Category Archives: Uncategorized

By Working Mass Rand Wilson (a Massachusetts local) and DSLC member Peter Olney write in In These Times that the defeat at Bessemer shows the need for labor law reform, and for larger coordinated campaigns. Wilson and Olney have a generally positive view of the drive, despite its defeat at the polls.  The authors argueContinue reading “Lessons From Bessemer Part 4: Wilson and Olney Say Bessemer Shows Need For PRO Act, Coordination”

By Working Mass John Logan’s Bravery, Not Blowout issues a sharp critique to Jane McAlevey’s Blowout In Bessemer. Writing in Solidarity’s Against the Current, Logan makes the case that McAlevey’s widely-shared critique is not based on the facts. Logan emphasises that it was Amazon’s unprecedented hiring spree, not the RWDSU’s ineptitude, that explains the changeContinue reading “Lessons From Bessemer Part 3: John Logan Rejects Jane McAlevey’s Critique of RWDSU”

By Working Mass Jane McAlevey’s “Blowout In Bessemer” in The Nation is probably the most widely shared – and most controversial – perspective on the Bessemer defeat. She argues that the responsibility for the defeat rests more with the mistakes of the campaign than any other factor. Echoing the content of her books and workContinue reading “Lessons From Bessemer Part 2: Jane McAlevey Argues A Failure In the Basics Explains Bessemer Defeat”

By Working Mass On April 9th, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) announced that Amazon workers in Bessemer, Alabama had rejected unionization, by a vote of 1798 to 738. For several weeks, this union drive captured the attention and imagination of the labor movement and the wider public, as the mainstream media provided coverage atContinue reading “Lessons From Bessemer Part 1: Learn From Bessemer To Beat The Bosses”

By Avir Waxman As the amount of app-based work increases, rideshare drivers across the country are taking the lead in the gig worker labor movement.  From Los Angeles and San Francisco to Chicago and Washington, DC, driver organizations have stepped up to fight against their exploitation. Massachusetts has become the newest battleground in this fight,Continue reading “Driving the Labor Movement: Rideshare Companies, Union Bureaucrats, and The Rank And File”

By Colleen Koperek “High-Fives and Hugs” for Newly Unionized Cannabis Workers in Rhode Island  Workers at Greenleaf Compassionate Care Center in Portsmouth, RI have announced their intent to unionize with UFCW Local 328. Currently a majority of union-eligible employees signed on to the petition and more are expected to do so in the coming weeks. Continue reading “Chronic Problems, COVID, Catalyze Cannabis Workers at Greenleaf Compassionate Care Center”

By Dylan Capossela This year has seen significant victories for Massachusetts workers in cannabis distribution, as workers at multiple dispensaries across the state have voted to join UFCW Local 1445. United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW) is an international union representing 1.3 million workers in both the United States and Canada, covering a diverse rangeContinue reading “Dispensary Workers in MA Vote to Unionize Amidst Coronavirus Concerns”

By Alexandra Bruns-Smith One year into the coronavirus pandemic, St. Vincent nurses show that their fight for safer staffing levels is part of a critical need to support the health and welfare of our nurses, patients, and communities.  On March 8, 800 nurses at St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester, Mass., began an open-ended strike, demandingContinue reading “The St. Vincent’s Nurses Strike Isn’t Just a Labor Struggle, It’s a Community Struggle”

By Colleen Koperek ———————————————————————————————————————– UPDATED March 25, 2021 with a message from Allie Rojas, a community organizer at La Comunidad:  On Tuesday, March 9 we delivered the petition with over 400 signatures to Hoff’s. We gave Vincent Fraturra a week (Tuesday, March 16) to respond to the workers requests to meet with them. We haveContinue reading “Bakery Workers Rise Together: How to Support the Fired Hoff’s Employees”

We, as DSA members in Boston, Worcester and throughout Massachusetts, are outraged by St. Vincent Hospital’s complete disregard for the welfare of patients and nurses alike, but we are inspired by the resilience and courage of the MNA nurses. After years of being pushed to the brink and having their calls for better working conditionsContinue reading “Massachusetts Democratic Socialists of America Statement on the St. Vincent Nurses Strike”