It’s International Workers Day, better known as May Day — when much of the world celebrates the equivalent of Labor Day in the United States. This week in OtherWords, we share contributions from authors who are putting American workers back on the map.
An unlikely new hotbed for labor activism has emerged: the South. Following a successful unionization vote by autoworkers in Tennessee, their peers in Alabama — sometimes called “the Detroit of the South” — are looking to follow suit. Marc Bayard and Dev Wakeley explain how successful union drives in the South, where many manufacturers have shipped jobs to avoid labor unions, would be a win for workers nationwide.
Also this week, Claude Cummings Jr. — president of the Communications Workers of America — calls on Congress to renew funding for free and low-cost broadband for rural communities and communities of color. And Economic Policy Institute president Heidi Shierholz shares the good news on the federal government’s looming ban on “noncompete” agreements, which deprive non-union workers of their most important leverage in the workplace: their freedom to take another job.
New This Week…
Southern Autoworkers Can Reverse Decades of Job Quality Decline | Marc Bayard and Dev Wakeley
Automakers rely on non-union plants in the South to drive down wages across the country. A UAW victory in Tennessee and an upcoming vote in Alabama could change that.
Don’t Let Congress Widen the Digital Divide | Claude Cummings Jr.
Unless lawmakers act, over 23 million households could soon lose access to free or low-cost internet. That would be a disaster for rural communities and communities of color.
Looking for a Better Paying Job? Good News | Heidi Shierholz
The Biden administration is cracking down on “noncompete clauses,” which employers use to bar their workers from finding better opportunities.
Cartoon: Columbia Bombs on Free Speech | Khalil Bendib
The heavy-handed response to student protests on Gaza is a bad look for America’s universities.
In Case You Missed It…
Restaurant Workers Deserve a Livable Wage, Too | Helen H. Abraha
The federal minimum wage for tipped workers hasn’t gone up in over 30 years. Workers in several states are taking on the industry to change that.
Fund Transit, Not Highways | LeeAnn Hall
Reducing the miles Americans have to drive would mean enormous savings, cleaner air, and more connected communities.
Lawmakers Should Spend a Night in a Homeless Shelter | Tiffany Tagbo
Maybe then they’d drop their opposition to even modest tax credits for low-income people like the ones I work with.
Why Do My Groceries Cost So Much? | Sulma Arias
Giant corporations want to keep their taxes low and the prices we pay high. We can’t let them win.
