The events of May 1st, 2006 showed the determination and courage of im­migrant workers as millions organized demonstrations and strike actions across the country. This May Day 2008, we saw largely native-born dockworkers taking strike action to resist the war in Iraq. It is good to see May 1st, Interna­tional Workers Day, re-established as an event of celebration and resistance in the country of origin, the United States.

A movement needs to be built to fight for a living wage of at least $12.50 an hour or a guaranteed income of $500 per week for all, to fight foreclo­sures, for a free single-payer universal healthcare system, to extend unemployment ben­efits and to provide relief to all who need help.

Recent trucker protests are another sign of deepening economic crisis. $4 a gallon and more for diesel fuel sparked a wave of long-haul truckers’ protests beginning in April and still continuing. New Jersey, Washington D.C., New York, Maine and other areas have seen trucker slowdowns, shut downs, horn-blaring convoys, marches and other acts of resistance.

The fastest-growing and most widely publicized union in the country has been building its dues base by making confidential agreements with employers that exclude the members. It is the opposite of union democracy: instead of members electing their leaders, these leaders work with employers to choose their members - and determine what rights and benefits they’ll have before they ever get the chance to join.

Chanting "No Peace - No Work" and "Money for Jobs and Education, Not War," over a thousand union members, anti-war and immigrant rights activists participated in the historic ILWU's (International Longshore and Warehouse Union) 8-hour stop work action to protest against the U.S lead occupation in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Rank-and-file activists in Amalgamated Transit Union Local 587 in King County, WA are leading a struggle for a better contract.

With working-class families reeling under the impact of the housing bubble bursting, rising prices, and layoffs, workers and the labor movement need a clear program that defends our interests. Here is a workers' program to fight the bosses' attacks.

On average, in the U.S. women make 76% of men’s wages. Three-fourths of poverty in the U.S. is concentrated in women and their children. This number is not shrinking, but growing, particularly among unmarried women, single parents, widows, and displaced homemakers.

Anucha Browne Sanders’ case against the New York Knicks shows that sexual harassment is an extremely pervasive phenomenon. It is easy to assume that such behavior only occurs in situations where women are in virtually powerless subordinate positions. However, all women workers face this threat.

The California Nurses Association (CNA) represents 80,000 registered and advance practice nurses at more than 170 public and private facilities in California. It has been at the forefront of struggles to organize nurses and ensure decent wages and working conditions, as well as the fight for universal, single-payer healthcare.

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) has announced a one-day strike against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, calling for a “No Peace No Work Holiday” to take place May 1. They are calling on the AFL-CIO, the Change to Win Coalition, and other unions to do the same. This is a major development for both the labor movement and antiwar movement in the U.S.

After breaking with the management-dominated American Nurses Association in 1996, the CNA turned its full attention, strength and budget toward the concerns of the direct care nurse, organizing the unorganized, bargaining strong contracts and getting politically active.

While Wal-Mart has been getting tons of bad publicity for its abuse of its workforce, Target, the fifth largest retailer in the U.S., has been enjoying a free publicity ride. Target presents itself as a decent corporate citizen and boasts of its generosity to charities, in contrast to the big bad Wal-Mart wolf. But this is all a smoke screen, as I can tell you from experience.

The leadership of the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) in New York City, representing over 100,000 education workers, has made a serious concession to the bosses’ neo-liberal agenda for public education. They have agreed to a “trial” bonus program in 200 city schools that opens the door to individual merit pay.

Florida - a place of sunny beaches, wholesome resorts, and slave labor. Just this December, three Florida fruit pickers were found after escaping an employer who brutally beat them and forced them to work as slaves for over a year.