Let Them Eat Tips

Let Them Eat Tips

Just when you thought the plutocratic profiteers running America’s exploitative, low-wage economy couldn’t get any more clueless, self-serving, pious, and mingy — along comes Lady Maria of Marriott, magnanimously saying: “Let them eat tips.”...
Rich Man Hails Middle Class Job Creators

Rich Man Hails Middle Class Job Creators

Here’s an unusual super-rich guy with a strange message for his fellow 1-percent-of-the-1-percenters. Nick Hanauer, who made billions as an Internet entrepreneur, recently wrote an open letter to his fellow über-richies. “The true job creators are...
Let’s Give Workers Something to Cheer About

Let’s Give Workers Something to Cheer About

Labor Day is supposed to be a celebration of workers, but it’s been a long time since workers have been celebrated — or for that matter, have had a reason to celebrate. That’s because the union movement that gave us this holiday is, at least numerically, a...
As Mississippi Moves on, a New Struggle Arises

As Mississippi Moves on, a New Struggle Arises

Fifty years ago, shortly after the Ku Klux Klan abducted and murdered civil rights workers Michael Schwerner, James Chaney, and Andrew Goodman, I was sitting in one of Starkville, Mississippi’s few black-owned cafes when Police Chief Thomas Josey stormed in and...
Port Truck Drivers Draw a Line in the Sand

Port Truck Drivers Draw a Line in the Sand

Imagine your boss suddenly told you that from now on you were going to be considered an independent contractor. You’d have to pay for your office space, supplies, and equipment. Your employer would deduct those expenses from your paycheck. And you’d have...