Opinion Pieces

Nelson Lichtenstein in a CNN Op-Ed

Is the Union Movement Making a Comeback?
The recall movement for Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has generated over one million signatures. Ohio voters repealed Senate Bill 5 last November, which would have severely limited collective bargaining and the ability for unions to collect fair-share dues. Indiana has become a political battleground over the controversial proposal to make it a 'right to work' state. Is the union movement making a comeback?

Nelson Lichtenstein in a New York Times Op-Ed

Wal-Mart’s Authoritarian Culture

The Supreme Court decision to block a class-action sex-discrimination lawsuit against Wal-Mart was a huge setback for workers with consequences that range far beyond sex discrimination.

Nelson Lichtenstein on NPR

Labor's Image Problem

Pro-union forces are still turning out in Wisconsin, but is this a a classic labor dispute?

Listen to Lichtenstein's comments on the image and meaning of this important collective protest.

Eileen Boris

Bringing Rights for Domestic Workers Out of the Closet

Boris explores how household workers get the shaft -- and why they are fighting back.

Ezra Klein in the Wahinton Post

Read Klein's interview with Nelson Lichtenstein

Lichtenstein :"A governor like Walker is completely correct that it’s in his self-interest to ignore public opinion."

Nelson Lichtenstein

The Long History of Labor Bashing

Wisconsin state leader has leveraged the budget crisis to strike a body blow at the public-sector unions.

Is Wisconsin a Victory for Unions?

Wisconsin is moving ahead on bill stripping public unions of collective bargaining rights.

Why Everyone Needs Unions

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has proposed a bill to eliminate collective bargaining rights for state workers.

Why Unions Need Intellectuals

Today union leaders and intellectuals are more entangled than at any other time since the 1940s.

Obama's First Year: Why He Deserves a More Enthusiastic Endorsement from the Left

Obama is not finished, but the shelling from the opposition will continue to be intense and the liberal-left casualties

heavy.

Misunderstanding the Anti-Union Narrative

Labor-law reform is stalled in congress.

SEIU's Civil War

American workers need a labor movement grounded in social justice, not fractured, fighting unions.

Time for Another Reuther Plan

The crisis in the American auto industry marks a decisive turning point for the nation's manufacturing economy.

Lemon Socialism or Lemonade

The government and labor unions have control of Chrysler and GM.

Why Wal-Mart Workers Need the Employee Free Choice Act

Opposition to the Employee Free Choice Act reaches a fever pitch.

Chicago Factory Sit-in Fits Nation's Mood

Chicago sit-in echoes the one that built the UAW

Squaring Off Over Labor's Future
Andy Stern Has an Ambitious Plan; Not Everyone is On Board

A Little Knowledge
The Hollywood writers strike proves that the "knowledge workers" of the 21st century still have to fight old battles.
Taking unions out of the workplace
The AFL-CIO's unconventional strategy to make American labor politically powerful again.
Strike Out
The U.S. auto industry and a once great union are now absent without leave in the fight for fair wages and health care benefits
Cleaning Up in Aisle 1
The grocery workers may benefit from a political shift to support labor
Labor and the New Congress: A Strategy for Winning
Democrats in Congress need to rekindle the spirit of the Depression-era LaFollette Committee
The Roots of May Day
The 2006 immigrant marches reminds us of labor's glorious past and possible future