Working Life

  President-elect Obama has publicly stated that he wants "unconventional" thinking among the people who give him advice on the economy. Fantastic. So, here are some suggestions.    I’m throwing out these suggestions—-and welcome others—-partly because of the debate zapping around progressive circles about how critical progressives should be about the incoming Administration. I find […]

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   It’s a typical refrain when it comes to health care or labor rights…"If we only live in Canada…" And there is a lot of truth to that–we would have a single-payer type health care system and it would be easier to organize unions. But, when it comes to the behavior of The Beast of […]

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   McDonald’s really knows how to celebrate liberty and justice. On the eve of the international recognition Human Rights Day, McDonald’s announced it will launch a massive campaign to defeat the Employee Free Choice Act. So, let’s respond in kind: boycott McDonald’s.   As a reminder, the right to form a union is an internationally […]

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   Aside from the strong picture and message sent by the workers who are sitting in at the Republic Windows & Doors factory, I particularly like the beating that seems to be handed out to Bank of America: Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich, who met with the workers Monday morning, said the State of Illinois was […]

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   I’ll be on a plane early this morning so I’ll try to catch up later on more topical news. But, let me celebrate here for a moment. "Dollar Bill" Jefferson bit the dust: Representative William J. Jefferson was defeated by a little-known Republican lawyer here Saturday in a late-running Congressional election, underscoring the sharp […]

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   This is simply an open thread if someone has anything to comment on about the discussion I will have taken part in on CNBC at 8 p.m. Eastern. It’s pegged to this ugly report: The government’s report of vast job losses in November, the largest monthly decline in a generation, puts more pressure on […]

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   How about this to send you off to your weekend, from The Wall Street Journal this morning: Companies are shedding workers at an accelerating rate, some in response to declining sales and others in anticipation of tougher times ahead. Job losses are spreading far beyond the housing and finance sectors at the center of […]

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   How about this to send you off to your weekend, from The Wall Street Journal this morning: Companies are shedding workers at an accelerating rate, some in response to declining sales and others in anticipation of tougher times ahead. Job losses are spreading far beyond the housing and finance sectors at the center of […]

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   Not a happy day for auto workers–and, frankly, for workers everywhere. The UAW, as most of you know by now, has agreed to new concessions to try to save the auto companies. From The Wall Street Journal: Two weeks after insisting his union had already done enough to help the car makers, UAW President […]

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   Not a happy day for auto workers–and, frankly, for workers everywhere. The UAW, as most of you know by now, has agreed to new concessions to try to save the auto companies. From The Wall Street Journal: Two weeks after insisting his union had already done enough to help the car makers, UAW President […]

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