Climate Strikes
Self-Help in the Coronavirus Depression
In the early years of the Great Depression of the 1930s, unemployed and impoverished workers turned to dramatic forms of self-help to survive. Anti-eviction “riots” led by organizations of the unemployed made it possible to protect hundreds of thousands of families from being evicted from their homes and ultimately forced government in many cities to halt evictions.
#SenateFail Day of Action
Six feet apart but together in spirit: Scranton educators tell Sen. Pat Toomey to pass the HEROES Act. “Pat Toomey and the rest of the Republicans who control the U.S. Senate need to step up and pass the HEROES Act,” says Arthur Steinberg, president of AFT Pennsylvania. “It has been nearly two months since the House passed the act, which would provide $3.2 billion in education funding to Pennsylvania. It’s long past time for the Senate to do likewise in order to ensure safe reopening of schools this fall.” Photo credit: American Federation of Teachers.
Fight Like Hell for the Living
As part of the campaign for Personal Protective Equipment and proper public health standards for workers, on July 14 the Labor Network for Sustainability launched “In Memoriam,” a new video honoring essential workers who have lost their lives after exposure to COVID-19.
Farmworkers Unionize for COVID Safety
On May 7, 50 workers at Allan Bros fruit packing factory in Naches, Washington, walked off the job demanding hazard pay, paid time off, health protection measures, and greater transparency about coronavirus threats. Ten days later the strike had spread to six Yakima Valley fruit packing houses.
Strike for Black Lives
On July 21, the Labor Network for Sustainability joined more than fifty unions, civil rights organizations, environmental groups, and others in the first Strike for Black Lives. Lead organizers of the action were the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and the Movement for Black Lives (M4BL).
LNS Webinar Explores the Origins of ‘Just Transition’
“Just Transition” has become one of the most common—and most controversial—themes in the Labor-Climate movement. On July 22, the Labor Network for Sustainability helped illuminate the idea with a webinar on “Just Transition: Love It, Hate It – You’ve Heard the Term, Now Hear the Story.”
The Pandemic May Be a Preview of Our Climate Future
Todd E. Vachon, faculty coordinator of the Labor Education Action Research Network (LEARN) in the School of Management and Labor Relations at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey and an active trade unionist and member of the Labor Network for Sustainability, recently wrote an article in the New Jersey Star-Ledger. Warning that “The Pandemic May Be a Preview of Our Climate Future.”
Protecting Workers from Extreme Heat
The House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis has recently released a report on “Solving the Climate Crisis” calling for a federal heat safety standard.
The Unemployed vs. the Coronavirus Depression
Forty million people or more have lost their jobs since the beginning of March. Including those not actively looking for work, nearly half of adults are jobless. While some of those initially laid off have returned to work, others who thought their layoffs were temporary have been reclassified as fired permanently.
Save the U.S. Postal Service!
Join the Labor Network for Sustainability as we rally for America’s most cherished institution, the United States Postal Service.