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Worker Rights and Jobs

In Largest Expansion Yet, Starbucks Baristas Join Red Cup Rebellion

The Red Cup Rebellion unfair labor practice (ULP) strike grew to over 3,800 baristas in 180+ stores across 130+ cities Thursday as the largest wave yet of union baristas walked off the job to protest Starbucks’ historic union busting and failure to finalize a fair union contract. The historic ULP strike is the largest nationwide work stoppage in the company’s history, with 36 new stores in 34 cities joining their coworkers already out on strike. Baristas’ ULP strike began on Red Cup Day, November 13 and has grown each week since.

San Jose Starbucks Worker Shares Perspective On Strike

San Jose, CA – Since the start of December, the Starbucks Workers’ Union (SBWU) has been on a national strike. In what has been dubbed the “Red Cup Rebellion,” the aim of the workers has been to disrupt the Starbucks corporation during one of its traditionally most busy times, the holiday season. In San Jose, the SBWU has voted to join the strike. Devasya Kumar, a barista and strike captain of the Capitol Square Mall Starbucks location, shared his store’s experience in participating in the strike. He captains the evening picket line. His store has shut down completely.

Indian Farmers Protest New Seed Bill, Calling It A Threat To Sovereignty

Hundreds of thousands of farmers across India protested against the new draft Seed Bill 2025 on Monday, December 8, burning copies of it and demanding its immediate withdrawal. The bill will compromise the country’s food security and threaten its seed sovereignty, the farmers claimed. The call for the protest was made by Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), a collective of various farmers’ organizations formed in 2020, which includes the left-wing All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS). Farmers gathered in their villages/towns with banners and posters and burnt copies of the seed bill.

Learning From UAW History And Taking Control Of Work Reductions

On the morning of October 29, autoworkers at Factory Zero, the GM electric vehicle plant in Detroit, received an urgent notification about the status of our two-month temporary layoff. For over 1,100 of us working in the plant, the news was that we would have to return to work on Thanksgiving week, only to be indefinitely laid off in January. As the bosses reduce production from two shifts down to one, the holidays are bringing uncertainty and precarity, rather than comfort and stability. Over the past year, hundreds of workers at Factory Zero have already been impacted by rolling layoffs and termination of temporary workers, often announced without notice.

Portuguese Workers Bring Country To A Halt In Historic General Strike

Tens of thousands of Portuguese workers walked off the job this week, dressed in workers’ red, in the country’s first general strike in 12 years. This massive show of force is a direct challenge to the right-wing government’s aggressive assault on labor rights, wages, and collective bargaining. The nationwide strike action halted ports, grounded flights, shuttered schools, and stalled public transport. Workers from every sector said they will no longer accept a return to deeper exploitation and austerity. The General Confederation of the Portuguese Workers (CGTP-IN) underscored that the attack on workers’ living standards comes not during an economic crisis but amidst growth and steep rises in corporate profits.

What A Century-Old Press Service Teaches Us About Worker Power

This won’t come as a surprise to union activists, but the mainstream press doesn’t always fairly represent the labor movement. That was true in 1919, the year the Federated Press (FP) was founded, and it remains true today. The FP was created to counteract the anti-labor bias in the mainstream press during the post-World War I strike wave. At the first convention of the Farmer-Labor Party, a coalition of labor activists, editors, and socialists hatched the idea for a cooperative, labor-oriented press service that would provide national and international news to subscribing labor newspapers. Imagine the Associated Press, but written by and for labor.

These 15 Coal Plants Would Have Retired; Then Came AI And Trump

Since the second Trump administration took power in January, at least 15 coal plants have had planned retirements pushed back or delayed indefinitely, a DeSmog analysis found. That’s mostly due to an expected rise in electricity demand, a surge largely driven by the rise of high-powered data centers needed to train and run artificial intelligence (AI) models. But some of the plants have been ordered to stay open by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), despite significant environmental and financial costs. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, a former fracking executive, has frequently cited “winning the AI race” as a rationale for re-investing in coal.

