By Rachel Goldfarb, originally published on Next New Deal
The Seeds of a New Labor Movement (TAP)
Harold Meyerson profiles David Rolf of SEIU and his work to push labor organizations beyond collective bargaining to incorporate minimum wage fights and other organizing work. Among his projects was the fight for a $15 per hour minimum wage in SeaTac, Washington.
“It wasn’t traditional collective bargaining,” says Rolf, “but it was an alternative form of bargaining. It was very like Europe—politically constructed bargaining between the leaders of business and labor. Some of the people who will benefit from the raise will be union members in home care and grocery stores, but most will never be union members. It covers more people than any contract you could get today.”
- Roosevelt Take: Roosevelt Institute Senior Fellow Richard Kirsch's report lays out policy ideas for reinvigorating the labor movement.
Follow below the fold for more.
Holiday Shopping Season Kicks Off With Temp Workers Who Have No Rights (The Guardian)
Siri Srinivas says Amazon's annual hiring of thousands of temp workers to staff its warehouses during the busy holiday season highlights the lack of protections for U.S. workers.
States Ease Laws That Protected Poor Borrowers (NYT)
Michael Corkery reports on recent efforts by the consumer loan lobby to permit higher interest rates on riskier loans. These changes are opposed by many, including military leaders.
America’s Ugly Economic Truth: Why Austerity is Generating Another Slowdown (Salon)
David Dayen says that our economic October surprise, which includes stock market slumps and interest rate drops, is indicative of a larger global problem caused by austerity politics.
Ebola Galvanizes Workers Battling to Join Unions, Improve Safety (Reuters)
For workers exposed to bodily fluids, like those who clean airplane bathrooms, lack of clarity around Ebola safety has kicked union organizers into overdrive, writes Mica Rosenberg.
Republicans Trying to Woo, or at Least Suppress, Minority Vote (NY Mag)
Jonathan Chait looks at the Republican Party's split strategy, which simultaneously attempts to convince minority voters to vote for them while pushing laws that make it more difficult to vote.
Federal Reserve Officials Scold Bankers, Again (Buzzfeed)
Matthew Zeitlin reports on statements by the New York Federal Reserve president at a conference on Monday, where he questioned whether large banks can be managed effectively.