why Capitalism Is Leaving the US in Search of Profit
https://www.counterpunch.org/2023/07/21/why-capitalism-is-leaving-the-us-in-search-of-profit/

The Star-Spangled Kangaroo https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/the-star-spangled-kangaroo

Dr Jill Stein & Kshama Sawant Join RBN | Building Power Outside The Democrat and Republican Parties
https://www.youtube.com/live/C4_IAQHrfHU

US post-9/11 wars caused 4.5 million deaths, displaced 38-60 million people, study shows  https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/05/18/us-911-wars-million-deaths-displace/ 

 

Largest School District In Texas Eliminates Libraries https://popularresistance.org/largest-school-district-in-texas-eliminates-libraries/ 

 

Five Myths In The House Anti-Trans Hearing Against Gender Affirming Care https://scheerpost.com/2023/07/30/five-myths-in-the-house-anti-trans-hearing-against-gender-affirming-care/ 

 

RBN's Labor Organizing Summit Part 2 Livestream -- featuring Kshama Sawant. I sat on a panel with other Green Party members and former presidential candidate Dr. Jill Stein. (It starts at approx. 3:02 and the video should start there.) Hear what I and other Greens have to say about the labor situation in the US currently. (The answer to many of our troubles is to "Go West!")

https://www.youtube.com/live/1-4DD-KwXY8

 

Coming soon, the first book from The Revolution Continues blog:  The Little Red Book of Revolution

How can you get your e-copy? The easiest way is to subscribe to The Revolution Continues on Substack as a paying subscriber. Choose what level you'd like to subscribe at via the buttons on any post online at: https://therevolutioncontinues.substack.com

If you'd like to help out in the meantime, buy me a coffee!  https://ko-fi.com/therevolutioncontinues

More details to come. Power to the people! 

Why All The Hate For Haiti?

 

US Border Patrol deports Haitians like rustling cattle

Why All The Hate For Haiti?

by Coast Watcher

Act 1: Once Upon a Time...

Toussaint Louveture and the Haitian Revolution inspired millions of free and enslaved people of African descent to seek freedom and equality throughout the Atlantic world.  ~Slavery and Remembrance Organization.

Inspired by the American and French revolutions, in 1791 the enslaved population of what was then called Saint Domingue rose up in the world’s first successful slave revolt. Toussaint Louveture came to command the former slaves’ army and eventually his new nation. He proved himself to be an outstanding military leader, one who expelled the colonial powers of France, Spain, and Britain from the island in a series of brilliant campaigns. His power was such that Britain entered into negotiations with him whereby concessions were made in exchange for which the newly independent Haitians would not invade other British possessions in the Caribbean.

Louveture later allied with France because the Revolutionary government abolished slavery, while Britain would not do so until 1809. Tragically, he was betrayed and captured by France while negotiating a new treaty, eventually dying in a French prison in 1803. In spite of this, Haiti gained full independence from France the following year.

The one thing the 18th and 19th century white capitalists feared above all else was an armed slave insurrection. To have an entire island of self-emancipated slaves in the middle of one of the most lucrative economic areas in the world filled the colonial powers with utter horror. American President Thomas Jefferson worked hard to quarantine Haiti, both diplomatically and economically. Due to the development of the cotton gin, slavery was becoming a highly lucrative business in the United States. The last thing an American president wanted was the slaves at home gaining inspiration from a successful uprising. This official attitude didn’t change until the Civil War. The United States didn’t officially recognize Haiti as a nation until 1862 when the American institution of slavery began to be abolished.

The US government's interest in the island continued throughout the latter half of the 19th century. In 1868, President Andrew Johnson suggested American annexation of the island to secure a defensive and economic stake in the West Indies. From 1889 to 1891, Secretary of State James Blaine unsuccessfully sought a lease of Mole-Saint Nicolas, a city on Haiti's northern coast strategically located for a naval base. President William Howard Taft tried to be fair to the Haitians. In 1910 he granted Haiti a large loan in hopes that the country could pay off its international debt and thus lessen foreign influence. The attempt proved futile, however,  due to the sheer scale of the debt and the internal instability of the country.

