Tag Archives: labor

Tom Hayden talks with me about Ann Arbor in the late 1950s, his time at the Michigan Daily, the concept of participatory democracy, and the circumstances which gave rise to the Port Huron Statement

By Mark | October 30, 2012

Earlier this evening, I had the occasion to speak with activist and author Tom Hayden about his role in the drafting of the Port Huron Statement, the circumstances which gave rise to this widely influential manifesto of the New Left, and his evolution from student journalist to impassioned activist. Hayden, who is often credited with […]

Posted in Ann Arbor, History, Michigan, Uncategorized | Also tagged 1957, 1960's, 1961, activism, Alan Haber, Bob Ross, Chandler Davis, Clement Markert, Cold War, DNC, freedom rides, House Unamerican Activities Committee, Jack Kerouac, JFK, journalism, kids today, labor movement, Mark Nickerson, Michigan Daily, New Left, On the Road, participatory democracy, Port Huron Statement, SDS, share croppers, Sharon Jeffrey, sit-ins, SNCC, student activism, Students for a Democratic Society, Tennessee, the progressive agenda, Tom Hayden, UAW, unions, University of Michigan, Voice, voting rights | 28 Comments

What does Scott Walker’s victory in Wisconsin mean?

By Mark | June 7, 2012

To all of my friends in Wisconsin who didn’t vote yesterday, I hate you. Not only are you responsible for keeping the unabashed corporate shill Scott Walker in office, but, more importantly, you’re responsible for ruining my first Netroots Nation conference. OK, maybe I’m overstating things a bit. I’m sure the conference will be just […]

Posted in Politics, Uncategorized | Also tagged ALEC, campaign finance reform, Citizens United, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, corporatocracy, election finance reform, get the money out of Washington, Greg Sargent, Koch brothers, Milwaukee, money as free speech, money in politics, Move to Amend, recall, Reince Preibus, robocalls, Russ Feingold, Sarah Palin, Scott Walker, Tom Barrett, unions, voter fraud, We Are Wisconsin, Wisconsin | 24 Comments

Occupy Ypsi Free School this Saturday at EMU

By Mark | April 9, 2012

I took these photos on Water Street a couple of days ago, where some folks had gathered to make art and discuss, among other things, the teach-in that’s scheduled to happen this Saturday at EMU. Here, for those of you not adverse to the idea of getting out of your homes, meeting strangers, and encountering […]

Posted in Photographs, Ypsilanti | Also tagged "Washtenaw Foreclosure Defense, Beth Currans, commons, debt, dismantling of public education, Eastern Michigan University, EMU, events, foreclosure resistance, free school, Greg Pratt, Ian Robinson, immigrant rights, international youth movements, Jeff Clark, Johnny Lupinacci, local food, local meetings, meeting people, Neoliberalism, Nicole Carter, Occupy Ypsilanti, Peter Linebaugh, propaganda, public education, reproductive justice, resist, resistance, Rob Halpern, Robin Lucy, SEPE, Stefanie Stauffer, Students for Ethical and Participatory Education, teach-in, Water Street, Will Daniels, women's health, women's rights | 6 Comments

So, what’s the Washtenaw Community Action Team?

By Mark | October 17, 2011

I’d heard mention of the Washtenaw Community Action Team over the past several months or so, but I never really took the time to figure out how they fit into the local ecosystem of left-leaning political organizations, or what their objectives were. Fortunately, however, I had the occasion this past weekend to exchange a few […]

Posted in Ann Arbor, Corporate Crime, History, Michigan, Politics, Ypsilanti | Also tagged 40 hour work week, AAUP, Adam Warner, AFL-CIO, America Votes Labor Unity Fund, astroturf, banks, bridges, child labor, civil disobedience, collective bargaining, commencement, corporatocracy, Flint, Graduate Employees Organization, Great Flint Sit Down Strike, Gregg Barak, Howard Bunsis, Ian Robinson, infrastructure, Inside Job, Jane Slaughter, Koch brothers, labor history, Martin Luther King, Maureen Taylor, Mehmet Yaya, Occupy Ann Arbor, Occupy Detroit, Occupy Wall Street, OWS, protests, Public Act 4, Right to Teach, right-to-work, Solidarity Forever, Stadium Bridge, Stand Against Snyder, Tom Weisskopf, UM Graduate Research Assistants, UMHS nurses, unions, Wall Street, Washtenaw Community Action Team, WCAT, We Are One, We Are The People, Wisconsin, With Babies and Banners: A Story of the Women's Emergency Brigade | 10 Comments

Ohio Republicans deceive voters with fraudulent ad in effort to end collective bargaining

By Mark | October 12, 2011

Apparently, in Ohio, like in Wisconsin, there’s been a concentrated effort to strip public employees of their collective bargaining rights. The legislation that would do this in Ohio, called Senate Bill 5, has already passed the Republican legislature, and now there’s a state-wide grassroots effort to repeal it via voter referendum. If the repeal effort, […]