Archiv: poverty / workers / have-nots / underclass


18.03.2023 - 09:55 [ Sky.com ]

Bid to end teacher strikes as government and education unions agree to hold ‚intensive talks‘ on pay and workload

(Friday 17 March 2023)

The news follows the breakthrough in the NHS dispute on Thursday, with union leaders representing thousands of nurses, ambulance crews and other health workers agreeing to suspend further strikes while ballots are held on a new pay offer.

18.03.2023 - 09:53 [ theGuardian.com ]

Junior doctors in England agree to pay talks after three-day strike

(17 Mar 2023)

On Friday night the Department of Health and Social Care said the British Medical Association had agreed to enter negotiations on the same terms as unions representing nurses, ambulance staff and other NHS workers in talks that concluded this week.

18.03.2023 - 09:51 [ Mirror.co.uk ]

Government FINALLY reaches pay deal with NHS unions after months of strikes

(16 Mar 2023)

After three months of strikes, the Government has offered a one off bonus this year of 2.5% for the best paid and 8.2% for the worst paid.

The offer, recommended by most of the main NHS unions, comes on top of the 4% increase already implemented for 2022/23.

This award had come with inflation at over 10% and had sparked the strikes.

17.03.2023 - 15:30 [ Cross-Border Talks / Nitter ]

… and reform pensions so that most Czechs work until 68. This is the age in which most citizens are no longer fit and healthy. It is good to add that pensions in the Czech republic are ridiculously low, and the country spends a below-average share of GDP in the EU comparison.

17.03.2023 - 15:27 [ Joseph Triska / Nitter ]

What a shame. To appease the warmongers, during this time the Czech government raised annual military budget to match 2% GDP as they are planning to purchase F-35 fighter jets costing 100 billion CZK. The pension cuts will save them 19 billion this year.

17.03.2023 - 14:42 [ Reuters ]

Anger as French government pushes through pension change without vote

Opposition parties said they would request a vote of no confidence in the government, which will be voted on in the coming days, possibly on Monday.

17.03.2023 - 09:42 [ Reuters ]

The French parliament saw chaotic scenes after President Emmanuel Macron’s unpopular plan to reform the country’s costly pension system was pushed through without a vote

17.03.2023 - 09:31 [ CNN ]

Protests erupt as French government forces through higher retirement age

The pension reform bill passed the French Senate earlier on Thursday, but was not expected to pass the National Assembly – the lower house of the country’s parliament – where lawmakers were due to vote this afternoon.

The session was stopped early for Borne’s announcement. Lawmakers erupted into chaotic scenes as she explained the government’s decision, fighting to be heard as lawmakers sang French national anthem “La Marseillaise” and others held signs reading “No to 64 years.”

17.03.2023 - 09:28 [ CNBC ]

French President Macron overrides parliament to pass retirement age bill

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday resorted to using special constitutional powers.
The pensions overhaul has been met with widespread protests and strikes across France.
Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne announced to the assembly that the government would trigger Article 49.3 of the French Constitution.

17.03.2023 - 08:02 [ France24.com ]

Protests in Paris as Macron forces through controversial pension reform

But the government was unsure of the vote numbers in the National Assembly, forcing French Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne to announce the triggering of Article 49.3.

The decision runs the risk of further inflaming the protests and strikes that have rocked France over the last months. It also gives the opposition the right to immediately call a confidence vote in parliament.

The opposition reacted with fury to the decision to avoid a vote after weeks of debates on the legislation.

12.03.2023 - 04:50 [ Fañch ar Ruz / Nitter ]

La retraite, c’est comme la galette, on la veut complète ! #NonALaReformeDesRetraites #OnBloqueTout #15mars #greve15mars #manifestation15mars

#ReformeDesRetraites #64ansCestNon #Pontivy #Morbihan #CentreBretagne #Bretagne

12.03.2023 - 04:20 [ La CGT / Nitter ]

Philippe Martinez : « La détermination […] est plus forte suite au courrier que nous a adressé le président de la République, où globalement il nous fait un bras d’honneur » #NonALaReformeDesRetraites #manifestation11mars

12.03.2023 - 04:16 [ France24.com ]

Will strikes force Macron to back down over French pension reforms?

France saw a wave of strikes against Emmanuel Macron’s pension reforms on Thursday, causing disruption to trains, flights, schools and even hospitals. Polls show a majority of the French oppose the president’s measures – and analysts say maintaining public support of strikes will be crucial to unions’ chances of forcing a U-turn.

12.03.2023 - 04:12 [ Le Monde ]

France’s Senate passes controversial pension reform

French senators passed the deeply unpopular plan by 195 votes to 112 late Saturday, bringing the package another step towards becoming law. The vote came hours after hundreds of thousands of people again marched in protest in rallies across the country, but in fewer numbers than expected.

12.03.2023 - 03:58 [ Jurist.org ]

France pension protests enter seventh day, affecting multiple economic sectors

Protestors in France Saturday demonstrated for a seventh day against President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform plan, which has been widely disputed across the country since his announcement of the plan in January.

According to the Confederation of Labor (CGT), a national federation of French trade unions, hundreds of thousands of employees, young people, and retirees went on strike and protested in the streets of French cities Friday against Macron’s plan.

07.03.2023 - 17:12 [ LaFranceInsoumise.fr ]

Organisée par la France Insoumise, la deuxième édition du #GrevEvent récolte 50 000 € pour soutenir les grévistes

Après la première édition du 12 février, le #GrevEvent de ce week-end est une nouvelle réussite. À l’initiative de la France Insoumise, streamers, blogueurs, syndicalistes et militants associatifs et politiques étaient réunis autour d’une même cause le temps d’un week-end : récolter des dons pour soutenir les caisses de grève en proposant des contenus variés sur les réseaux sociaux.

Résultat : 50 000 € récoltés en quelques heures, qui viennent s’ajouter aux plus de 70 000€ déjà récoltés le 12 février. Depuis le lancement de la caisse de grève insoumise, c’est plus de 250000 euros qui ont été récoltés. L’intégralité de la somme sera redistribuée aux travailleurs mobilisés contre la réforme des retraites .

07.03.2023 - 16:52 [ Nupes-2022.fr ]

Non à la retraite à 64 ans ! – La campagne

Retrouvez ici toutes les infos et ressources concernant la campagne commune de la NUPES contre la réforme de la retraite à 64 ans !

05.03.2023 - 14:21 [ Salon.com ]

Amazon’s labor exploitation is a return to the 1920s — and unions are our best hope out

(14.06.2021)

Amazon claims to be innovative, but its strategies of market dominance and labor exploitation are as old as capitalism itself, and were perfected by predecessors like Standard Oil, General Motors, US Steel, AT&T, Walmart and Microsoft. My union, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, views this as history repeating itself.

The Roaring ’20s were great for those at the top, but meant massive exploitation of workers. As we embark further into the 2020s, the Teamsters will make sure that Amazon cannot repeat a history where workers suffered acutely to make ends meet and were frequently injured or even killed on the job while company executives stuffed their pockets with the profits.

02.03.2023 - 16:07 [ moldpres.md ]

Unites States announces additional emergency assistance worth 300 million dollars for Moldova

(25.02.2023)

The financing will include a directly budgetary support of 80 million dollars, through which the quite high prices for electric energy of this winter will be compensated. Also, 135 million dollars will be used for backing projects on electric energy’s generation, for Moldova to diversify the sources of getting electricity. Another 85 million will be provided to Moldova to enhance the capacity of supply with energy from alternative sources and get energy independence from Russia.

02.03.2023 - 16:01 [ Novosti Pridnestrovya (Transnistria) ]

The contract for the supply of Pridnestrovian electricity to Moldova has been extended

Today, Moldavskaya GRES extended the contract for the supply of electricity to Moldova for another month.

02.03.2023 - 14:02 [ WIkipedia ]

2022–2023 Moldovan protests

On 18 September 2022, protests in Moldova began in the capital city of Chișinău, demanding the resignation of the country’s pro-Western government,[35][36] amid an energy crisis causing rising natural gas prices and inflation, caused in part by the war in Ukraine.

02.03.2023 - 14:00 [ ABC News ]

Moldova: Anti-government protest stirs fears of more unrest

It is the second anti-government rally held in Chisinau in two weeks and comes amid growing concerns of attempts to destabilize Moldova, Ukraine’s neighbor.

On Feb. 13, President Sandu outlined what she claimed was an alleged plot by Moscow to overthrow the government in order to put the nation “at the disposal of Russia,” and to derail it from its course to one day join the 27-nation E.U. Russia strongly rejected her claims.

02.03.2023 - 13:40 [ Newsweek ]

Moldova, Rival Transnistria Warn Security Risk Intensifies Over Ukraine War

Fears of unrest have mounted in recent weeks as Moldova faced a series of overlapping issues, including soaring energy costs brought on by Western sanctions against Russia, whispers of an alleged Kremlin plot to destabilize the government of President Maia Sandu, and ongoing street protests against Sandu’s administration.

13.02.2023 - 17:04 [ Barak Ravid, Diplomatic Correspondent at Walla News / Nitter ]

More than 100K Israelis demonstrated today in front of the Knesset in Jerusalem against Netanyahu’s plan to weaken the Supreme Court & other Democratic institutions. The government still refuses to accept President Herzog’s proposal and suspend the legislation

(Video: Yair Palti)

13.02.2023 - 15:23 [ Haaretz / Nitter ]

LIVE UPDATES: 80,000 Israelis gather in Jerusalem to protest judicial overhaul amid mass strike

13.02.2023 - 15:19 [ Times of Israel ]

Mass protests against judicial overhaul start, thousands flock to Jerusalem

Mass rallies began Monday morning across the country as thousands headed to Jerusalem amid a large-scale strike to protest the government’s plans to impose radical, sweeping changes on the judiciary.

Thousands of parents and students were marching in Tel Aviv, while protesters blockaded the main entrance to the airport as others demonstrated outside the home of a far-right lawmaker.

13.02.2023 - 13:54 [ Michael A. Horowitz / Nitter ]

Picture of the protest in #Jerusalem denouncing Netanyahu’s attempt to curtail the judiciary

13.02.2023 - 12:47 [ Haaretz ]

Black Monday: Anyone Who Cares About Israel Must Strike Today

The Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee will begin a legislative blitz on Monday whose goal is to overturn Israel’s system of government. Committee chairman Simcha Rothman will try to secure passage of bills that would bar the Supreme Court from overturning unconstitutional Basic Laws and change the Judicial Appointments Committee’s composition so that representatives of the governing coalition can select the judges.

