At a Time of Crisis in the Supply Chain, Workers Have Enormous Power
The solution to the supply chain crisis is not rocket science: build unions, raise living and working standards, and shorten logistics workers’ hours at higher pay.
17 Articles by: Kim Moody
Kim Moody was a founder of Labor Notes and now lives in London where he is a researcher, a frequent writer on labor issues, and a member of the National Union of Journalists.
Capitalism Was Always Like This
It’s fashionable to claim that the “rise of the robots” or the “disappearance of work” have changed everything about labor in the twenty-first century. But when it comes to extracting profit from workers, today’s era of ruthless capitalism is fundamentally the same as those of the past.
In Defense of the Rank-and-File Strategy
Unions are schools of workers’ struggle — that’s why socialists talk so much about them. But they’re also contradictory institutions that often become complacent and bureaucratic. That’s why the rank-and-file strategy is so important.
We Just Remembered How to Strike
2018 might have been the year that convinced workers that the strike holds the power needed to move today’s corporate giants and austerity-obsessed governments.
Seizing the Chokepoints
In the logistics industry, from port workers to truckers to delivery drivers, time is of the essence. Their potential control over that time gives workers enormous leverage in the global economy.
Reflections on the Rank and File Strategy
Socialists have a key role to play in building the labor movement — if they can avoid the pitfalls of sectarianism and union bureaucracy.
The Rank and File Strategy
The labor movement is the critical institution for the Left. Socialists should root themselves in it — not as supporters from afar or paid staff, but as rank-and-file workers.
Turning to the Working Class
Kim Moody reflects on his time in the New Left, turning to the working class, and opportunities for socialists in the labor movement today.
Where’s the “Gig Economy?”
The numbers don’t show any growth in a gig economy. But that doesn’t mean workers aren’t poorly paid and insecure.
Organize. Strike. Organize
Capitalism is always in flux. What hasn’t changed is the power of the strike.
From Realignment to Reinforcement
Leftists looking to take over the Democratic Party will confront even more roadblocks than in the past.
Who Put Trump in the White House?
The Democratic Party has been collapsing for years, but no one noticed before Trump came along.
New Economy, Old Organizing
The perils of the “gig economy” have been overblown. Changes in work have the potential to open up new opportunities for labor.
The Rank and File’s Paper of Record
The history of Labor Notes shows that labor’s strength — and socialists’ relevance — depend on a militant and independent rank and file.
The State of American Labor
Deindustrialization and the “gig economy” can’t explain the weakness of the American working class.
Saviors From on High
Twenty years ago, the New Voice reformers came to power in the AFL-CIO. Their failure shows a revived labor movement can only come from below.
Reviving Labor From Below
The American labor movement won’t be able to revive itself without organizing at its grassroots.