The End of Gap Sweatshops?
“When I decided to join Gap Inc. in the fall of 2002,” writes Paul Presser, President and CEO of the clothing giant behind the Gap, Old Navy, and Banana Republic brands, “one of the first things my...
View ArticleThe Birth of The Burning Bush
This year I have been involved in launching a new project called The Burning Bush: Center for the Working Poor. We take our biblical name from the unexpected signal God gave Moses to free his people...
View ArticleFair Trade Sweatshops?
When confronted with the reality that so many of our garments are produced under abysmal working conditions, the first question on many consumers’ lips is: ‘Where can I buy clothes that weren’t made in...
View ArticleProgressive Good Tidings of 2007
Understanding what is wrong in our society; speaking out against injustice; denouncing abuses by the powerful. All of these are crucial tasks. Many of us devote a large part of the year to them, and...
View ArticleHilda Solis: Protecting Workers, Not Corporations
Those who voted for “change you can believe in” in 2008 have found many reasons since Obama’s inauguration to be disappointed with the new White House. But there have been some bright spots in the...
View ArticleFour Ways of Looking at an Aztec Eagle
“Sí, se puede.” “Yes, it can be done.” It was 1972, and United Farm Workers (UFW) leader Cesar Chavez was in the fifth day of a fast in Phoenix. He had undertaken the fast in response to the Arizona...
View ArticleImmigration Economics: An Interview with Professor Giovanni Peri
Facts or no facts, many people simply do not want to believe that undocumented immigrants coming to this country don’t steal jobs and undermine the American economy. When economic studies come along...
View ArticlePalm Trees in the Snow
In late February, conservative Fox News host Bill O’Reilly sent a camera crew to the massive protests that had erupted in Wisconsin, the Midwestern state that became emblematic of nationwide outcry...
View ArticleAi-jen Poo: Organizing a Movement for Care
Talk to Ai-jen Poo about her work and it won’t be long before you hear language you don’t often hear in the midst of intense social movement campaigning. For one, she does not shy away from talking...
View ArticleWorking in the iPad Empire
‘Help wanted: factory worker to install small components into items manufactured by hand – iPhones and iPads. Shifts may average 12 hours per day, six days per week. You may be expected to stand...
View ArticleThe Real “Farmer” Story: So God Made High-Fructose Corn Syrup
Of the commercials that debuted at this year’s Super Bowl, one of the most talked about has been “Farmer,” a Dodge truck ad that pays tribute to the salt-of-the-earth middle Americans who work the...
View ArticleShould We Have a “Maximum Wage”
Should our societies have a “maximum wage”? Would the world be better off if the United States had one? Currently, Americans are debating raising the national minimum wage from $7.25 per hour to $10...
View ArticleIt’s Time for a Union at Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart is the largest private employer in the United States. It is the largest private employer in Mexico. It is the largest private employer in the world. The right to form a union is enshrined in...
View ArticleFair Trade Sweatshops?
Supporting ‘clean clothes’ campaigns to end the exploitative labour practices that pervade the textile industry is not as simple as just picking the ‘right’ brand to buy. Published in the November...
View ArticleThere’s More Than One Way to Strike the Boss
From fare strikes to sick outs, movements are deploying a variety of creative tactics to disrupt business as usual. Published in Jacobin. Last month, bus drivers in Okayama, Japan began an unusual work...
View ArticleThe Amazon Effect: Sweat, Surveillance, Exploitation
Company founder Jeff Bezos did not become the world’s richest man by letting employees enjoy free-range lifestyles. Published in the November-December 2018 issue of the New Internationalist. In...
View ArticleThe Billionaires Have Enough! It’s Time for a Maximum Wage.
A Q&A with author Sam Pizzigati. Published in Dissent. For Republican members of Congress and cable news pundits, a cap on the earnings of the super rich might sound like a dystopian nightmare....
View ArticleThere’s Still Power in a Strike
Jeremy Brecher, author of the labor-history classic Strike!, considers the recent wave of teacher walkouts, how we can overcome America’s “strike drought,” and the future role of mass disobedience in...
View ArticleReviving the General Strike
Organizers in labor, immigrant rights, and climate movements seeking to spark far-reaching work stoppages in the United States can invoke a powerful fact: It has happened before. Published by The...
View ArticleThe Seattle Protests Showed That Another World Is Possible
Twenty years ago, demonstrations against the World Trade Organization opened the space for today’s critics of neoliberal capitalism. Published in The Nation. On November 30, 1999, clouds of tear...
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