12.02.2023 - 08:20 [ Noga Tarnopolsky נגה טרנופולסקי نوغا ترنوبولسكي / Nitter ]

62% of Israelis want Netanyahu to stop or pause the planned „reform“ 42% Netanyahu bloc voters want the plan paused or stopped 45% Netanyahu bloc voters want plan to move ahead. 50% of Israelis support the general strike on Monday 31% oppose

(@N12News poll)

12.02.2023 - 08:10 [ Haaretz ]

Israelis Decry ‘Dictatorship of Criminals’ in Sixth Week of anti-Netanyahu Gov’t Protests

The anti-occupation bloc was also present, chanting “no apartheid government… from Sheikh Jarrah to Jenin, Palestine will be free.” Members of the group carried Palestinian and LGBTQ pride flags.

„Democracy is not built on the bodies of children. Democracy is not built on house demolitions and evictions,“ they shouted. Later in the evening, a man in the crowd reportedly attacked the bloc’s protesters and was detained by the police.

12.02.2023 - 07:52 [ Ali Winston / Nitter ]

Call for a General Strike in France on March 7, in opposition to Macron’s retirement & pension overhaul

12.02.2023 - 07:49 [ France24.com ]

France against pension reform, unions vow to ramp up strikes

The unions said in a joint statement that they would call for a national strike that would „bring France to a standstill“ on March 7 if the government „remained deaf to the popular mobilisation“.

11.02.2023 - 11:37 [ France24.com ]

France braces for a fourth day of pension reform protests

The protests are a crucial test both for Macron and his opponents. The government has insisted it’s determined to push through Macron’s election pledge to reform France’s generous pension system. But strong popular resentment will strengthen efforts by labor unions and left-wing legislators to try to block the bill.

10.02.2023 - 05:47 [ Times of Israel ]

Lapid backs call for general strike on Monday in anti-government protest

(08.02.2023)

Opposition leader Yair Lapid comes out in support of a worker’s strike on Monday in protest of the government’s judicial overhaul plan.

08.02.2023 - 21:37 [ Haaretz ]

Israeli Doctors and Health Professionals to Join General Strike to Protest Judicial Overhaul

In a statement, the healthcare professionals‘ civil organizations said: „Israeli democracy is under brutal attack and we must not stand by. The dangerous changes promoted by the government will fatally harm the physical and mental health of the public, and healthcare in Israel. This is a matter of saving lives, and we do it out of commitment to our patients, and for the future of Israel.“

On Tuesday, protest leaders called for a shutdown of Israel’s economy next Monday in response to the far-right government’s plan to overhaul Israel’s legal system.

08.02.2023 - 03:17 [ Haaretz ]

In Battle Against Judicial Overhaul, Protest Leaders Call for Shutdown of Israeli Economy

The leaders added that they will stage a protest in front of the Knesset in Jerusalem at the same time the government is slated to bring parts of the plan to weaken the judicial system before the Knesset for a first vote.

„The plan to swiftly pass the laws of the dictatorship will face the people of Israel, more determined than ever to maintain their independence,“ the organizers said in a statement.

07.02.2023 - 21:38 [ Dan Arbell / Nitter ]

Breaking: the protests against the Netanyahu govt.’s onslaught on the judicial branch are moving one notch up, as organizers just announced a general strike throughout Israel that’ll be held next Monday (Feb.13)

#defendingdemocracyindaylight

07.02.2023 - 06:33 [ Jeremy Corbyn / Nitter ]

Today is the biggest day of strike action in the history of the NHS. My question to those in positions of leadership: what side of history do you want to be on?

(06.02.2023)

07.02.2023 - 05:24 [ Unison.org.uk ]

Donate to support striking workers

As UNISON members continue to take strike action, the union is asking for donations to its strike fund

07.02.2023 - 05:13 [ WestbridgfordWire.com ]

NHS Strikes: Nottingham NHS staff say ‘enough is enough after 10 years of below-inflation pay’

Nottingham NHS staff taking part in the biggest strike in the history of the service say they are suffering a ‘huge’ impact on their mental health because of their jobs.

Hundreds of nurses, healthcare assistants and clinicians took to picket lines across Nottinghamshire alongside paramedics, technicians, call handlers and other staff working for East Midlands Ambulance Service.

07.02.2023 - 04:56 [ EdinburghLive.co.uk ]

Upcoming strikes in Edinburgh as firefighters and teaching staff take industrial action

Here are the main public service strikes planned for the coming months, and the dates that these unions will be staging industrial action across Edinburgh.

07.02.2023 - 04:52 [ Reuters ]

Workers stage largest strike in history of Britain’s health service

Nurses and ambulance workers have been striking separately since late last year but Monday’s walkout involving both, largely in England, is the biggest in the 75-year history of the NHS.

Nurses will also walk out on Tuesday, ambulance staff on Friday, and physiotherapists Thursday, making the week probably the most disruptive in NHS history, its Medical Director Stephen Powis said.

01.02.2023 - 09:59 [ Sky.com ]

UK strikes: No 10 admits ‚very difficult‘ day ahead as hundreds of thousands of workers walk out

Downing Street has conceded that today’s mass strike action will be „very difficult“ for the public.

The prime minister’s official spokesman said it is „disappointing“ that headteachers do not know fully how many teachers will be available for work until later today.

01.02.2023 - 09:52 [ Independent.co.uk ]

Strikes UK – live: Train drivers and teachers join biggest walkout in decade today

Downing Street said 600 military personnel as well as civil servants and volunteers across government have been trained to fill the gaps in public services.

Paul Nowak, general secretary of the TUC, said a petition of more than 250,000 signatures opposing new so-called “anti-strike” laws will be delivered to Downing Street.

01.02.2023 - 09:13 [ France24.com ]

France sees bigger crowds on second strike day against Macron pension reforms

French protesters launched a new push Tuesday to pressure President Emmanuel Macron into dropping a pension reform plan, with hundreds of thousands taking to the streets in bigger crowds than those seen on the previous day of rallies on January 19.

31.01.2023 - 14:09 [ France24.com ]

Strikes over pension reform disrupt France for second time in a month

From tiny islands to major cities, demonstrators poured into France’s streets Tuesday in the latest clash of wills with the government over its plans to push back the retirement age. Labor unions aimed to mobilize more than 1 million demonstrators in what one veteran left-wing leader described as a “citizens‘ insurrection.“

20.01.2023 - 03:44 [ France24.com ]

More than 1 million protest across France against Macron’s pension reform

– More than a million people took to the streets across France to protest against the Macron government’s plans to reform the pension system, of which a proposal to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 is among the most controversial. Macron insists the reform is needed to reform a moribund system – but some of the government’s own experts have said the pension system is in relatively good shape and would likely eventually return to a balanced budget even without reforms. 

– The interior ministry said some 1.2 people protested across France, 80,000 of them in Paris. Union organisers, however, estimated the number at 2 million, with 400,000 protesting in Paris.

18.01.2023 - 17:20 [ GMB.org.uk ]

Ambulance workers announce four more national strike dates

Rachel Harrison, GMB National Secretary, said: 

“GMB’s ambulance workers are angry. In their own words ‘they are done’. 

„Our message to the Government is clear – talk pay now.

“Ministers have made things worse by demonising the ambulance workers who provided life and limb cover on strike days – playing political games with their scaremongering.

“The only way to solve this dispute is a proper pay offer. 

18.01.2023 - 16:04 [ Daily Mirror ]

Tearful nurse due to leave job today for £8,000 pay rise U-turned to join strike

Jade McCauley was due to start a completely new job tomorrow which would have bumped her yearly salary up by £8,000.

However, the community nurse at Northern General Hospital in Sheffield had a change of due to her passion for helping patients.

The 34-year-old spoke to the Mirror on the picket line outside the hospital today.

She also raised concerns about patient safety and called on Rishi Sunak to „spend a day in our shoes“.

17.01.2023 - 11:44 [ Oxfam America ]

SURVIVAL OF THE RICHEST

Oxfam briefing paper – January 2023

We are living through an unprecedented moment of multiple crises. Tens of millions more people are facing hunger. Hundreds of millions more face impossible rises in the cost of basic goods or heating their homes. Poverty has increased for the first time in 25 years. At the same time, these multiple crises all have winners. The very richest have become dramatically richer and corporate profits have hit record highs, driving an explosion of inequality. This report focuses on how taxing the rich is vital to addressing this unprecedented polycrisis and skyrocketing inequality. The report explores how, in recent history, taxation of the richest was far higher; how talk of taxing the rich and making billionaires pay their fair share is hugely popular; and how taxing the rich claws back elite power and reduces not just economic inequality, but racial, gender and colonial inequalities, too. The report lays out how much tax the richest should pay, and the practical, tried and tested ways in which governments can raise such taxation. It shows us how taxing the rich can set us clearly on a path to a more equal, sustainable world free from poverty.

12.01.2023 - 17:58 [ GMB Union ]

Welcome to National Office

GMB Union has reps in thousands of workplaces across the country and offices in every region and nation. GMB’s National Office is based in London, at Mary Turner House, 22 Stephenson Way, London, NW1 2HD. 

If you have a workplace issue, your first port of call is your workplace rep. If you’re not sure who your workplace rep is or there isn’t a rep in your workplace, you can log into MyGMB to find out who to speak to, or click here to contact your GMB Region

12.01.2023 - 17:30 [ GMB Union / Twitter ]

The workforce crisis in the NHS means ambulances are being used as mini hospitals. The public deserve a better service than that, and our members want to deliver it. Time for the government to get serious and make these workers an offer.

12.01.2023 - 17:25 [ Sky.com ]

GMB union to consider up to six more ambulance strike dates after failed talks with health secretary

A meeting held this morning with Health Secretary Stephen Barclay was described as „constructive“ by one doctors‘ union leader. But Professor Philip Banfield, chair of council at the British Medical Association (BMA), said there was no mention of one-off payments for NHS staff.

12.01.2023 - 17:05 [ BBC ]

NHS facing more walkouts as ambulance staff strike

„People can’t get appointments anymore so they put off going to the doctor and when it gets worse they come to us,“ he says.

He and colleagues are also struggling with the cost of living, Mr Mistry say.

