Listen to the full episode, with our labor-climate organizer @keithbrowerbrown.bsky.social joining the pod: labornotespodcast.podbean.com/e/construction-unions-face-a-choice-cave-or-defend-members/ 1/2

california's enviro/public input law was huge leverage to unionize 90% of big solar workers here, when the rest of the US was <5%. building trades🤝greens! Newsom + state Dems just gutted it. their "abundance" strategy is "removing regulatory barriers" for developers. calmatters.org/environment/...

Farmworker organizer Alfredo “Lelo” Juarez was detained by ICE agents this week in what many believe to be retaliation for organizing. 3 things you can do in solidarity: - Attend a vigil or action - Call elected officials - Donate to his legal defense labornotes.org/blogs/2025/0...

new from me on a fav topic: how have jet mechanics and refinery workers opened up union convos on changing what they make — to fight the boss for a livable environment?

"Moved by her story, members resolved to confront management immediately... and presented management with a signed petition that same afternoon. The following morning, management... emerged with a decision to grant Jane a combined 18 weeks of postpartum leave" labornotes.org/blogs/2025/0...

curious how auto worker reform activists are strategizing for power in an electric transition that just got twice as chaotic us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

Don't miss out on our event with @keithbrowerbrown.bsky.social this month! He will talk about his research with construction laborers in the solar industry and how the green sector could offer an opportunity for union revitalization! Register here: yorku.zoom.us/meeting/regi... March 20, 1pm EST.1/

big L for accelerationists

they're evicting the labor law enforcers right where starbucks workers first won. it's not just about enriching elon, it's about emboldening all bosses to work you like a serf

no IBEW strike yet at National Grid, but chance bumped up imo—in rare move, union officers say they’re “not able to immediately endorse” the company’s contract offer, will hold member discussions on it. promising sign of debate, not a rubberstamp, in this powerful union.

Don't miss our first event with @keithbrowerbrown.bsky.social on his research with solar and building trades! March 20, 1pm EST. Registration: yorku.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

debuting new research on solar & building trades, 3/20. it takes more than a contract to build a powerful union in a green transition. moderated by @nicolekhkgonzalez.bsky.social

The super rich are in command, as Donald Trump and Elon Musk run a rampage on the working class. To stop them, the labor movement needs to lead. inthesetimes.com/article/labo...

IBEW utility workers just voted 99% (!) to authorize a strike at 6 gas power plants – a majority of electric generation on Long Island – if megacorp National Grid doesn't come back with a fair contract by 11:59pm, Valentines.

happy Flint Sit-Down Strike UAW victory day to all who observe! looking for inspo on fighting corporate-run government? love this action-packed account of the leader of the Women's Brigade that helped beat GM and the National Guard 💪 historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/doll...

Contracts expire next month for 47,000 Kroger + Albertson’s subsidiary workers across UFCW locals in SoCal, along with contracts for 20,500 Kroger workers w/ UFCW Local 1996 in Georgia, Labor Notes Organizers Joe DeManuelle-Hall + @keithbrowerbrown.bsky.social report: labornotes.org/2024/12/big-...

Germany's Left Party has a new goal of cutting the wealth of billionaires in half within a decade. Ultimately, they "believe there should not be any billionaires." They aim to implement a wealth tax and raise inheritance and income taxes on the rich. www.dw.com/en/germanys-...

in the biggest US private sector union, heartening signs of a coordinated bargaining / striking / democratic reform coalition taking shape labornotes.org/2025/02/firs...

will be sending this every time an academic asks me "how can I help labor?": help figure out organizing targets, based on worker insights! labor leverage depends on how the job isolates or connects coworkers. you gotta learn that firsthand. labornotes.org/blogs/2025/0...

The King Soopers workers on strike today are among the tens of thousands of grocery workers at the country’s largest supermarket chains fighting for new contracts in 2025 and taking on issues like understaffing. By Joe DeManuelle-Hall and @keithbrowerbrown.bsky.social: labornotes.org/2024/12/big-...

this climate diagnosis is right. to begin to build power that beat the unholy fossil + silicon capital alliance, I think our best shots are union revival (ala UAW) and insurgent electoral campaigns (ala Bernie / Rashida)

This is a time for the labor movement to choose sides: between deeper class unity and solidarity, or shortsighted conciliation with Trumpist power brokers. www.nplusonemag.com/online-only/...