Act 2: Your Money or Your Life...

As the former colonial power, France took even more extreme action. In July 1825, the French King Charles X sent a fleet of warships to Haiti. In exchange for recognizing Haiti’s independence, he demanded a payment of 150 million francs as "compensation" to French plantation owners for loss of their assets in the shape of enslaved laborers and land during the Haitian revolution. As a guide to the enormity of the sum, 150 million francs was ten times the amount paid by the United States to France for the Louisiana Purchase.

Haiti had little choice but to give in to the outrageous demand. Unable to make payment through its own economy, the Haitian government was forced to take out loans from a French bank at crippling rates of interest. Over the following 122 years, Haiti paid French former slaveholders and their descendants sums equivalent to  $20 to $30 billion by today’s values. 

Is there any wonder why Haiti’s economy failed to prosper, even for an island so rich in resources? But the greed of western capitalism didn’t stop there.

Restructuring of the Haitian national bank gave American banking interests access to lucrative areas for development both in Haiti and in the neighboring Dominican Republic. The world of international politics collided as German investments in Haiti came into collision with those of America. Unhappy as they were about Haiti's close connection to France, policymakers in the United States were more concerned about increased German activity and influence in the country.

In the beginning of the 20th century, Germany's presence in Haiti increased as German merchants began establishing trading branches in the country, quickly dominating commercial business in the area. The United States considered Germany its chief rival in the Caribbean then, and it feared German control of Haiti would give the Germans a powerful advantage in the area. Corruption and greed, as well as numerous deaths and assassinations of Haitian presidents and other officials, led to American banks—aided by US Marines—in seizing Haiti’s gold reserves in December 1914. Gold bullion to the tune of $500,000 was transported by a US Navy warship to New York.

In 1915, Haitian President Jean Vilbrun Guillaume Sam was assassinated—the seventh in as many years—and the domestic situation in the island deteriorated rapidly. In response President Woodrow Wilson sent US Marines to Haiti supposedly to prevent anarchy, but in reality the Marines were sent there to protect American assets and to prevent German influence spreading.

The American occupation lasted until 1929 when a series of strikes and uprisings forced a gradual withdrawal of American troops. In 1934 President Franklin D. Roosevelt's "Good Neighbor Policy" resulted in the official withdrawal of America from Haiti although the US retained economic connections.

Haiti suffered a US-backed dictatorship from 1957 to 1986. Two western-backed coup attempts were launched against progressive President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, a military coup in 1991, and another in 2004. President Bill Clinton sent in more than 20,000 troops to restore Aristide to power in operation “Uphold Democracy” in 1994. When the second coup failed, the US launched yet another military intervention which lasted until 2017.

There are allegations against President Obama’s Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to the effect that she colluded with US business interests to pressure the Haitian government into not raising the Haitian national minimum wage from 24 cents to 61 cents an hour. Documents obtained by Wikileaks implied that the US State Department helped block this pay raise. US embassy officials in Haiti clearly opposed the wage hike as well.

Act 3: No Time Like the Present…

The United States’ actions in and against Haiti for over a century is one of gross interference. Now we see yet another woeful chapter in the whole sordid tale as US Marines seize control of Toussaint Louveture Airport, and Canada lands military vehicles there, all with the active approval of the United Nations. The so-called targets of this UN operation are the gangs that have taken over large areas of the country—gangs which seem to have been primed and set going by American business interests.

How long this next go-around will last is anybody’s guess, but I doubt it’ll lead to any good. There are no "quick fixes" to centuries' old problems created by white European domination and colonialism in the Caribbean region. Rapid solutions to Haiti’s problems inserted from the outside will produce temporary results at best with no long-lasting effects. The key to resolving the Haitian issue should be placed in the hands of the Haitian people themselves.

