Chicago, IL – Chicago’s Mayor Rahm Emmanuel has a pro-capitalist, neoliberal agenda and it's no secret that his priority in this city are the wealthy residents of posh lakefront neighborhoods like the Gold Coast, Lincoln Park and Lakeview. He works for the banks and the multi-billion-dollar corporations like Boeing, who are getting fat off of government welfare that comes out of our pockets. Rahm never met a racist, killer cop he didn't love. He going to have a tough time getting re-elected, and his only real competition right now is the reactionary ex-top cop Garry McCarthy, so he wants smooth sailing and no problems from struggling Chicago Transit Authority workers or militant Chicago Public School teachers.

Los Angeles, CA – Labor unions and supporters rallied at the steps of LA County USC Medical Center, Feb. 26, for workers’ rights. On Feb. 26, the U.S. Supreme Court began to hear the Janus v. AFSCME case. The case is a right-wing attack on labor unions.

St. Paul, MN – Around 1000 union members and supporters held a rally at the state capitol building, Feb. 24, to defend union rights in the public sector, which are under attack from a right wing funded lawsuit intended to weaken the labor movement. The lawsuit is called Janus vs AFSCME. The goal of the lawsuit is to eliminate fair share fees in unionized public sector workplaces. Under current law, if the workers have organized, the union is required to spend resources representing every worker at that workplace even if they choose not to join the union. Because the union is required to spend members’ dues money representing those non-union workers, it has long been held that if a particular worker does not want to be part of the union they may choose not to, and instead of paying dues, that worker instead pays a fee for only the amount of money that the union spends representing them. This is called a “fair share” fee.

Minneapolis, MN – Trade unions and their supporters are mobilizing for the Feb. 24 Working People's Day of Action. A major outpouring for workers’ rights is expected in cities across the U.S.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU).

St Paul, MN – The Saint Paul Federation of Teachers (SPFT) says that educators will strike beginning Feb. 13, if no settlement is reached in ongoing contract talks with the Saint Paul Public Schools (SPPS).

St. Paul, MN — By an overwhelming majority, members of the Saint Paul Federation of Teachers (SPFT) voted to authorize a strike Jan. 31. Approximately two-thirds of members voted at the InterContinental Hotel in downtown Saint Paul. Of the votes, 82.0% of school and community service professionals, 89.5% of educational assistants, and 85.1% of teachers and licensed staff voted yes to authorize a strike.

Albert Lea, MN — On Dec. 20, Mayo Albert Lea Hospital blocked 79 SEIU Healthcare MN hospital workers from returning to work after they went out on a one-day strike the day before. The members went on strike because they have been without a contract for over a year.

Milwaukee, WI – On Dec. 11, the Milwaukee Area Labor Council, led by its Young Workers Committee, held a press conference along with allies in response to a construction worker displaying a Ku Klux Klan sticker in a predominantly Black neighborhood.

Milwaukee, WI — As the critical month of December rolled in, the United Parcel Service mandated nationally new work rules for package delivery drivers, increasing the workweek to 70 hours for the duration of the holiday, or peak, season.

Minneapolis, MN – About 400 Teamsters and their supporters rallied at the University of Minnesota administration building, Morrill Hall, on the afternoon of Nov. 17, to demand a decent contract. Members of Teamsters Local 320 overwhelmingly passed a strike authorization vote Nov. 2, and today’s protest was billed as a “pre-strike informational picket.”

U.S. trade unionists participate

Athens, Greece – On Nov. 9, more than 170,000 workers in 64 cities across Greece took to the streets to fight government austerity measures, nuclear armament, and court rulings that make labor strikes in the country illegal. 18 U.S. trade unionists attending a week-long seminar with the World Federation of Trade Unions joined the demonstrations at Syntagma Square in the city center of Athens.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following the text of a speech delivered by is Richard Blake, delivered to the third World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) World Working Youth Congress, which took place in Rome, Italy, Nov. 2-3.

New York, NY – New Yorkers across the state face a vote on Nov. 7 on whether or not to have a Constitutional Convention, a process which occurs every 20 years. The last time a vote occurred for a so-called “Con Con” was in 1997. In the current political climate, unions and workers fear that all protections that were won in past Constitutional Conventions, most of which were gained during the New Deal, could be peeled away due to the intervention of lobbyists and financing from corporate influences.

Young Florida Teamster addresses congress

Rome, Italy – The third World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) World Working Youth Congress opened here, Nov. 2. Delegates from Italy, Vietnam, Brazil, Denmark, Mexico and many other countries exchanged experiences on organizing young workers to fight for their rights and building class-struggle trade unionism.