„I’m now having to think about how much heating I have on in the house – I have it on for two hours a day now.“

02.01.2023 - 08:34 [ Reuters ]

Lula takes over in Brazil, slams Bolsonaro’s anti-democratic threats

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was sworn in as Brazil’s president on Sunday, delivering a searing indictment of far-right former leader Jair Bolsonaro and vowing a drastic change of course to rescue a nation plagued by hunger, poverty and racism.

29.12.2022 - 15:10 [ inews.co.uk ]

UK could be moving towards de facto general strike as unions promise co-ordinated action

Union leaders have previously argued that walkouts by staff across multiple sectors would constitute a de facto general strike, the like of which has not been seen in the UK since 1926.

Only the Trade Union Congress (TUC) has the power to call a general strike, though its legality remains unclear after laws were tightened in the 80s.

The umbrella organisation which represents the majority of trade unions in the UK has a total of around 5.5million members.

25.12.2022 - 11:09 [ theGuardian.com ]

Sunak urged to drop ‘unspeakably cruel’ two-child limit and benefit cap

Households with more than two children where universal credit or child tax credit is claimed no longer receive additional funds.

It applies to additional children born after 6 April 2017, however exemptions apply for those who had children in a multiple birth or children conceived due to rape or coercion.

However, the exemptions have caused controversy as women must disclose that they were raped in order to be eligible – known as the rape clause.

19.12.2022 - 03:31 [ theGuardian.com ]

Army should not be used as ‘ultimate backstop’ in strikes, defence chief says

Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, the head of Britain’s armed forces, said it would be “slightly perilous” to expect them to be used routinely in the event of strikes by public sector workers.

In an interview with the Sunday Telegraph, Radakin said the use of armed forces to provide cover for striking workers would not impede operations, but suggested personnel should be allowed to get on with their day-to-day jobs.

19.12.2022 - 03:28 [ BBC ]

December strikes: 1,200 troops to cover for ambulances and Border Force

The co-ordinated walkout was called by the three main ambulance unions – Unison, GMB and Unite.

All three are taking action on 21 December. GMB union members will go on strike again on 28 December.

Meanwhile, Royal College of Nursing (RCN) members are due to walk out for a second time on 20 December in parts of England, Wales and Northern Ireland, following action on 15 December.

03.12.2022 - 19:47 [ Robert Reich, Berkeley professor, former Secretary of Labor / Nitter ]

Railroads made $21 billion in profits in the first 9 months of 2022. Guaranteeing 7 paid sick days to rail workers would cost the industry $321 million/year. That’s just 1.5% of those profits. Congress just rejected sick leave for these workers. It’s profits over everything.

03.12.2022 - 19:15 [ Fox News ]

‚Political pawns‘: Livid railway workers warn Biden’s union agreement will ‚definitely‘ impact next election

„I work for a Class 1 railroad that implemented one of the most egregious attendance policies (Hi-Viz) that requires us to be available to work 92% of the time per month,“ he said. „If we take off one day for a sickness, we are required to [work] 14 days straight to gain points back. That is why we are fighting tooth and nail for sick days.“

03.12.2022 - 19:10 [ Denver7 – The Denver Channel / Youtube ]

President Biden signs bill that averts rail strike despite opposition from unions

Dec 2, 2022

President Joe Biden signed a bill on Friday that prevents 12 rail unions from going on strike next week. The president signed the bill to head off a potentially crippling supply chain disruption in the weeks leading up to Christmas.

01.12.2022 - 20:50 [ IndependentSocialistGroup.org ]

Protest Strikebreaker-In-Chief Biden in Boston!

Join Railroad Workers United (RWU), the Independent Socialist Group (ISG), and the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) at a protest outside of Biden’s upcoming appearance in Boston. If you are in an organization that would like to endorse this event and is interested in speaking in support of railroad workers, contact:

Nick Wurst, RWU & ISG: 508-335-8633

Paul Bamberger, DSA: 518-860-9378

Day & Time: Friday 12/2 Picket starting 11:30am, Rally starting 12pm. Estimated end time 1:30pm.

Location: Biden will be visiting JFK Library at University Dr N, Boston, MA 02125 for an event. The picket and rally will be held at the corner of University Drive North and Colombia Point, on the parking lot side.

01.12.2022 - 20:22 [ More Perfect Union / Nitter ]

This railroad worker clearly & powerfully explains why workers need to have each other’s backs, ahead of a potential strike: „We’re all part of the working people that make society run…. Without us, nothing could happen. When one of us in under attack, we’re all under attack.“

01.12.2022 - 20:16 [ More Perfect Union - PerfectUnion.us ]

Railroad Strike Ahead? Rail Workers Just Want Sick Leave

Devin Mantz: I voted no on the contract because we deserve more.

Adam Smithey: It does not meet the requirements for quality of life that we need. We need time to sleep, we need time to rest, we need to enjoy our lives. We don’t have any of that now.

Matt Weaver: We’re considered essential employees, and we don’t have a single paid sick day to use when we’re off. We worked through the pandemic, we were considered essential, and now it seems like we’re expendable.

Dave Manning: If a person is sick, they shouldn’t have to use all of their paid days that they had to earn the previous year before to take a day off.

Matt Morty Mortenson: We’re constantly coming to work sick and exhausted.

Reece Murtagh: We routinely work 14 hours and longer every day.

Matt Morty Mortenson: We’ve currently lost 2 BMWED members in the past two weeks and they might have been here today with us if they would have just been able to rest and reset.

01.12.2022 - 20:07 [ Jonah Furman / Nitter ]

People need to understand that we’ve reached this point in rail bargaining because of a failed union strategy to rely entirely on Democratic Party leadership to get a deal, and to avoid anything that could threaten that strategy, from progressive legislation to going on strike

01.12.2022 - 19:59 [ theHill.com ]

Schumer pledges to keep senators in Washington until rail deal is done

“The Senate cannot leave until we get the job done, and Democrats will keep working with Republicans to find a path forward that everyone can support,” he announced on the Senate floor.

The Democratic leader began the so-called Rule 14 process on Wednesday evening to put a House-passed bill to avert the rail strike on the Senate calendar.

01.12.2022 - 19:53 [ @railroadworkers / Nitter ]

This is a legacy defining moment for Joe Biden. He is going down as one of the biggest disappointments in labor history.

(29.11.2022)

01.12.2022 - 19:40 [ White House ]

Statement from President Joe Biden on House Action to Avert Rail Shutdown

(30.11.2022)

This overwhelming bipartisan vote in the House of Representatives makes clear that Democrats and Republicans agree that a rail shutdown would be devastating to our economy and families across the country. The Senate must now act urgently. Without the certainty of a final vote to avoid a shutdown this week, railroads will begin to halt the movement of critical materials like chemicals to clean our drinking water as soon as this weekend.

01.12.2022 - 19:34 [ Steve Morris / Nitter ]

Rail workers: A single day of sick leave please CNN’s coverage today:

(29.11.2022)

01.12.2022 - 19:27 [ Democracy Now ]

House Passes Bill to Block Rail Strike at Urging of President Biden

The House has passed legislation to block a nationwide rail strike by imposing a contract that has been rejected by unions representing the majority of freight rail workers.

06.11.2022 - 11:35 [ theGuardian.com ]

‘Tax the rich’: thousands march in London anti-austerity rally – video

Thousands of people rallied in the rain in central London to demonstrate against what they called ‘Tory austerity’ and demand an immediate general election.

06.11.2022 - 11:28 [ Telegraph.co.uk ]

Libertarian jihadists in No 10? Sadly, the Tories remain a party of soggy social democracy

Every Leftist revolution – Venezuela, Cuba, the USSR itself – follows the same pattern. First, Western observers gush over it – they’ve seen the future and it works. Then, as things begin to go wrong, they blame saboteurs and plead for time. Finally, when the revolution ends (as they all end) in hunger and labour camps, they insist that it was never properly socialist in the first place, and that “real socialism has never been tried”.

06.11.2022 - 11:19 [ Mirror.co.uk ]

Majority of 2019 Tory voters urge Rishi Sunak to tax the rich in stunning new poll

(27.10.2022)

The plea comes three weeks before the Government unveils its Autumn Statement mini-Budget, with six in 10 voters who backed the Tories last election calling for higher taxes on the wealthy

03.11.2022 - 04:27 [ UN.org ]

Statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General – on the Black Sea Grain Initiative

The Secretary-General warmly welcomes the announcement from the Russian Federation on its resumed participation in the implementation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative to facilitate the safe navigation for exports of grain, foodstuffs and fertilizer from Ukraine. He is grateful for the diplomatic efforts of Türkiye, and thanks the UN Coordinator, Amir Abdulla, and his team for their work to keep this vital food supply line open.

The Secretary-General continues his engagement with all actors towards the renewal and full implementation of the Initiative, and he also remains committed to removing the remaining obstacles to the exports of Russian food and fertilizer.

03.11.2022 - 04:25 [ UN.org ]

UN chief warmly welcomes Russia decision to end suspension from Ukraine grain deal

The UN Secretary-General on Wednesday issued a statement warmly welcoming Russia’s decision to resume its participation in the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which has allowed nearly ten million metric tonnes of vital foodstuffs to be shipped from Ukraine.

01.11.2022 - 11:21 [ theHill.com ]

Wheat prices shoot up after Russia suspends UN grain deal

Wheat prices shot up on global commodity markets after Russia pulled out of a deal to keep grain exports moving out of Ukrainian ports, exacerbating concerns that the move by Moscow could worsen global food shortages.

“Each fraction of a percentage point pushes someone somewhere over the line to extreme poverty,” United Nations aid chief Martin Griffiths told the body’s Security Council on Monday.

24.10.2022 - 05:55 [ DailyMail.co.uk ]

Destined for Downing Street? Rishi Sunak could be named PM TODAY after Boris Johnson pulls out of Tory leadership contest and Penny Mordaunt well short of the 100 supporters she needs ahead of 2pm deadline

– Rishi Sunak, who launched his bid yesterday morning, has received public backing of more than 150 Tory MPs
– As of last night, 155 MPs said they are backing Mr Sunak, while 25 had spoken out in support of Ms Mordaunt
– A further 54 who were hoping Mr Johnson would return are yet to publicly reveal to whom they will now back
– Mr Johnson earlier said he had in fact reached the ‚very high hurdle of 102 nominations‘ as he bowed out
– Ms Mordaunt’s team, though, believe his decision to pull himself from the race will ‚propel her over the line‘

15.10.2022 - 19:44 [ DuckDuckGo.com ]

UK, economy, stimulus

(…)

15.10.2022 - 19:31 [ Simon_Templar2021 PhD / Nitter ]

This country is screwed whosoever in power even if Labour! Tory grassroot members has royally damaged this country by putting a malfunctioning robot Lizbot as PM who lacks a brain like the Scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz! Unfortunately there isn’t a Wizard she can visit to get one!