Learn more about Haiti:
https://slaveryandremembrance.org/people/person/?id=PP052

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Toussaint-Louverture

https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2021/10/05/1042518732/-the-greatest-heist-in-history-how-haiti-was-forced-to-pay-reparations-for-freed

https://haitiliberte.com/how-the-u-s-came-to-dominate-haiti-seizing-the-gold/

https://2001-2009.state.gov/r/pa/ho/time/wwi/88275.htm

Bio: Coast Watcher is our resident armchair historian and observer of the human condition. The more the West says things are changing for the worse in Haiti, the more the West seems apt to invade and pocket Haiti's wealth and resources. Maybe that was the plan all along?

Related Articles:

The Last Thing Haiti Needs is Another Military Intervention https://scheerpost.com/2022/10/20/the-last-thing-haiti-needs-is-another-military-intervention/  

Haiti Invasion is a Testing Ground for US Imperialism's Conduct in the Age of Climate Collapse  https://rainershea.substack.com/p/haiti-invasion-is-a-testing-ground

Nations Consider Sending Troops to Haiti, Despite Troubled Past Foreign Intervention  https://www.rsn.org/001/nations-consider-sending-troops-to-haiti-despite-troubled-past-foreign-intervention.html 

China Wary of International Troop Deployment in Haiti https://popularresistance.org/china-wary-of-international-troop-deployment-in-haiti/

More Foreign Intervention Won't Solve Haiti's Crises. Decolonization Will  https://truthout.org/articles/more-foreign-intervention-wont-solve-haitis-crises-decolonization-will/ 

Haiti: US Manufactures Crisis to Justify Repression of Popular Movement  https://popularresistance.org/haiti-us-manufactures-crisis-to-justify-repression-of-popular-movement/

Who is This "Haiti" That's Appealing for Intervention? https://scheerpost.com/2022/10/26/who-is-this-haiti-thats-appealing-for-intervention/

Seen on Twitter:

Haiti is a profit center for the Clinton Foundation; there's no telling what else we could find underneath that rock were we to actually look there; it’s just that the Clintons were so brazen in their corruption and theft of Haitian resources!! Just like Ukraine is for ol' Joe.

— Cynthia McKinney PhD (@cynthiamckinney) October 21, 2022

If truth is the first casualty of war, humanity is the second. It is depressing to witness how readily people—and states—embrace the cultivation of ethnic and nationalist hatreds for political advantage. Rather than hastening peace, these strategies forbid it.

— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) October 24, 2022

It’s official. The United States is invading Haiti. https://t.co/hKYqTTzUcs

— rotating villain (@ComradeDJs) October 23, 2022

Shouldn't everyone who so vocally protested Putin's invasion of Ukraine now also protest, with equal voracity, the coming US invasion of Haiti?

— vryfokkenou (@vryfokkenou) October 24, 2022

* * *

Protests have intensified across Haiti after the government of Ariel Henry, facing popular opposition to his rule, sent a request to the United Nations for international military support.

The United States, Canada, and the Organization of American States are now mobilizing towards intervention to prop up Henry's illegitimate government, which was installed after the assassination of president Jovenel Moïse by US-trained Colombian mercenaries. This is another brazen attempt to deny the Haitian people their right to self-determination.

Hands off Haiti! Add your name to the statement.

In response, the Cabinet of the Progressive International published a statement on Saturday calling for an end to foreign intervention in the country:

"The crisis in Haiti can only be repaired by following the basic demands of the Haitian people: an end to foreign meddling, an end to the brutal foreign-imposed austerity policies that sustain hunger and destitution, and support for Haiti’s full self-determination. The Haitian people have done nothing more, and nothing less, than resist an unjust colonial order built on their oppression."

Over two centuries ago, the people of Haiti defeated European colonialism, abolished slavery, and established the world’s first Black republic. In the process, they gave life to the political project of internationalism. From Ethiopia to Gran Colombia, Haiti helped the colonized, oppressed, and enslaved around the world in their struggles.

In the coming weeks, international solidarity will be critical as the Haitian people continue their long struggle for freedom. Join me in honoring that struggle, defending Haiti’s sovereignty, and supporting its people’s right to determine their own future.