New Labor Notes Workshop: Steering Green Transitions Talk to rank-and-file union members organizing collective action for better jobs and a livable climate. Monday, Feb. 3, 8 p.m. ET | Online Sign up today! labornotes.org/events/2025/...

climate wins in union contracts are a vital path forward, with national climate laws way off the table. join me and @labornotes.bsky.social monday for a workshop on union climate demands, learning from a Chicago teacher and Canadian autoworker who've lit the way. labornotes.org/events/2025/...

new from me. unions face scary new pressures towards selfish collaboration with trump: business unionism on uppers. but only fighting solidarity – across unions, with immigrants, in politics – can sustain & grow the fragile labor upsurge. socialistcall.com/2025/01/30/c...

Organizing your workplace? Start by mapping the shop floor to identify your coworkers' proximity to one another at work and socially. Labor Notes organizers Courtney Smith and @keithbrowerbrown.bsky.social on building your organizing committee:

proud to help facilitate this call tonight on organizing solidarity with immigrant workers. over 300 people now signed up! fighting for solidarity against bosses isn't just necessary defense for labor — it's how we build the collective muscle to go on offense. labornotes.org/events/2024/...

Labor Notes Organizers Courtney Smith and @keithbrowerbrown.bsky.social discuss dynamics that discourage members from taking on the work of building the union, and how members can break out of passivity. Don't miss this episode of The Valley Labor Report: www.youtube.com/watch?v=tonJ... 1/3

why do bosses who won't bargain with their workers, proudly flouting labor law, get police protection to move product and union-bust with scabs? hard for working people to believe in elite "democratic institutions" when we see the law bends backwards for CEOs, never for us

I think this was the best writing beyond Labor Notes I did this year: on SFSU's working-class students forging a practice of democracy and mass action that led them to win campus divestment, then become a model in the palestine movement jacobin.com/2024/05/san-...

Tens of thousands of supermarket chain grocery workers, Minnesota nurses, and teachers in California are among those bracing for big fights ahead, Labor Notes Organizers Joe DeManuelle-Hall and @keithbrowerbrown.bsky.social report. Some highlights 🧵1/5 labornotes.org/2024/12/big-...

how did most california solar plants unionize, breaking the national anti-union trend? how did ironworkers bring solar temps up to full membership? icymi, this was one of my proudest this year (and cover story) for @labornotes.bsky.social labornotes.org/2024/01/how-...

one of my favorite Labor Notes features for years, proud to cowrite it for the first time. the biggest labor battles of the year start here.

green capital is not real and is not your friend

just monumental news: union majority at the most important chokepoint over amazon's fast shipping out west. courageous marches on the boss against extreme heat and wildfire smoke helped amazon workers learn their power, and bring more into the fight.

as the labor organizer kid of a refugee I'm pleased to say we're taking back january 6 www.labornotes.org/events/2024/...

When a climate disaster hits, what can unions do? North Carolina’s service workers in Asheville, still recovering from Hurricane Helene in September, are demanding that recovery and rebuilding happen on their terms. @keithbrowerbrown.bsky.social reports: labornotes.org/2024/12/hurr...

GM selling off this battery plant makes it tougher to unionize -- UAW strike won rights to card check at GM Ultium plants. LG has no obligation. this is anti-union outsourcing under one roof, after taking $200M in public subsidies on promise of good jobs www.bridgemi.com/business-wat...

if workers at this massive new battery plant win their union, there will be unionized plants in tennessee ohio and kentucky -- ready to set the standard at the linchpin of EV production www.labornotes.org/2024/11/kent...

When management seems content to ignore a strike, how can workers crank up the pressure? Hone your picket strategy and keep up morale, workers shared on a Labor Notes call last month. @keithbrowerbrown.bsky.social and former Labor Notes editor Jane Slaughter write: labornotes.org/2024/11/your...

honored to moderate the launch of this standout new book in santa cruz, thursday. come through for a rich convo on labor & social movement building to win just transitions, rooted on historic models and present bright spots in that fight.

my first article since joining this site. me and jane slaughter for @labornotes.bsky.social assembled creative ideas to crank up pressure and bust the unionbusters in a long strike 🥵✊ labornotes.org/2024/11/your...

a crew of these postal workers leads so many marches on the boss that they lead a role-play training on the tactic at the Labor Notes conference. a union in a rhythm of shop floor militancy is one that learns, firsthand, the immense worth of solidarity

not every day that the convention of a manufacturing union of 600k overwhelmingly backs transitioning their own jobs to fix the climate. props to @machinistsunion.bsky.social -- will be keen on how this gets turned to action inkstickmedia.com/major-defens...