Global Black Friday Strikes Against Amazon Target ‘Techno-Authoritarian’ Assault

Amazon workers and their allies worldwide took to the streets on Black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year, to protest the e-commerce behemoth’s exploitation of workers, relentless union-busting, contributions to the worsening climate emergency, and plans to replace employees en masse with robots. “Amazon, Jeff Bezos, and their political allies are betting on a techno-authoritarian future, but this Make Amazon Pay Day, workers everywhere are saying: enough,” said Christy Hoffman, general secretary of UNI Global Union.

Starbucks Workers’ Union Escalates Strike On Black Friday

The Starbucks workers’ union said on Friday it is escalating an indefinite strike to more than 120 stores and 85 cities, demanding higher pay and staffing levels at the coffee chain. The walkout, which is set to be the longest strike in the history of Starbucks, began on its Red Cup Day on November 13 with 65 stores and more than 40 cities. The strike comes on Black Friday, the busiest time of the year for retailers when shoppers hunt for bargains on everything from food and groceries to apparel and appliances. Workers also went on strike at Amazon warehouses in Germany on Black Friday, aiming to disrupt operations on a key sales day as they push for a collective bargaining agreement, with separate protests also planned outside Zara stores in Spain.

Starbucks Baristas Bring ‘Red Cup Rebellion’ To CEO’s Office

Unionized Starbucks baristas rallied Monday outside the Newport-Beach office of the Seattle-based company’s chief executive to demand better pay, staffing and scheduling — continuing a “Red Cup Rebellion” unfair labor practice strike that includes stores in Orange County. Carrying picket signs that read “Now Brewing: Corporate Greed” and chanting, “No Contract, No Coffee” rallying workers accused the coffee retailer of refusing to respond to employees’ demands after an offer by company negotiators was rejected by bargaining delegates in April, according to a union news release Monday.

Texas College Teacher Fired For Free Speech

Support is building within the labor, academic, and Palestine solidarity movements in defense of Tom Alter, a history professor at Texas State University in San Marcos. Shortly after receiving tenure, Alter was hastily fired on September 10 by university President Kelly Damphousse. He had spoken in his private capacity at an online socialist conference, where his presentation and comments were flagged by a self-described “fascist” and reported to the university administration. Alter is a member of the Texas State Employees Union, part of the Communications Workers (CWA).

RWU Opposes Merger, Responds To Latest Fratricide In Rail Labor

When Railroad Workers United (RWU) was founded in 2008, delegates agreed that rail labor’s strength depends on solidarity, unity, and democracy across all crafts. That remains our position today. Sentiment alone does not win better wages, benefits, and working conditions; strategy and coordinated action do. As Eugene V. Debs reminded us, the success of the labor movement rests on real - not rhetorical - solidarity. Unfortunately, recent developments have undermined these principles. In its latest statement, SMART-TD abandoned solidarity, unity, and democratic process.

Union Power Wins: Baltimore Library Workers Get Jobs Back

Fourteen part-time librarians at the Baltimore County Public Library received a jarring email on the afternoon of Nov. 12. BCPL leadership’s email informed them that they would no longer have jobs. The mass firing came just ahead of the holiday season and without any advance notice. All 14 are members of the International Association of Machinists Local 4538, which represents the several hundred BCPL workers and the staff of a nearby Apple Store. Several of those fired were particularly active members of their union. One of the fired librarians is an active union steward and member of the Local’s bargaining committee.

Warehouse Workers At UNFI March On The Boss

Lancaster, TX – In a bold display of unity and shop-floor power, warehouse workers at United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI) in Lancaster marched on management this past Monday, November 17, to deliver a clear message – they are forming a union, and they want it recognized now. The UNFI workers have been organizing to join the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 745. Workers from across the sprawling distribution center walked from the parking lot, across the floor together and confronted supervisors in their office, demanding immediate recognition of their union.

UPS Automation Used To Cut Jobs, Endanger Workers

Arlington, TX – Plans are moving forward for UPS to automate much of the work at its Lonestar Hub. UPS has framed the automation push as “Modernization” and has favored a “Better, Not Bigger” policy which means reducing overall volume while increasing profits for the company. UPS is anticipating a 6% gain in revenue per package as a result of recent changes; however, they also expect to see a decline of 8.5% in average daily volume. They expect to achieve this by focusing less on volume and more on transporting goods that bring a higher profit per package delivered.
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