Protesting the layoff of veteran teachers in Washington, D.C.

The escalating war on public-sector unions

The long war on unions is escalating in the public sector as the recession wipes out tax revenue and triggers deep budget cuts in states, large and small.

What happened November 3?

There are two wrong interpretations of the November 3 election results circulating in the political establishment and among its chatterers.

Transit workers strike in Philly

The streets of Philadelphia have been overrun by cars, bikers and pedestrians after SEPTA workers struck for a fair contract.

SK workers claim strike victory

Workers at SK Hand Tools in Chicago prevailed in a strike that forced the company to restore health care and pensions.

Revolts behind the iron curtain

Long before the fall of the Berlin Wall, there was a history of workers' struggle against the self-described Communist regimes of Eastern Europe.


What does Maine tell us?

Marching in support of marriage equality

In contrast to the surge of pro-LGBT activism and legislative progress, Maine voters overturned equal marriage rights by a narrow margin.

The public option mirage

The Democrats' proposal for a "public option" is so scaled back that it's barely public--and it can hardly be called much of an option.

Has feminism made women unhappy?

A study on female 'happiness' is being used to fuel claims--once again--that the women's movement of the 1960s and '70s made life worse for women.

Animal rights and self-determination

However well-intentioned, a moralistic approach can have profound implications for how adherents of animal rights politics view human oppression.

Socialism and the lives of animals

Other species don't need political rights like the vote, but they absolutely deserve the ability to live out life according to their instincts.

Views in brief

We need a real public option | Puerto Rican workers show the way | The end of an era in music | Why our words matter | Liberation and the disabled


We need more than rhetoric

If Tuesday's elections reveal nothing else, it's that the time for swooning over photo ops is past. We need action, not words.

Screwing up health care twice

The leading corporate lobbyist against a "public option" in the U.S. helped waste billions on "market reforms" of Britain's National Health Service.

Banksters plot the next robbery

Goldman Sachs and other Wall Street firms are looking forward to a bonus orgy for executives this year--supposedly for a job well done.

The warlords' president

Afghanistan's election farce came to a laughable end when Hamid Karzai was declared the winner after his rival dropped out of a run-off vote.

Another promise broken

A new recruit to the Army waits in line during the intake process (undefined)

Tens of thousands of veterans are struggling to stay in school because of a bureaucratic snafu involving GI Bill education benefits.

Class struggle in Puerto Rico

Three Puerto Rican activists discuss the dynamics of the mass mobilization against the layoffs of more than 25,000 public-sector workers.

What comes next in Honduras?

With a deal that would restore Manuel Zelaya still in the balance, an opponent of the coup regime discusses the resistance's next move.

Justice served in Honduras?

A deal that is supposed to reinstate Manuel Zelaya as president forced concessions from the coup regime, but they were highly conditional.

Challenging the maquila bosses

Two labor and community activists in Mexico describe the fight for justice at an auto parts factory in the northern maquila zone.

Texas march targets executions

Nearly 500 people rallied against the death penalty in Texas as the issue of wrongful convictions and state killing of innocent people has come center stage.

Making money off a pandemic

The pharmaceutical industry is already highly profitable, but this year, it's licking its lips at the prospect of producing vaccines for the swine flu.

Indianapolis hotel workers rally

About 150 workers and activists rallied October 28 in solidarity with workers in several Indianapolis hotels fighting for union recognition.

A victory for Chicago teachers

Candidates of a rank-and-file reform group in the Chicago Teachers Union won a vote for trustees of the teachers' pension fund.

Lessons from an inspiring fight

Some 200 Stella D'oro strikers and their supporters on the march in the Bronx (Brian Jones | SW)

New owners have shut down the Stella D'oro cookie factory in the Bronx where workers won an 11-month strike, but efforts to get full severance continue.

Michigan tuition hike protest

A group of 30 Michigan State University students and faculty picketed the state capitol October 30 to combat recent budget cuts and tuition hikes.

Ore. marchers demand equality

Some 400 activists marched in Portland for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender equal rights and to protest anti-gay violence.

North Texas protest for equality

University of North Texas activists marched to demand that same-sex couples be allowed to participate in the Homecoming Court.

Marching against police killing

Following the killing of Kiwane Carrington by a police officer, the Champaign, Ill., community has found ways to express its outrage.

The horror in Cambodia

Thirty years after he visited Pol Pot's Cambodia, John Pilger describes the holocaust he witnessed there.

No nation can liberate another

An Afghan boy from the village of Aroki (Staff Sgt. Cherie A. Thurlby)

A courageous Afghan opponent of the U.S. occupation of her country and the tyrants in power today makes the case that U.S. troops must be withdrawn now.

No football team? No problem!

Building a stadium during a crisis to house a team that doesn't exist is bonkers. Selling it as a cure for the crisis is even worse.

Race to the top or the bottom?

The Obama administration's so-called "Race to the Top" funds for schools will further the agenda of school "reform" and privatization.

Just when it seemed safe

There must be millions who managed to forget about Tony Blair for the last two years, and now this dreadful man might be ruling us again?

Why isn't our union fighting?

Despite the loss of thousands of teachers' jobs, the California Teachers Association has failed to put resources into organizing for action.

Double standard on abortion

The UK refuses to assert a women's right to choose in Northern Ireland, while advocating safer and more accessible abortions in far-flung places.

Fiddling while the planet burns

A coal-burning power plant near Kenosha, Wisconsin (James Jordan)

With a new international climate summit coming in December, the Obama White House is supporting legislation that will lock in catastrophe.

Stalinism and Eastern Europe

The regimes of Eastern Europe that collapsed 20 years after a series of mass rebellions were the opposite of what we mean by socialism.

What we mean by socialism

Socialism is a system in which people democratically come together to determine how to structure our society so everyone can reach their real potential.

Walking with the dead

A new exhibit for the Day of the Dead at the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago speaks to the experiences of immigrants in the U.S.

A future where Glee is cool

What sets Glee apart is that it understands high school is an alienating experience for countless kids, where gender and sexual norms are vigorously policed.

Standing for LGBT rights

Forty years since Stonewall, the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities have again had enough. It's time to throw down the glove.

The audacity of Barack Obama

The American people made history in electing Barack Obama--and they expected big reforms instead of the same old America Obama represents.

Not the time for polemics

While I often agree with the criticisms made in articles at SocialistWorker.org, I think this is not the period for polemics.

Humans and other animals

Socialists can say more about the ties between people and animals, and can improve our dialogue with those who see animal cruelty as a motivating issue.

The oppression of animals

Animals are an oppressed group whose oppression is intertwined with capitalism. And they deserve our recognition of their rights.

Views in brief

Animal oppression demeans us | End the needless killing of animals | Having humility toward nature | More theory on animal rights | The worth of animals