03.10.2022 - 15:17 [ TelesurEnglish.net ]

Brazil Deserves the Right to Be Happy: Lula Da Silva

„In 2018, I couldn’t vote because I was in jail for being a victim of a lie. Four years later, I’m voting with full recognition of my freedom and the possibility of being president again so that this country can return to normal,“Lula said, recalling that he remained in prison for 580 days as a result of a political persecution orchestrated by conservative elites.

22.09.2022 - 16:45 [ AZfamily.com ]

How the latest Fed rate hike will affect your credit card bill

Collectively, Americans have nearly $900 billion dollars in credit card debt, and if you carry a balance, your bill is about to get more expensive, as the Federal Reserve raised its key interest rate for the fifth time this year. Currently, the average interest rate on a new credit card offer is more than 21%, according to LendingTree’s Matt Schulz. “You can expect that average to go up to over 22% in the next couple of months because banks don’t tend to waste a lot of time on raising rates when the Fed does,” Schulz said.

15.09.2022 - 13:38 [ More Perfect Union / Nitter ]

BNSF, the railroad owned by Warren Buffett, has sent this letter to Congress urging them to pass legislation that would force rail workers to adopt a contract that contains ZERO paid or unpaid sick days. In the letter, BNSF continues to lie about its sick leave policy

15.09.2022 - 13:15 [ CNN ]

Railroad strike averted after marathon talks reach tentative deal

The deal gives the union members an immediate 14% raise with back pay dating back to 2020, and raises totaling 24% during the five-year life of the contract, that runs from 2020 through 2024. It also gives them cash bonuses of $1,000 a year.

Few other details of the deal have so far been made public. But the statement from Biden indicated that the major issue that had brought the country within a day of its first national rail strike in 30 years had been addressed in the unions’ favor.

14.09.2022 - 16:42 [ Maximillian Alvarez / Nitter ]

On Friday, the US could see its 1st major rail strike and/or lockout since the 90s. MSM has *finally* taken an interest in covering this story but seldom from the workers‘ side. Here’s a thread of our @TheRealNews coverage this year on the long-brewing crisis in the rail industry

14.09.2022 - 16:30 [ Railroad Workers United ]

Welcome to Railroad Workers United

Railroad Workers United is an inter-union, cross-craft solidarity „caucus“ of railroad workers, and their supporters, from all crafts, all carriers, and all unions across North America. We urge union railroaders to continue being active in their craft union AND to join RWU in building solidarity and strength among all rail workers. We work with union rank & file railroad workers, but we welcome yet-to-be organized rail workers as well. In addition, we actively work with other labor and community organizations on issues of mutual concern. We do not accept managers or those who oppose our principles.

14.09.2022 - 16:23 [ theRealNews.com ]

Railroad workers are being ground to dust. Who will help them?

(May 5, 2022)

Jeff Kurtz: Okay, thank you, Max. I’d like the viewers to imagine that their life is a scorecard, because that’s exactly what these workers are facing. They start off with a score of 30 points that they can never exceed that 30 points. They will get four points allocated back to their score. Say they get down to 20 points. If they work 14 days in a row, they will get four points allocated back to their score. But the points that you can lose are really dramatic. So, I mean, you could lose points for an incident. You could lose 15 points for an incident.

There are specific incidents. If you don’t show up for work for whatever reason. We had a gentleman that was in a car wreck, and it wasn’t his fault. He was about a mile from his terminal and his car was totaled. And the supervisor that came out there told him, she said, you’re not going to work. She said, you could be hurt, and we don’t know it. So they, what we call marked this guy off. They marked him off the job. Well, he initially was saddled with a 15 point deduction for not showing up to work. And eventually, I think that the local supervisor protested this, so they only docked him three points.

But this is exactly what’s going on. I heard of a case where a worker, his mother died while he was en route, and the railroad pulled him off the train, and then they tried to dock him points for it. And the stories just go on and on and on. And Max, what you alluded to as far as things getting worse when people aren’t watching, that’s exactly what’s happening.

14.09.2022 - 15:37 [ theHill.com ]

Congress prepares to act on rail strike amid fears of ‘economic catastrophe’

More than 115,000 rail workers will be legally allowed to strike on Friday.

01.09.2022 - 16:23 [ Telegraph.co.uk ]

Putin has pulled off a shock win that could destroy the free world

We risk ending up with calamitous poverty, civil disobedience, a new socialist government by next year, a break-up of the UK, nationalisations, price and incomes policies, punitive wealth taxes and eventually a complete economic and financial meltdown and IMF bailout. The situation in the EU is, if anything, worse.

This is not a plea for pacifism, for looking away when Ukraine is being illegally invaded by a savage regime. Britain was – and remains – morally right to back Ukraine in a carefully calibrated way. Instead, this is a plea for an economic counter-offensive, for Liz Truss, the next PM, to tackle Putin’s economic and energy war head-on.

01.09.2022 - 15:53 [ Express.co.uk ]

‚Everything has gone up!‘ Britons struggle to make ends meet as wages stagnate

Rising food prices, soaring petrol prices and sky high energy bills are pushing households into poverty as wages fail to keep up with demand.

Bristol residents have been telling express.co.uk how they are struggling to find the extra money to pay for increasing rents and bills.

18.08.2022 - 05:49 [ Ansa.it ]

Basic income has been ‚total failure‘ says Meloni

The basic income was a flagship policy of the populist 5-Star Movement (M5S), whose then leader, Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio, said „we have abolished poverty“ with the measure.
FdI was the only party to vote against it, Meloni noted with pride.

27.07.2022 - 15:36 [ @BethLynch2020 / Nitter ]

If you’re gonna spend a trillion dollars on the military, pursue GOP’s wet dreams in China, hand 10s of billions to cops and corps, keep Trump’s tax cuts, while also not delivering on debt relief, higher wages, HC, or protecting any of our rights, why does voting for you matter?

25.07.2022 - 18:55 [ Oilprice.com ]

Europe Does A Complete U-Turn On African Oil And Gas

„The gas here goes to Bonny and Europe to power homes and industries but we have no benefits from it,“ one local community development activist from the Niger Delta told Bloomberg recently. „Nothing comes to us.“

The comment was part of an in-depth analysis by Bloomberg on Europe’s mad dash for gas that has seen Nigeria, for example, send millions of tons of LNG abroad while local communities use illegally made fuels and wood to stay warm. Nigeria is far from the only one.

25.07.2022 - 18:47 [ bnnBloomberg.ca ]

Europe’s Rush to Buy Africa’s Natural Gas Draws Cries of Hypocrisy

The issue of climate finance will likely dominate this year’s COP27 talks in Egypt, which is set to focus heavily on solutions for Africa. The future of gas will also be a key topic given the host nation and many developing countries see it as a way to move away from coal, according to Kwasi Kwarteng, business secretary of the UK, which hosted last year’s summit. “For them, gas is part of the transition.“

The International Energy Agency, which last year called for an end to new fossil fuel developments, in a recent report argued that Africa should be allowed to exploit its gas resources.

15.07.2022 - 15:29 [ PeoplesParty.org ]

Jimmy Dore is considering running for president. He could win.

(14.06.2022)

Through his show, Jimmy has consistently lead and been right on issues like RussiaGate, the chemical attack in Syria, the DNC rigging a second election against Bernie, the CARES Act bailout for Wall Street, Covid vaccine mandates and lockdowns, Bernie’s spinelessness, the Squad’s careerism, and the need for a major new populist party free of corporate money.

His #ForceTheVote campaign reshaped US politics by exposing that even progressives like AOC are quickly corrupted by the Democratic Party. The People’s Party was the only major national organization to partner with Jimmy and demand a floor vote on Medicare for All in the middle of the pandemic.

When Jimmy asked him about running on the show, Chris Hedges said the media would dredge up something he said or did, or allegedly said or did, and use it to attack him endlessly. He’s right, they would do this to any independent populist who truly challenges the corporate state, but as Ralph pointed out, we’re in a very different political and media age from when he ran in 2000.

We’ve been through two great recessions and a pandemic that were used to crush us and create super billionaires. People are working more, making less, and living worse. Faith in institutions has collapsed across society, including the major parties, the media, big business, the banks, the courts, and schools. Trust in government is at historic lows. The number of independents is at record highs. And a majority of Americans want a major new party and an independent candidate for president.

24.06.2022 - 21:24 [ DailyMail.co.uk ]

Lincoln Uni BANS ‚organ harvesting‘ Nigerian professor: Senator and wife face police probe over claims they ‚used fake passport to traffick 15-year-old boy from streets of Lagos to act as kidney donor for their sick daughter in UK‘

A consultant working in a NHS hospital refused to remove the vital organ a 15-year-old who was allegedly trafficked to London from the streets of Lagos by the former deputy president of the Nigerian Senate and his wife, a court heard.

Ike Ekweremadu, 60, and Beatrice Ekweremadu, 55, are accused of taking the homeless youngster to the UK from Nigeria to transplant his organs into their daughter who is suffering from kidney failure.

22.06.2022 - 05:15 [ RMT.org.uk ]

RMT General Secretary on rail dispute

“RMT members are leading the way for all workers in this country who are sick and tired of having their pay and conditions slashed by a mixture of big business profits and government policy

“Now is the time to stand up and fight for every single railway worker in this dispute that we will win.”

22.06.2022 - 05:13 [ RMT / Nitter.net ]

RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch on today’s rail strike: „@RMTunion members are leading the way for all workers in this country who are sick and tired of having their pay and conditions slashed by a mixture of big business profits and government policy.“

18.06.2022 - 20:41 [ IntelligentTransport.com ]

Network Rail and Transport for London workers to strike due to job loss and pay concerns

The week of planned strikes across the country will impact London Underground (Tube), Overground, Elizabeth line and national rail services across the UK between 21 and 26 June 2022. Only around half of Britain’s rail network will be open on strike days, with a very limited service running on lines that will only be open from around 07:30 until 18:30.