Sign the statement today.

For more information about the situation, read this piece by PI Council member Vijay Prashad, which explains the context behind the protests that have swept across the country.

In solidarity,

Pawel Wargan
Progressive International Secretariat

 

Exploited People

 

Exploited People... 

Living In The Modern Day Slave State
by Coast Watcher

A recent meme posted on social media summarizes the nature of modern industrial relations. In the meme—a reproduction of a work announcement at an unnamed place of business—the workers are informed that one of their co-workers has passed away due to COVID-19. It goes on to set out strict instructions on how to mourn the person, any contravention of which will result in their "immediate dismissal." To cap it all the order ends with a line from an Emily Dickinson poem—as if this helps soothe ruffled feelings.

How different is this order to slavery in America’s antebellum South? Or indeed anywhere on this planet that had—or still has—a wage slave-based economy?

One can imagine the plight of field slaves in some long ago Southern state. They watch in horror as a fellow slave falls over  from a heart attack and dies. He is then carried away to the sparse plot of land where their dead are buried. The overseer approaches and tells the slaves they have five minutes to mourn, and if they want to mourn any more than that they have to do it on their own time. Oh, except that their free time is now curtailed since they’ll have to work longer to make up the shortfall of labor hours caused by the inconsiderate death of their fellow slave...

Next thing that happens, the overseer states blithely, "Anyone questioning this order will be whipped. Here’s a poetic statement I came up with to make you all feel better. Have a nice day. "

Think this sort of thing doesn't still happen in the 21st century? You believe that the government will protect workers from this kind of exploitation? Here's a telling quote:

The only urgency we’re seeing at the federal level is the urgency of continuing to sacrifice the working class on the altar of economic growth. For too many policy makers, learning to live with the virus means learning to live with preventable death and suffering. Direct, predictable payments could solve that, but at this point, that’s as hard to imagine as the pandemic ever coming to an end under the prevailing political conditions.  John Knefel, How Did We Go From Stimulus Checks to "Go To Work With COVID"?

A labor shortfall in modern America is hardly addressed any differently than it was prior to the Civil War. With COVID-19 on the rampage, Delta Airlines found itself facing a staff shortage. As a result, it bribed/coerced the Centers for Disease Control into shortening the quarantine time for an infected person from ten days to a mere five. Schools across the country took advantage of this CDC decision to force teachers back into the classrooms while they were still recovering from COVID, in spite of the disease having a track record of flaring up long past even the previous ten day quarantine. The Chicago mayor even outlawed remote learning and threatened teachers to return to work.

COVID is EVERYWHERE in our children’s hospital. These kids are SICK. Also fun fact: we’re seeing a lot of young kids with bradycardia, junctions rhythms and heart blocks. Like 0-6 month olds with heart rates in the 50-60s.

— Pediatric Nursey (@pediatricnursey) January 16, 2022

Childhood hospitalizations due to the omicron variant of COVID have skyrocketed in the last month in some American cities. "It's a mild variety" according to government spokespersons and mainstream media pundits. Can you imagine how much higher the numbers would be if it wasn't so "mild"?

It’s no wonder teachers and other workers are striking. Social media is full of accounts of people quitting after receiving peremptory texts from management ordering them back to work or else. Perhaps those doing so no longer face the whip or the other brutal methods used by slave owners to chastise unruly slaves, but official sanctions bite as hard. Unemployment pay is hard to get, and it doesn’t last for long. Landlords are evicting those who are behind on their rent, and student loan payments will be expected soon enough.

It’s my opinion that much more strike action is needed. Workers at Kroger stores in Colorado, Starbuck outlets across the country, and others are taking strike action and/or joining unions to demand fairer wages and working conditions in the face of the risks taken every day to keep these businesses running. (Target workers are even creating their very own union: https://targetworkersunite.com/)

Meanwhile, the US government is doing nothing to help citizens beyond the token issue of COVID-19 home testing kits (on request only from a government website that's sure to crash). As a further measure to reassure the public, the government has decided no longer to issue daily records of deaths from the disease. Because if we don't know how many of our fellow citizens are dying from COVID, then it's not really happening, right? Now, get back to work!

