President Biden’s Buy American Plan A Comprehensive Stimulus Program
ULSTD President Rich Kline Within days of taking office, President Joe Biden signed an executive order directing federal agencies to Buy American and thereby bolster U.S. manufacturing and service industries. That action constitutes a long-term stimulus of immense...
Prop. 22, COVID and the Future of Work
California voters passed Proposition 22 on Election Day. The measure was heavily backed by Uber, Lyft and similar gig-based work platform corporations, which invested $205 million to swamp the state in advertising and misinformation. ULSTD President Rich Kline...
Malice Toward None
Richard Kline, UL&STD President These are very tough times. Is there any need to recite the difficulties facing America. A pandemic response that has been bungled by the Trump administration. Racial inequities that have been exacerbated by the Trump...
In Midst of Spiraling Epidemic, Trump Politicizes Crisis
Millions of Americans face devastation. Financial relief programs expire, legislation designed to help the unemployed sits on Sen. McConnell’s desk, food assistance for children is set to go unfunded, schools may be forced to reopen without adequate protections for...
Americans Value the U.S. Postal Service, Congress Should Too
Americans want Congress to support the US Postal service by a wide margin, said 92% of those surveyed. When Congress addresses financial need in the next round of Covid-19 relief legislation, the USPS should be among its foremost concerns. Across the political...
The Big Story Remains Labor’s Activism In a Time of Crisis
This Label Letter carries more news of the Trump administration’s continued attacks on working people, but that’s not the big story. The big news is fighting back against Trumpian repression. The big news is unions fighting for the health and safety of healthcare...
Demise of Workplace Class Action Lawsuits Makes Unions Key to Fight Rights’ Violations
The US Supreme Court in May 2018 ruled against workers in Epic Systems v. Lewis declaring that employers can force employees to accept arbitration of disputes individually and give up their right to class action lawsuits in the courts. The ruling puts individual...
Workers and Unions Face Crony Politics
It’s nice to have friends and allies and supporters. But for some it’s even nicer, if more costly, to have cronies. Cronies, not buddies, who have the political power to bestow favors on those who can fill their campaign war chests, fund their PACS and hire their...
The More Things Change, The More Solidarity Matters
Activist union teachers around the country continue to stack up victories and anti-union legislators continue to oppose workers’ union rights, as in Sen. Rand Paul’s (R-KY) introduction of a national right-to-work bill. The more things change, the more they remain the...
First Amendment is Vitally Important to the Labor Movement
Assaults on the First Amendment continue as Republicans tried again unsuccessfully to pass Marco Rubio’s Combating BDS Act, a measure designed to protect Israel. Unfortunately, an act that criminalizes boycotts in one sphere may lead to criminalization of other...