This strike action comes as part of separate disputes with both the RMT over pensions, jobs and conditions, and with Unite over pay.

18.06.2022 - 20:31 [ theGuardian.com ]

Rail workers to bring British network to halt with three days of strikes

The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union has told members to prepare to “shut down the rail system” with strikes on 21, 23 and 25 June, after a ballot of 40,000 members last month resulted in staff at Network Rail and 13 train operating companies voting overwhelmingly for full-scale industrial action.

About 10,000 more RMT members in London will also hold a further tube strike on 21 June, in a coordinated move designed to head off possible job cuts at Transport for London and in the national rail network.

18.06.2022 - 20:19 [ Zarah Sultana MP / Nitter,net ]

Today I was proud to march alongside trade unionists from across the country to send a message to the Tory government: Squeeze the profits of the super-rich, not the livelihoods of the people #DemandBetter

18.06.2022 - 20:17 [ The Independent / Youtube ]

Cost of living crisis protest underway in London

The demonstration was organised by the Trades Union Congress (TUC), who say working people have lost almost £20,000 since 2008, with wages not matching rates of inflation.

Named the ‚We Demand Better‘ march, a blue flare signalled its beginning at Portland Place, where hundreds of coaches had brought protestors.

17.06.2022 - 05:14 [ theHill.com ]

Democrats face congressional rout amid historically terrible headwinds

Democrats knew the first midterm election of President Biden’s tenure in office would be a challenge.

But the cascade of catastrophe that has so dented what little American optimism remained in the waning days of the pandemic and the associated economic recovery has even the most optimistic Democratic Party strategists and pollsters staring into an unprecedented abyss. Their standing, about five months before voters head to the polls, is worse than it has been for any president in modern times, by almost any indicator.

17.06.2022 - 05:02 [ theHill.com ]

Mortgage rates hit 5.78 percent in record spike

That means a monthly mortgage payment on a roughly median-valued $400,000 home, after a 20 percent down payment, would now be $1,874. Last year, the monthly payment on the same home would have been $1,335 — a difference of more than $500.

14.04.2022 - 06:03 [ theHill.com ]

Will vaccine passports be biggest campaign issue of 2022?

(April 2, 2021)

A growing number of the Republican Party’s most conservative members have seized on the passport proposals and expected guidance from the White House, blasting them as an example of government overreach that would isolate Americans who choose not to get vaccinated and violate the privacy of those who do.

06.02.2022 - 08:11 [ Ezra Levant, Journalist, publisher of Rebel News / Twitter ]

For the first time ever, the working classes are leading the world. And the fancy people hate it.

04.02.2022 - 07:15 [ iNews.co.uk ]

Rishi Sunak announcement: Every measure the Chancellor has unveiled to tackle the cost of living crisis today

Speaking to MPs in the Commons this morning, the Chancellor announced a £9bn support package of loans and tax relief, including a £200 energy rebate for every British household in October.

It comes as the energy regulator confirmed this morning that the price cap on energy bills for 22m households will jump by 54 per cent from April to about £2,000 a year because of soaring gas costs.

14.01.2022 - 11:47 [ Kevin McCarthy - RepublicanLeader.gov ]

House GOP Leaders: No More Authoritarian Mandates

House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (CA-23), House Republican Whip Steve Scalise (LA-01), and House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (NY-21) released the following statement regarding the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the Biden administration’s unlawful vaccine mandate:

“President Biden’s vaccine mandates are unlawful and not based on science. They deny workers their livelihood, divide our society, and diminish liberty. They are bad policies that undermine public confidence in the vaccines and compound the President’s failure to fulfill his promise to ‘crush the virus.’

14.01.2022 - 11:34 [ Senator Mike Braun / Twitter ]

BIG VICTORY FOR AMERICA AT THE SUPREME COURT

Biden’s unconstitutional vaccine mandate for private employees has been struck down, with help from our objection in the Senate which was referenced in the majority opinion.

14.01.2022 - 10:12 [ The Associated Press / Twitter ]

BREAKING: Supreme Court blocks the Biden administration’s vaccine-or-test rule for U.S. businesses, but allows a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for most health care workers.

14.01.2022 - 10:10 [ Fox News ]

Supreme Court puts an end to pandemic of the autocrat

The American work force is now safe from the unnecessary threat of its government

19.12.2021 - 15:40 [ Glenn Greenwald ]

Led by Jeremy Corbyn, the British Left Opposes Vaccine Mandates as Anti-Worker and Repressive

Unfortunately for the liberal-left which has constructed this manipulative and coercive framework, this now requires that the term “anti-vax” be applied to one of the international left’s most beloved political figures: former Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn. They must also now apply this term of shame to the most admired left-wing members of the British Parliament along with leading trade unions in the UK. That is because the British Left — not just Corbyn and leftist MPs but also leading labor unions — have united to emphatically oppose vaccine mandates and vaccines passports on the ground that 1) it is immoral and profoundly anti-worker to fire health care front-line workers and other workers for refusing a vaccine they have not been convinced is safe and effective, and 2) persuasion is a far more effective and ethical means of administering public health policy than coercion, dictate and punishment.

23.11.2021 - 18:30 [ Communist Party of Israel ]

Last Working-Class Jewish Settler Residents Evicted from Givat Amal

Givat Amal is one of Tel Aviv’s poorest neighborhoods, despite being situated in one of the city’s wealthier locations. The area has been described as “one of the most sought-after real estate areas” in the country, which is what led to the legal battle that began in 2005 when a development project led by business tycoon Yitzhak Tshuva was first approved for Givat Amal. The company’s plans called for tripling and gentrifying the area’s population by constructing seven luxurious high-rise buildings, and displacing the previously settled Jewish population, many of whom had lived there since the early years after the founding of the state, but without ownership rights. In fact, the last legally recognized residents of the area were the Palestinian Arabs of Al-Jammasin Al-Gharbi, numbering some 1,250 persons in 1948, who were uprooted during the 1948 war and whose rights to return to or be compensated for their abandoned property have been systematically denied by Israel ever since.

19.11.2021 - 14:56 [ Ron DeSantis, 46th Governor of the great state of Florida / Twitter ]

The Florida Legislature and my administration are committed to protecting Florida jobs. Today, I signed legislation protecting the right of Floridians to earn a living and to make health decisions for themselves.

19.11.2021 - 14:51 [ CNN ]

Florida set to become first state to fine businesses over vaccine mandates, in defiance of Biden administration

(18.11.2021)

Acting mostly along party lines, the Florida House and Senate passed a package of four bills protecting workers who remain defiant against Covid-19 vaccinations. Once signed by DeSantis — which is expected in the coming days — Florida will become the first state with a law imposing fines on companies that require a Covid-19 vaccination as a condition of employment.

30.10.2021 - 09:06 [ One Voice With Common Sense / Youtube ]

Union Members Booed Mayor Lori Lightfoot at an annual fundraiser.

(27.10.2021)

he entire crowd booed Mayor Lori Lightfoot at an annual fundraiser.

30.10.2021 - 09:01 [ Fox News ]

Chicago Mayor Lightfoot drowned out by boos at union fundraise

(27.10.2021)

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot was drowned out by boos during a union fundraiser over the weekend.

The Democratic mayor got an unwelcome reception at an annual fundraiser Sunday for Plumbers Union Local 130, the first union that endorsed her 2019 runoff election, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

30.10.2021 - 07:38 [ NY Teachers for Choice ]

Organized Labor in New York Opposes COVID Vaccine Mandates

(01.08.2021)

Organized labor in NYC is 100% against vaccine mandates to keep our jobs. Now the lame-duck mayor Bill De Blasio is implementing a policy designed to coerce all city employees to get the COVID vaccine without going through collective bargaining. TEACHERS FOR CHOICE is planning legal action.

Here is a list of labor unions that oppose forced vaccination to maintain employment:

26.10.2021 - 07:55 [ International Chamber of Shipping ]

Joint open letter – Transport heads call on world leaders to secure global supply chains

29 September 2021

Since the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the maritime, road and aviation industries have called loudly and clearly on governments to ensure the free movement of transport workers and to end travel bans and other restrictions that have had an enormously detrimental impact on their wellbeing and safety. Transport workers keep the world running and are vital for the free movement of products, including vaccines and PPE, but have been continually failed by governments and taken for granted by their officials.

Our calls have been consistent and clear: freedom of movement for transport workers, for governments to use protocols that have been endorsed by international bodies for each sector and to prioritise transport workers for vaccinations as called for in the World Health Organization’s SAGE Roadmap for Prioritizing Uses of COVID-19 Vaccines in the Context of Limited Supply.

Heads of government have failed to listen, to end the blame-shifting within and between governments and take the decisive and coordinated action needed to resolve this crisis.

26.10.2021 - 07:51 [ CNN ]

The workers who keep global supply chains moving are warning of a ’system collapse‘

(29.09.2021)

Seafarers, truck drivers and airline workers have endured quarantines, travel restrictions and complex Covid-19 vaccination and testing requirements to keep stretched supply chains moving during the pandemic.
But many are now reaching their breaking point, posing yet another threat to the badly tangled network of ports, container vessels and trucking companies that moves goods around the world.

13.10.2021 - 08:16 [ Greg Abbott, Governor of Texas ]

Governor Abbott Issues Executive Order Prohibiting Vaccine Mandates By Any Entity, Adds Issue To Special Session Agenda

October 11, 2021 | Austin, Texas | Press Release

Governor Greg Abbott today issued an executive order stating that no entity in Texas can compel receipt of a COVID-19 vaccination by any individual, including an employee or consumer, who objects to such vaccination for any reason of personal conscience, based on a religious belief, or for medical reasons, including prior recovery from COVID-19. Governor Abbott also sent a message to the the Chief Clerk of the House and Secretary of the Senate adding this issue as an item to the Third Special Session agenda. The executive order will be rescinded upon the passage of such legislation.

13.10.2021 - 08:13 [ ValleyCentral.com ]

‘Must always be voluntary’: Texas governor orders ban on private company vaccine mandates

The move comes as the Biden administration is set to issue rules requiring employers with more than 100 workers to be vaccinated or test weekly for the coronavirus. Several major companies, including Texas-based American Airlines and Southwest Airlines, have said they would abide by the federal mandate.