There are rumors circulating that EU countries are preparing to take an influx of economic refugees from the US, as the American economy is expected to tank later this year. While there’s not much evidence in fact that this is the case, it’s a clear indicator of our times that such rumors circulate at all and are given credence. 

It's time to stop all worker exploitation. It's time to let the capitalists know who is really in charge of the economy--the workers. Don't be afraid to walk out, sit down, or march on the picket the lines. Human beings can only take so much punishment and cruelty from the ruling class. Their time of exploiting the people is about over. Let's do all we can to hasten its ending, shall we?

 

BIO: Coast Watcher is tired of the blatant greed and inhumanity of the bourgeoisie. Why do we let them treat us like trash? It's time to rise up and create a workers' utopia--or at least put everyone on an equal footing with universal health care, UBI, guaranteed housing and education, among other things. Power to the People!

 

Related articles: 

Economic Update: Strikes Amid Reviving US Labor Movement (video)  https://youtu.be/4f2SeF60IQU

How Did We Go From Stimulus Checks to "Go To Work With COVID"? https://truthout.org/articles/how-did-we-go-from-stimulus-checks-to-go-to-work-with-covid/

Biden Urged to Fire COVID Response Chief Over Damning Failures https://scheerpost.com/2022/01/16/biden-urged-to-fire-covid-response-chief-over-damning-failures/

 Supreme Court Leaves Workers Without COVID-19 Protection https://popularresistance.org/supreme-court-leaves-workers-without-covid-19-protection/ 

Biden's Failure to Provide At Home COVID Tests Looks Extra Riduculous Arriving from the UK  https://popularresistance.org/bidens-failure-to-provide-at-home-covid-tests-looks-extra-ridiculous-arriving-from-the-u-k/ 

Australian Trade Unions Demand Free COVID Testing For All As Cases Surge https://popularresistance.org/australian-trade-unions-demand-free-covid-testing-for-all-as-cases-surge/

***

From UltraViolet:

The Trump-packed Supreme Court is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade this summer--and the minute that happens, it will unleash a wave of state-by-state battles by anti-choice radicals to ban abortion with zero exceptions in at least half the country

To kick off their push to ban abortion in as many states as possible in 2022, the anti-abortion movement is planning a march in Washington, D.C., on January 21, the eve of the 49th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, and we must fight back.

The anti-abortion movement's strategy is to try to convince politicians that most Americans want abortion banned, despite the fact that a wide majority of Americans actually supports legal abortion.¹ They think that if enough people show up on the National Mall, it will convince any wavering governors or state legislators that the American people support their radical anti-abortion agenda.

We can't let them get away with it.

To stop the anti-abortion movement from controlling the narrative on this historic day and make sure that the media and the public hear from America's pro-choice majority, we're planning a series of actions to get our message out, including a flash mob at the Supreme Court, petition delivery to every U.S. senator, and a daylong pro-Roe social media campaign.

To go big, we need to raise as much money as possible to fund our counter-protest actions. Will you chip in to help defend abortion rights on this historic anniversary of Roe v. Wade?

The current Supreme Court is the most conservative in a generation, and it's clear that there is a majority to end the constitutional right to abortion.

The court declined to block a draconian ban on abortion in Texas--twice. It heard oral arguments on Mississippi's abortion ban, in which they were asked to immediately overturn Roe v. Wade. In the disastrous oral arguments on these cases, the justices compared Roe to the notorious Plessy v. Ferguson case upholding Jim Crow and argued that abortion isn't needed because babies can simply be given up for adoption.²

The moment the anti-choice majority on the Supreme Court dismantles Roe, abortion bans from Idaho to South Carolina will go into effect. Abortion will likely become illegal in 22 states or more. Over 40% of people able to become pregnant will see their nearest abortion clinics close, with Black people, Indigenous people, and working-class people of color being hit the hardest.³

This is the all-out, state-by-state battle for legal abortion that we'd hoped would never come. But it's here, and the fight begins on January 22, the 49th, and likely final, anniversary of Roe v. Wade.

