Labor

While tens of thousands demonstrate in Madison, Wisconsin hundreds rallied in Montpelier, VT to connect the struggles that are facing working class people all over the country.

People in the US are looking to South America for inspiration in occupying homes and factories.

The killing of 23-year old labor activist Mariano Ferreyra has sparked massive protests in Argentina. The country’s rich labor history has been plagued with violent episodes. This death sends an ominous reminder of the legacy of union bureaucracy and violence against workers.

After nearly 200 years service in the British army, the Nepalese Gurkha regiments may soon be disbanded as the British army sacrifices troop welfare in face of budget cuts.

Approaching the U-Haul Store on Hollywood Boulevard is like entering a bustling market. A gaggle of workers swarm you, politely placing business cards into your hand, offering their services.

In Creative Community Organizing: A Guide for Rabble-Rousers, Activists and Quiet Lovers of Justice (Berrett-Koehler, February), Si Kahn argues that culture must be integrated into organizing, but he does not always succeed in showing how to do so. He discourages an “add culture and stir” approach, yet the stories he tells—singing to maintain hope while being arrested, designing an organization’s logo to communicate mission, values and inclusivity—are little more than that. And Kahn’s examples of “creative” organizing—such as forming alliances with the faith leaders of a campaign target—strike me as simply good organizing.