13.10.2021 - 08:10 [ the Hill ]

Texas governor opens new front on vaccine mandates

Abbott’s move is an escalation in the Republican battle against vaccine mandates, something that many public health experts view as a key tool in the fight against the pandemic, given that voluntary efforts like incentives have hit their limits. The politicization of vaccine mandates could also undermine vaccination efforts even for other diseases, some experts warn.

13.10.2021 - 07:53 [ Wall Street Journal ]

Vaccine Mandate Madness

Biden’s needless order is hurting workers and feeding polarization.

11.10.2021 - 02:35 [ Japan Today ]

The ‚zombification‘ of married life

Married couples are “zombifying,” is the magazine’s melancholy conclusion. Instead of divorcing, as they once might have, they grimly endure each other. It’s better, or seems so, than the foreseeable alternatives – prominent among them financial insecurity amid declining wages and emotional insecurity as the lingering COVID-19 crisis corrodes the strength to face the world alone.

There are no doubt many reasons why marriage, so hopefully embarked upon, so quickly turns sour for so many. Spa! zeroes in on one – the double-income household.

01.10.2021 - 19:35 [ Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Abgeordnete im US Repräsentantenhaus / Twitter ]

Ever notice how “deficit hawks” vote for record-high defense spending, yet claim bills that help people & challenge lobbyists are “too much?” ‘22 Defense Bill = $768 billion/yr Build Back Better = $350B/yr Guess which got rubber stamped & which gets deemed a “spending problem”

01.10.2021 - 19:10 [ WesternJournal.com ]

Pelosi Suffers Humiliating Setback, Forced to Call Off Spending Bill Vote as Democrats Quarrel

A House vote on a $1 trillion infrastructure spending bill was called off Thursday by Speaker Nancy Pelosi as feuding Democrats could not unite.

The $1 trillion package already has passed the Senate with bipartisan support, and even has the support of a majority of House members. However, passage of the bill is being held up by a $3.5 trillion spending package that progressives want and moderates oppose.

01.10.2021 - 19:03 [ Politico.com ]

Pelosi delays infrastructure vote as Democrats struggle to reach deal

(Updated: 09/30/2021 10:54 PM EDT)

Speaker Nancy Pelosi pushed off a planned vote on a bipartisan infrastructure bill late Thursday after top Democrats in the House, Senate and the White House failed to reach a deal to pass the legislation.

Pelosi and other top Democrats engaged in hours of frenetic negotiations, hoping to produce a bicameral deal on President Joe Biden’s broader social spending package, which progressives had demanded in exchange for their votes on the Senate-passed infrastructure bill.

29.09.2021 - 09:51 [ Ayanna Pressley, Abgeordnete im US Repräsentantenhaus / Twitter ]

Housing is infrastructure. Child care is infrastructure. Paid leave is infrastructure. The people gave us a mandate & we’re holding the line. We must advance the #BuildBackBetterAct to address the needs of the people before we move the narrow roads and bridges bill.

29.09.2021 - 09:43 [ theHill.com ]

Left warns Pelosi they’ll take down Biden infrastructure bill

Liberals on Tuesday fired a shot across the bow at Democratic leaders by warning that a bipartisan infrastructure bill cannot pass the House as long as Senate centrists remain noncommittal on the larger social benefits package at the heart of President Biden’s agenda.

29.09.2021 - 09:42 [ ABC News ]

Progressive Democrats vow to defy Pelosi, vote no on infrastructure bill

Progressive Democrats on Tuesday starkly warned House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other party leaders that their position on President Joe Biden’s infrastructure agenda remains unchanged: Without a deal on a broader, social policy bill, they do not intend to support a bipartisan infrastructure bill that Pelosi wants to bring to a vote this Thursday.

28.09.2021 - 20:05 [ RNZ.co.nz ]

Mandatory vaccination order under spotlight in High Court

Ashleigh Fechney has been granted leave to appear in court on behalf of her client – a Customs worker who was dismissed from her job for refusing to get vaccinated.

Fechney said the vaccination order was an abuse of power under section 11 of the Response Act and the orders for mandatory vaccination were never an intention of the Act.

28.09.2021 - 15:55 [ Ilhan Omar, Abgeordnete im US Repräsentantenhaus / Twitter ]

Democrats say we are the party of the people, let’s show by passing this crucial agenda on behalf of the people & fulfill our promise to our constituents. This level of investment hasn’t been proposed or implemented since the 1930s. Let’s have @POTUS ’ back & pass this agenda

28.09.2021 - 15:36 [ MSNBC ]

Joe Biden’s Build Back Better Agenda is being held up by moderate Democrats

It’s only when the ground buckles and snaps in an earthquake that we’re aware that the land had already been moving. Moderate Democrats in Washington must similarly be wondering what happened as they struggle to accept that they are no longer the dominant force in the party.

After years of being relegated to an afterthought and being told that moving too quickly or too far to the left would alienate voters, progressives are firmly in the driver’s seat in Washington.

28.09.2021 - 15:15 [ Washington Post ]

Why are moderate Democrats okay with killing Biden’s legislative agenda?

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) and a handful of House Democrats oppose letting Medicare negotiate prescription drug prices, which would save more than $500 billion over 10 years. (Incidentally, three of the Democrats opposing the idea have received $1.6 million in donations from the pharmaceutical industry.) The New York Times also reports that Sinema “has privately told colleagues she will not accept any corporate or income tax rate increases,” while Manchin remains opposed to the current plan’s proposed corporate tax rate.

28.09.2021 - 15:14 [ NBC News ]

Pelosi says Biden’s infrastructure bill can’t wait for social safety net bill

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told Democrats on Monday that passage of the $550 billion infrastructure bill must not wait for President Joe Biden’s multitrillion-dollar safety net bill, saying the larger package is not yet ready for a vote.

04.08.2021 - 13:29 [ The People’s Party / Twitter ]

Nina’s unfortunate loss is further proof that working with the Democrats is a dead end road for folks seeking to challenge the status quo. Democrats will spend millions of dollars (at a time like this!) and pull out all the stops to undermine candidates fighting for the people.

19.07.2021 - 16:05 [ Jacobin ]

Were Haiti’s Capitalists Behind the Assassination of President Moïse?

(09.07.2021)

Haitian president Jovenel Moïse was assassinated this week by alleged mercenaries. In an interview with Jacobin, the English language editor of Haiti Liberté says he suspects that some of Haiti’s richest families hired the attackers to preempt a potential revolution — and possibly even trigger US military intervention.

16.07.2021 - 06:10 [ aco Barnard-Naudé / DailyMaverick.co.za ]

Anarchy in the RSA: A spirit of revolt without revolution

Slavoj Žižek proposed in an article on the London riots in 2011 that such riots are not easily understandable in Marxist terms, precisely because they do not carry the signs of the emergence of a revolutionary subject. Instead, he proposes that they fit much better the Hegelian notion of “abstract negativity”, of “those outside organised social space, who can express their discontent only through ‘irrational’ outbursts of destructive violence”. Žižek believes that these forms of riot confirm the rather mundane, now commonplace assertion that we live in a post-ideological era, an era in which nothing is demanded any more, a time of “zero-degree violence”.

“Opposition to the system can no longer articulate itself in the form of a realistic alternative, or even as a utopian project,” Žižek writes, “but can only take the shape of a meaningless outburst.”

16.07.2021 - 05:49 [ Jani Allan / RT.com ]

The row raging over a corrupt former president’s jailing shows that South Africa is heading down a sad and familiar path

South Africa’s highest court last week ordered the imprisonment of the country’s former president Jacob Zuma for 15 months for contempt of court. The decision stems from Zuma’s refusal to appear at a commission to answer questions about his alleged involvement in corruption during his time as president between 2009 and 2018.

On Saturday, however, the constitutional court agreed to hear Zuma’s urgent appeal on July 12 to rescind its order to sentence him to jail. If the court is gelded, the human rights so dearly won defeating apartheid will be lost.

08.07.2021 - 16:34 [ Spiked ]

Boris, don’t give in to the neurotic middle classes

Let’s be real: some people want to live in lockdown forever because they fear and loathe ordinary people.

19.05.2021 - 21:15 [ teleSUR ]

Peru: Prosecutor Urges Justice For Forced Sterilization Victims

Fujimori is currently serving a 25-year prison sentence for the massacres in Barrios Altos (1991) and La Cantuta (1992), where military officials killed about 20 people during an alleged anti-terrorist operation.

During his term, 350,000 women and 25,000 men were forcibly sterilized as part of a plan to reduce the birth rate in rural areas and Indigenous communities.

13.05.2021 - 01:07 [ Laura Capote – Zoe Alexandra / CounterPunch ]

Colombia’s Leaders Want to Stain Their Country with the Blood of the Working Class

The national strike in Colombia that began on April 28 was called for to fight against a bill that would increase taxes on goods of everyday consumption, public services, and pensions, among other things. It was a bill that would directly impact the working class that is already suffering due to the impact of the pandemic and the lockdown.

22.04.2021 - 15:02 [ teleSUR ]

Chile’s Chamber of Deputies Passes Bill To Tax „Super-Rich“

Lawmakers voted 105- 18 in favor of the bill, and there were 26 abstentions. The deputies remarked on the importance of the tax since hundreds of low and middle-income families have seen their finances affected amid the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, the largest fortunes continue to increase.

20.04.2021 - 20:06 [ SPglobal.com ]

Volatility in store for Chad’s oil industry after president’s death

Despite its oil wealth, Chad has been facing an enormous debt burden. Global Commodity trading house Glencore is one of the largest creditors to Chad through an oil-for-cash loan. Last year, the Chadian government requested that Glencore suspend payments on its oil-for-cash loan. The oil producer now also relies on oil-for-cash loadings from Chinese creditors.

Chad holds around 1.5 billion barrels of proven oil reserves, according to BP’s Energy Outlook 2020, making it the 10th-largest oil reserve holder in Africa. Oil accounts for almost 90% of the country’s export revenues.

20.04.2021 - 20:00 [ EnergyVoice.com ]

Chad denies sale plans for export pipeline

(March 5, 2021)

SHT acquired a 25% stake in the Doba consortium from Chevron in 2014 for $1.3 billion. ExxonMobil and Malaysia’s Petronas also hold equity in the upstream and pipeline assets. Both foreign companies were considering sales in 2020, according to reports.

