1,000 protest health insurance privatization
LANSING, Mich. – Nearly 1,000 union retirees and seniors gathered here May 28 to protest a scheme to privatize Blue Cross/Blue Shield (BCBS). Republican state legislators and lame duck Republican governor John Engler are pushing for privatization of the insurance company.
High school students protest Rehnquist award
SHOREWOOD, Wisc. – About 250 students, community leaders and supporters gathered around the knapsack-strewn lawn at Shorewood High School on May 24 to protest the presentation of an “excellence award” to U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist, a graduate of the school. For the entire article, click on the headline. For more information, visit the homepage of Justice-Watch-Wisconsin.
Auto workers elect new leader
In his final State of the Union address, outgoing United Auto Workers (UAW) President Stephen P. Yokich called on UAW members to get actively involved in union organizing campaigns and political action and to build on the UAW’s tradition of fighting for social and economic justice.
Labors search for a new, independent foreign policy
Foreign policy is too important to be left in the hands of the State Department. U.S. transnational corporations and the Bush administration have very different world interests than American labor. In the era of capitalist globalization, “Workers of the World Unite,” is not just a good idea, it is critical to the very survival of the labor movement. For the entire article, click on the headline. To view a press release from the United Steelworkers on this topic, click here.
Sacramentans rally for gardens
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Nearly 400 demonstrators heard Julia “Butterfly” Hill declare, “The Ron Mandella Community Garden is the giant redwood of Sacramento,” at a rally here late last month to save the garden from developers and to build support for affordable housing in the city.
Cheap theater tickets
The prices of Broadway theatre tickets are well beyond working-class people’s financial capabilities. However, the Theatre Development Fund (TDF) makes it possible to see Broadway and off-Broadway shows for reduced ticket prices, usually ranging from $10 to $20.
Building Middle East peace with justice
Calling the crisis in the West Bank and Gaza “an enormous human tragedy that cannot be solved by war,” journalist and Communist Party Vice Chair Judith Le Blanc last week told northern California audiences that it is urgent for Americans to act now for peace and justice in the Middle East.
Reports cite U.S. health failures
A recent USAToday Gallup public opinion poll showed that President Bush’s main weaknesses are in the area of social policy, with his attitude toward health care in general and abortion high on the list.
Phillip Hellesto: worker and anti-imperialist American
Phillip Hellesto’s wife wanted everyone to know that her husband was an anti-imperialist and a patriot. She wanted to “dispel the notion that radicals cannot be patriots.”
Retirement, pensions and all that
The stock market grew by 248 percent between 1989 and 1998, accompanied by a skyrocketing increase in the number of households with 401(k) pension accounts. Together, they made possible the promise of a secure retirement. Or at least that’s what we’re told.