We can't let the anti-abortion minority control the narrative with their lies and disinformation. So, on January 22, we're planning a series of actions to get our message out that Americans support abortion rights, including a petition delivery to every single senator, a pro-Roe social media campaign, and an on-the-ground flash mob in front of the Supreme Court.

Will you chip in $5 to help us go big on what could well be Roe v. Wade's last anniversary?

Thank you for fighting alongside us!

--Sonja, Shaunna, Kathy, Melody, Lindsay, Kimberly, Maria, Elisa, KaeLyn, KD, Iris, Bridget, Katie, Jaya, Meena, Isatou, Luna, and Toni, the UltraViolet Action team

CONTRIBUTESources:

1. About six-in-ten Americans say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, Pew Research Center, May 6, 2021

2. Conservative US supreme court justices signal support for restricting abortion in pivotal case, The Guardian, December 1, 2021

3. Where Abortion Access Would Decline if Roe v. Wade Were Overturned, The New York Times, May 18, 2021

***

On January 14, nurses held actions across the country, including a candlelight vigil in Washington, D.C. for nurses who lost their lives to Covid-19 and a national virtual press conference. Together, we demanded the hospital industry invest in safe staffing, and that President Biden follow through on his campaign promise to protect nurses and prioritize public health.

Will you join our call for safe staffing critical health and safety protections by adding your name to our petition?

add your name »

As the Omicron variant is exploding across the country, now is not the time to rip away protections for health care workers and the public. 

That’s why nurses, other health care workers, and activists all across the country are coming together to demand:

• A permanent OSHA standard that requires employers to protect health care workers against Covid-19;
• Retention and enforcement of the June 21 Covid-19 health care emergency temporary standard until it is properly superseded by the permanent standard; and
• Restoration of guidance on ten-day isolation after a positive Covid-19 test for health care workers, other frontline workers, and the general public.

As of Jan. 11, 481 RNs have died of Covid-19, among 4,760 health care worker deaths overall, according to NNU tracking data. To date, more than 1.1 million U.S. health care workers have been infected. 

We know that optimal protections save lives, and we will not stop working to win those protections — but we don’t have second to waste. Will you add your name to call on the Biden administration to protect nurses and other health care workers during Covid-19?

add your name »

Thank you for standing with us.

In solidarity,

National Nurses United

 ***

From Friends of the Earth:

ACTION NEEDED: Corporate cruise ships are destroying our oceans -- driving orcas closer to extinction. Last year, we lost Cappuccino and Marina, two of the critically endangered Southern Resident Killer Whale population, which is now down to only 73 remaining orcas.

Scientists agree that orcas face three main threats: food shortage, chemical pollution, and vessel disturbance. Corporate cruise ships magnify all three of these risks and are making it harder for orcas to survive.

If we are going to protect the remaining orcas from extinction, we need to take action immediately to reduce the harm caused by cruise ships.

SIGN THE PETITION NOW

Engine waste, plastic waste, and human waste are ALL dumped directly into the water by cruise ships, damaging orcas’ sensitive habitats, food supply, and ecosystem. The pollution from cruise ships drives away orcas’ vital food source -- contributing to their STARVATION.  

Yet greedy cruise ship corporations continue to increase the size and number of these vessels -- meaning even more disturbances to vulnerable orcas. These ships add more underwater noise, hindering orcas’ echolocation abilities and making it difficult for them to hunt already-scarce prey. More vessel traffic also results in a higher risk of oil spills that can cause death or injury to orcas, and the physical presence of these massive ships interferes with their migration and mating patterns.

Cruise ships are HURTING orcas. We must do something before these beloved animals are gone forever. Please, take action now to help save the remaining orca population from corporate cruise ship pollution.

SIGN THE PETITION NOW

Thank you,
Friends of the Earth