20.04.2021 - 19:42 [ News24.com ]

Chad: Hardline rule, poverty and oil

(April 13, 2021)

In 2003 Chad began to export oil to an Atlantic terminal through a pipeline built across neighbouring Cameroon.

27.03.2021 - 16:41 [ WIkipedia ]

Skid Row, Los Angeles

Skid Row was established by city officials in 1976 as an unofficial „containment zone“, where shelters and services for homeless people would be tolerated.[19]

During the 1970s, two Catholic Workers — Catherine Morris, a former nun, and her husband, Jeff Dietrich — founded the „Hippie Kitchen“ in the back of a van. Over forty years later, in March 2019, aged 84 and 72, they remained active in their work feeding Skid Row residents.[20]

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, many veterans of the Vietnam War found themselves drawn to Skid Row, due to the services and missions already in place there, and feeling outcast from other areas. Like those after World War II, many of them ended up on the streets. It was around this time that the demographics of Skid Row shifted from predominantly white and elderly to those here today [see Demographics].

27.03.2021 - 16:35 [ BBC ]

Los Angeles: Why tens of thousands of people sleep rough

(19 September 2019)

In 1976, city officials established Skid Row as an unofficial „containment zone“, where homeless people, shelters and services would be tolerated. As a result, most visitors to the parts of Los Angeles that attracted visitors from around the world never saw a homeless person.

27.03.2021 - 16:22 [ Frank Stoltze, KPCC 89.3FM Public Radio / Twitter ]

Take a close look at this video. An #LAPD officer points a „less than lethal“ rifle directly at this journalist. There appears to be no immediate threat anywhere. Earlier @JamesQueallyLAT is arrested, now another reporter faces the barrel of a gun. @pressfreedom @ACLU_SoCal

27.03.2021 - 16:18 [ Kate Cagle, Anchor and reporter @SpecNews1SoCal / Twitter ]

Here is the moment @LAPDHQ escorted me out of the crowd and zip tied my hands. I’m turning back and insisting that I promised my newsroom I would protect my crew and identifying the photographers who are with me.

27.03.2021 - 16:14 [ Jonah Valdez, @sgvtribune /@socalnewsgroup / Twitter ]

This is the moment @RosenfeldReport and I were nearly kettled. Those on the other end of this line of officers, including our colleagues from the @latimes and @SpecNews1SoCal were improperly detained, zip tied and later released.

27.03.2021 - 16:07 [ LA Times ]

Reporters, legal observers cry foul after being caught up in LAPD’s mass arrests at Echo Park protest

They also accused the LAPD of issuing confusing directives and attempting to force media members into a designated observation area that would not have allowed them to see the protest or the arrests that followed.

While some detained reporters and observers were released without being arrested, others — including reporters for less-established media brands — were held for hours and then formally charged, raising additional questions about police picking and choosing which outlets to acknowledge as legitimate.

03.03.2021 - 10:37 [ the Hill / Youtube ]

Krystal Ball: How Biden LOST The Left In A Single Day

Krystal Ball outlines how President Joe Biden is slowly losing the support of the left.

27.02.2021 - 17:30 [ Al Jazeera ]

UK Supreme Court’s Uber decision is a victory for all gig workers

From Uruguay and the United States to Australia and France, couriers and drivers have been bringing legal challenges against food delivery and passenger transport companies, such as Uber, Lyft, and Deliveroo, arguing that as their “workers” or “employees” they should be entitled to employment protections such as minimum wage, paid holidays and the right to unionise.

17.02.2021 - 09:58 [ DailyMail.co.uk ]

Bosses begin drafting ’no jab, no job‘ contracts to force staff to get vaccine despite lawyers warning they will likely be challenged in court – as ministers urge PM to bring in certificates to help open cinemas, theatres and clubs

– ‚No jab no job‘ contracts are being drafted by companies in the care home sector
– The move may mean prospective and current workers need to have jab for work
– Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi said yesterday that it was ‚up to businesses‘
– The Government has so far said it has no plans to introduce a passport scheme
– Ministers have also reportedly urged Boris Johnson to consider jab certificates

15.02.2021 - 10:52 [ .i24news.tv ]

Israel advances bill to compel unvaccinated workers to test for COVID-19 every two days

Israel’s Health Ministry is formulating a legislation that will provide workplaces that receive customers the legal framework to compel employees who refuse to vaccinate against COVID-19 to test for the disease every two days, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein said Monday, according to outlet Ynet.

15.02.2021 - 10:35 [ Haaretz ]

Netanyahu Labels Unvaccinated Israelis as the New Enemy

Netanyahu has tied his fate in the election to COVID vaccinations, and suspicion arises that his proposals are influenced by personal considerations. Meanwhile, disclosing names of Israelis who have yet to get vaccinated paves way for severe infringement of privacy.

31.01.2021 - 21:07 [ Spiked ]

Lockdown has ravaged the working class

From the moment this disastrous policy was instigated, it became immediately apparent that we were not all in it together. In every single aspect of life, the working class has suffered most during lockdown. Worse still, over the course of the past year, class inequalities have grown wider and have become more entrenched. And yet, at each turn, left-wing lockdown lovers have demanded ever-more severe restrictions on people’s lives.

30.12.2020 - 17:51 [ Newsweek ]

Ohio Senator Brown Joins Sanders in Delaying Senate Holiday Over $2K Stimulus Checks

Ohio Democrat Senator Sherrod Brown said Tuesday that he would push for a Senate vote on $2,000 stimulus checks by joining Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders’s filibuster on the Senate floor.

30.12.2020 - 02:38 [ Bernie Sanders, US Senator / Twitter ]

This is about life and death for millions of people. The Senate must approve the $2000 for every working class adult.

30.12.2020 - 02:23 [ PBS.org ]

Bernie Sanders on the battle to increase stimulus payments

Efforts to increase stimulus payments to $2,000 were blocked in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, while Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell put forth a new bill. Sen. Bernie Sanders was one of those making the case for higher stimulus payments. He joins Amna Nawaz to discuss.

30.12.2020 - 02:18 [ Deadline.com ]

Mitch McConnell Ties $2,000 Covid-19 Relief Checks To Repeal Of Section 230; Democrats Call It A “Poison Pill”

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) introduced a bill that ties $2,000-per-person Covid-19 relief checks to a repeal of Section 230, the provision of a 1996 law that protects social media platforms from liability for the way that they moderate third party content.

In doing so, McConnell has likely added a “poison pill” to the effort to increase the Covid-19 relief payments from the current $600.

30.12.2020 - 02:12 [ NPR.org ]

McConnell Blocks Senate Vote On $2,000 Direct Payments

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocked a proposal to vote on the House bill on $2,000 direct payments. Also, the Senate will vote Wednesday to override President Trump’s veto of the NDAA.

29.12.2020 - 10:50 [ Newsweek ]

Donald Trump Presses Senate On $2,000 Stimulus Checks, Says People ‚Have Suffered Enough‘

Trump responded to comments that Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) could filibuster a move to override the president’s veto of the defense funding bill unless a vote is held on the $2,000 checks.

Replying to details of this potential move, Trump wrote on Twitter: „Give the people $2000, not $600. They have suffered enough!“

29.12.2020 - 10:49 [ Xahoo.com ]

Bernie Sanders hopes to force Senate vote on $2,000 stimulus checks

Sanders, an independent from Vermont, made the comments after Democrats in the House – joined by 44 Republicans – voted to more than triple the $600 checks included in the coronavirus relief package signed by President Donald Trump over the weekend.

29.12.2020 - 07:12 [ Boston.com ]

Sens. Markey and Sanders to stall defense bill veto override vote in effort for $2,000 relief checks

Soon after Sanders’ announcement, Markey said he would join in on the filibuster.

“That relief passed in the House today with 44 Republicans voting for it,” Markey wrote on Twitter. “Senate Republicans must do the same and get the American people the help they need.”

29.12.2020 - 04:48 [ Bernie Sanders, US Senator / Twitter ]

This week on the Senate floor Mitch McConnell wants to vote to override Trump’s veto of the $740 billion defense funding bill and then head home for the New Year. I’m going to object until we get a vote on legislation to provide a $2,000 direct payment to the working class

29.12.2020 - 04:41 [ theHill.com ]

Sanders to slow down NDAA veto override in bid to get vote on $2K checks proposal

„This week on the Senate floor Mitch McConnell wants to vote to override Trump’s veto of the $740 billion defense funding bill and then head home for the New Year. I’m going to object until we get a vote on legislation to provide a $2,000 direct payment to the working class,“ Sanders tweeted.

29.12.2020 - 04:23 [ CBS News / Youtube ]

House approves stimulus check increase to $2,000

The House on Monday approved a bill that would increase COVID stimulus checks to $2,000. The bill is likely dead on arrival in the GOP-controlled Senate, despite President Trump’s insistence on larger checks. Mr. Trump signed a bill on Sunday night that would distribute $600 stimulus checks. Wall Street Journal congressional reporter Siobhan Hughes joins CBSN to discuss.

28.12.2020 - 04:57 [ Ro Khanna, Abgeordneter im US Repräsentantenhaus / Twitter ]

I am glad we are finally having a vote tomorrow on a $2000 stimulus. The question remains why we didn’t have this vote in March when @TimRyan and I proposed this. This is a lesson. It should not require permission from Trump or Republicans to vote on and push for bold policies.

28.12.2020 - 03:32 [ BostonHerald.com ]

Trump signs coronavirus relief bill, still pushes for $2,000 stimulus checks

“As President, I have told Congress that I want far less wasteful spending and more money going to the American people in the form of $2,000 checks per adult and $600 per child,” Trump said in a statement.

“On Monday the House will vote to increase payments to individuals from $600 to $2,000,” he added. “Therefore, a family of four would receive $5,200.”

28.12.2020 - 03:25 [ CNN ]

Trump signs coronavirus relief and government funding bill into law after lengthy delay

The Covid-19 relief legislation was passed by Congress on Monday and was flown to Mar-a-Lago on Thursday to await Trump’s signature. But after sitting on the sidelines during the negotiations, Trump emerged with an eleventh-hour complaint that a separate provision in the deal, which the President’s own White House helped broker, would only provide up to $600 in direct payments. Trump wanted to send out $2,000 checks.

