As Congress confronts a raft of lame duck priorities, Tom Conway says funding the fight against union busting needs to rise to the top of the pile.
This week in OtherWords, the International Steelworkers Union president points out that funding for federal labor law enforcement has remained stagnant for years — even as more and more workers are reporting being retaliated against for exercising their rights in the workplace. Keeping this agency fully funded, Tom shows, will help protect the rights of everyone who works for a living.
Meanwhile, Farrah Hassen looks at a grim milestone that passed this year as more than 100 million people globally were forced from their homes by war, unrest, natural disasters, and other causes. In some cases, as in Ukraine, nations have responded admirably — but in other cases, Farrah notes, they haven’t. She argues we need a humane response to this global crisis, not more double standards.
Also this week, lawyer Mitchell Zimmerman picks apart a scary but deeply flawed Supreme Court case out of North Carolina that could up-end American elections. And Jim Hightower celebrates a victory over a back-door pipeline deal that would have put rural West Virginians in the path of pollution.
We’re winding down our year here at OtherWords. We’ll send one more newsletter this year — with a new piece or two if we have them, and some familiar favorites if we don’t.
New This Week…
Congress: Fund the Fight Against Union Busting | Tom Conway
The National Labor Relations Board makes sure employers follow the rules when workers organize, but its resources are stretched too thin.
A Year of Global Displacement | Farrah Hassen
This year’s record-breaking global displacement crisis calls for immigration policies that reflect our humanity, not cruelty.
No, State Legislatures Can’t Shred Constitutional Rights | Mitchell Zimmerman
Far-right state lawmakers say the Constitution gives them the right to stiff voters. Legal experts say that’s bogus.
Brave Lawmakers Foiled Manchin’s Dirty Deal | Jim Hightower
If Manchin and his ilk think toxic gas pipelines are so important, they should run them under their own neighborhoods.
Haters of the World Unite | Khalil Bendib
The relative diversity of the world’s fascists is an ironic credit to the pluralism they want to destroy.
In Case You Missed It…
We Need a Smaller Pentagon | Lindsay Koshgarian
Sorry, but we have too many other needs in this country to spend $858 billion on a department that can’t even pass an audit.
Good News for the 65 Million Americans Who Rely on Social Security | Nancy J. Altman
With their run-off victory in Georgia, Democrats now have a mandate to protect Social Security. Here’s what they need to do next.
Congress: Help Struggling Families Before It’s Too Late | Sarah Izabel
Lawmakers are considering year-end tax breaks for corporations. A little help for families like yours and mine would go much further.
No More Empty Seats At Our Holiday Tables | Ellen Glover
Overdoses took over 108,000 lives this year. If it acts quickly, Congress can save lives — and keep more loved ones together for the holidays.