23.12.2020 - 08:31 [ Washington Post ]

Live updates: Trump demands $2,000 stimulus checks; calls long awaited coronavirus relief bill a ‘disgrace’

President Trump derided the recently-passed coronavirus relief bill as a “disgrace” on Tuesday night, calling on Congress to increase stimulus payments from $600 to $2,000 and get rid of “wasteful and unnecessary items.” The move stunned Congress which has been deadlocked for months over the long-awaited stimulus package to address people’s increasingly desperate situations in the midst of a pandemic-fueled economic downturn.

23.12.2020 - 08:27 [ theGrayzone.com ]

Covid-19 catch-22: Regime-change policies come packed with US pandemic relief

The US Congress’ $900 billion Covid-19 relief bill was packaged with $1.4 trillion in omnibus spending that includes tens of billions for war, weapons, and regime change abroad, from anti-Russia and anti-China initiatives to $3.3 billion for Israel’s military.

21.12.2020 - 00:12 [ Movement for a People´s Party ]

Dr. Cornel West and Jimmy Dore join the People’s Party Advisory Council, launch MPP organizing campaign to Force The Vote on Medicare for all

Public intellectual and Harvard professor Dr. Cornel West and political comedian Jimmy Dore have joined the People’s Party Advisory Council. Together with the Movement for a People’s Party, they are launching the Force The Vote petition and organizing campaign. The campaign aims to pressure The Squad and House progressives to refuse to vote for Rep. Nancy Pelosi as Speaker until she publicly pledges to bring Medicare for all to the floor of the House for a vote. Nearly 10,000 people signed the petition overnight.

Dore hosted Dr. West on The Jimmy Dore Show Friday evening where they broke the news. “We’re joining forces with the Movement for a People’s Party. We are ForceTheVote.org,” said Dore. “There’s never a wrong time to do the right thing. And now is the time, in the middle of a deadly pandemic. There’s never been a better time to have a Medicare for all vote.”

20.12.2020 - 23:48 [ Caitlin Johnstone ]

The Revolutionary Struggle Is A Fight Between Movement And Inertia

(16.12.2020)

The pandemic and a Democrat-controlled House presents a once-in-a-century opportunity to shove hard toward getting Americans the same healthcare rights afforded to everyone else in every major country on earth and forcing all House Democrats who oppose it to expose themselves to their constituents instead of passing the blame to the Republicans. With things getting more and more desperate, waiting for the next once-in-a-century opportunity to even begin pushing is a ridiculous proposition.

20.12.2020 - 23:45 [ theHill.com ]

Former Sanders spokesperson: Progressive base confused by ‚ambiguity‘ over how to replace

(18.12.2020)

In contrast, she said, “this question of whether Pelosi should be ousted altogether, and whether we have to do so because there’s not someone in the ranks, is a new one.”

“It’s an interesting conversation given that we’ve had now two years of these progressive ‘Squad’ members in office who came in really hot to do something about Nancy Pelosi and to threaten her leadership at that point,” she added.

20.12.2020 - 23:27 [ Business Insider ]

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez rejects left-wing calls to force Pelosi to hold a ‚Medicare for All‘ vote in exchange for her vote for the speaker

(16.12.2020)

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is publicly rejecting those calls, saying that Democrats don’t have the votes to pass „Medicare for All“ in the House and there are other options the party has that would affect real change.

20.12.2020 - 23:20 [ Movement for a People’s Party / Twitter ]

There’s a feud on the political left right now. It all started when @jimmy_dore made a video arguing that House progressives should refuse to re-elect Nancy Pelosi as House Speaker unless she puts #MedicareForAll to a floor vote.

Via @caitoz
. #ForceTheVote

05.12.2020 - 15:03 [ Spiked ]

The left now loathes the working class

Paul Embery, trade unionist, writer and author of Despised: Why the Modern Left Loathes the Working Class, joins spiked’s editor for the latest episode of The Brendan O’Neill Show. They discuss the left’s embrace of woke politics, and its rejection of the working class, national democracy and free speech.

05.12.2020 - 14:32 [ Standard.co.uk ]

Food For London Now: Scenes of young queueing for food have moved us, say volunteers

Daisy Affum and Errol Johnson spoke about how Londoners should come together to tackle the hunger crisis as they posed for portraits by artist Henry Hudson which can be bought by readers to support Food for London Now.

Ms Affum, who works as a catering manager at a school but helps feed vulnerable Londoners in her spare time, said: “This issue of people going hungry was here long before Covid-19 but the virus has made it worse.”

02.12.2020 - 05:00 [ Krystal Ball / Twitter ]

Don’t worry they will still find plenty of money for endless wars, tax cuts for rich people, and socialism for Wall Street.

02.12.2020 - 04:46 [ CNN ]

Don’t expect a second stimulus check this year. Here’s what Congress is talking about instead

Congress returns to Washington this week focused on passing a broader spending bill by December 11 to avert a partial government shutdown, though it’s possible that some relief programs could be added to such a broader spending bill.

24.11.2020 - 20:25 [ Robert Reich, Berkeley prof, frmr Sec of Labor / Twitter ]

Jeff Bezos net worth in 2009: $6,800,000,000 Jeff Bezos net worth in 2020: $183,800,000,000 Federal minimum wage in 2009: $7.25 Federal minimum wage in 2020: $7.25 If this doesn’t convince you our economy is rigged, I don’t know what will.

22.11.2020 - 14:02 [ Progressive International / Twitter ]

Guatemala’s government slashed $25 million from healthcare and education — just days after Hurricane Eta battered its poorest communities. The people are rising up. PI member @MSICG : “We demand a Constituent Assembly. This dictatorship has failed us.”

22.11.2020 - 13:02 [ New York Times ]

Protesters in Guatemala Set Fire to Congress Building Over Spending Cuts

Thousands of protesters took to the streets in Guatemala’s capital on Saturday, setting fire to the nation’s congressional building in a show of anger over a budget bill passed this week that cut funding for health care and education.

The demonstrations in Guatemala City, which also included peaceful marches in the central plaza, rocked a nation still recovering from back-to-back hurricanes that displaced thousands of people, destroyed homes and obliterated critical infrastructure.

19.11.2020 - 18:20 [ NPR.org ]

12 Million To Lose Jobless Benefits The Day After Christmas Unless Congress Acts

The day after Christmas, millions of Americans will lose their jobless benefits, according to a new study. And that could spell financial ruin for many people, like 44-year-old Todd Anderson in the small town of Mackinaw City, Mich.

19.11.2020 - 17:58 [ DailyMail.co.uk ]

Boris Johnson vows to make UK the ‚foremost naval power in Europe‘ with £24bn MOD budget boost as No10 is forced to insist extra cash is not an attempt to impress Joe Biden and defence minister admits he ‚doesn’t know‘ where money is coming from

However, there are major question marks over how the additional spending will be paid for while Downing Street has also been forced to deny that the new money for the military is simply an attempt to impress US President-elect Joe Biden.

There is growing speculation that some of the money could come from the foreign aid budget, with Chancellor Rishi Sunak due to set out the Government’s one-year Spending Review next week.

19.11.2020 - 17:52 [ ITV.com ]

UK to set up ‚RAF Space Command capable of launching first rocket‘

The UK is setting up „RAF Space Command“, a wing of the Armed Forces which will be capable of launching Britain’s first rocket as early as 2022, the prime minister has announced.

Boris Johnson said a military investment of £16.5 billion will also fund the development of Artificial Intelligence and a National Cyber Force aimed at targeting terrorism, organised crime and hostile state activity.

29.10.2020 - 03:09 [ teleSUR ]

Uruguay: Workers Hold a Large Mobilization Against Budget Cuts

The meme reads, „Amid Uruguay’s COVID-19 crisis: two-thirds of the budget cut has to do with health, education, and housing. The new budget reduces salaries and benefits, creates new positions for colonels and generals, and gives tax privileges to large companies and rural owners.“

27.10.2020 - 06:57 [ DailyMail.co.uk ]

FIFTY Northern Tory MPs mount a lockdown revolt: Boris faces a ‚red wall‘ rebellion and demands for an ‚exit map‘ – as eight million people are plunged into toughest coronavirus restrictions with addition of Nottingham and Warrington to Tier 3

A letter to Boris Johnson from the Northern Research Group – a newly-launched alliance of Tory MPs led by ex-Northern Powerhouse minister Jake Berry – outlines the group’s demands, which include a tailored economic recovery plan for the north.

Mr Berry says that the virus could widen the North-South divide and ’send the North into reverse‘. His group is now calling for Mr Johnson to ‚level-up the North‘ – something the PM claimed he would do following sweeping Conservative gains in the region in the General Election.

27.10.2020 - 06:46 [ Bloomberg ]

Boris Johnson Hit by Lockdown Revolt From More Than 50 Tories

The MPs reminded Johnson of his promises to “level up” disadvantaged parts of the country, which helped persuade voters in former industrial heartlands last December to back his Tories instead of the opposition Labour Party many had supported for decades.

25.10.2020 - 08:50 [ @TeamTrump / Twitter ]

Playing NOW at the Trump rally in #NorthCarolina

25.10.2020 - 08:48 [ Newsweek ]

Trump Thanks Sanders After Showing Rally Clip of Democrat Accusing Biden of Cutting Social Security

„Joe Biden spent his entire time in the Senate—long, long days, hours, nights—working to cut your Social Security,“ Trump said during Friday’s rally. „You don’t know about that. To cut your Medicare. People don’t know about that. He denies it. He denied it last night.“

Trump then introduced the video which featured footage from a March Democratic Presidential debate between Biden and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.

24.10.2020 - 11:39 [ Financial Times ]

From peak city to ghost town: the urban centres hit hardest by Covid-19

FT research shows London and New York have suffered the most from the pandemic, but more substantial change lies ahead

24.10.2020 - 11:38 [ Washington Post ]

We can’t let Main Street become a ghost town

(09.10.2020)

Darkened storefronts adorned with “Closed” and “For Lease” signs have become common sights in both urban and rural areas.

Maryland is no exception. From my hometown in Takoma Park to the bucolic charm of Chestertown, many businesses have shuttered or are hanging on for dear life.

23.10.2020 - 13:03 [ Portal amerika21.de ]

Kolumbien: Trotz Corona wieder große landesweite Demonstrationen

Während des siebenmonatigen Lockdowns wurden 164 Dekrete erlassen, die eine Steuersenkung für Großunternehmen und gleichzeitig Kürzungen im Gesundheits- und Sozialsystem vorsehen.