Editor’s Note From Rivera Sun
At the end of the year, Nonviolence News issues a series of special reports. We collect all of the victories and success stories from the last 12 months and share them again. This helps us see our power – which is especially helpful when we feel powerless or discouraged amidst our current struggle. Looking back at the tremendous victories achieved by strikes, pickets, boycotts, walkouts, and more reveals the truism “we have more power than we think”.
Here’s a few highlights: A 3-day strike by teachers in Latvia won wage increases. Gig workers in India passed a significant bill that reins in abuses by big companies. India’s farmers marched to Delhi and gained loan waivers and increased subsidies. Peruvians shut down their country for economic reform and won relief measures and a stimulus package. It has been a year of historic strikes in the United States from the Hollywood Writers and Actors to the United Auto Workers. Union membership is surging – especially in defiance of anti-union policies from US politicians – and union organizing is moving into industries long thought ‘impossible’ to organize. (Studies have shown that a US worker in a union will make $1 million more over their career, btw.)
Check out all these victories in 2023: Half a million fast food workers in California got a raise. 340,000 UPS Teamsters won a raise. 19,000 Southwest Airlines workers won higher wages, as did United Airlines pilots. Farmworkers marched hundreds of miles to secure the right to organize a union in California – and succeeded in holding their first election this year. Graduate students at Temple University and University of California won wage increases, as did professors, adjuncts, and staff at Rutger’s University. 30,000 teachers and staff in Los Angeles won their strike, as well as teachers in Oakland, CA, and Portland, OR. This list goes on and includes nurses, healthcare workers, truckers, and childcare workers.
But wait! There’s more. We’ve collected 96 stories on labor, workers, and economic justice. The second part of our round-up includes the solutionary projects by which people are alleviating poverty, canceling debt, and building economic wellbeing for their communities. From a micro-power grid in Puerto Rico to a mobile bank in the Bronx, these articles show how creativity is delivering solutions to people. Over $500 million of student and medical debt was cancelled this year. Minnesota and Massachusetts ensured free school lunches will be available to all K-12 students.
If I had to pick just 2 favorites (and it’s hard to choose), I’d say don’t miss the story about how South Korea’s youth forced the government to back off on the concept of the 69-hr work week. And who can resist the iron workers in Maine who pounded on the metal pipes of the headquarters so loudly that the management heard the banging at the negotiating table?
In solidarity,
Rivera Sun
Photo Credit: Writers Guild of America pickets outside NBC headquarters as strike launches.
Indian Farmers’ Long March Triumphs As State Government Accepts Demands: Thousands of farmers took part in a long march in the Indian State of Maharashtra forcing the government to accept their demands, including an increase in subsidies and loan waivers. Read more>>
Pressured By Protests, Peru Launches Economic Recovery Plan: The protesters want far more than economic stimulus, but protests have gained some concessions from the government. Welfare provisions (like pensions, soup kitchens and access to natural gas in homes as well as public works), and investments in mining and agriculture were passed in response to the unrest. Read more>>
Gig Workers’ Victory in India: After much pressure by people’s organizations and trade unions, gig workers in India saw a win with the passage of the Rajasthan Platform-Based Gig Workers Bill. The new law could “play a role in taming these bosses and paving the way to imagine open-sourced, worker-owned platforms and digital commons.” Read more>>
South Korea U-Turns on 69-Hour Work Week After Youth Revolt: Millennials and Gen Z have lashed a government for a move that would see them working horrendously long hours. South Korea’s conservative government had proposed raising the work week from 52 hours to a whopping 69 hours. Read more>>
Canada Lands May Day Deal To End Strike By Federal Workers: Canada’s government struck a deal with 120,000 federal workers, effectively ending the country’s largest public-sector strike ever that had crippled services from passport renewals to immigration for almost two weeks. Read more>>
Strikes
New York Nurses Win Safer Staffing, Higher Wages: After three days on strike, the nurses reached tentative deals with their employers, who committed to enforceable safe staffing ratios, new hiring, and an over 19 percent wage increase over three years. “We can return to work with our heads held high,” said nurse union president Nancy Hagans, “knowing that our victory means safer care for our patients and more sustainable jobs for our profession.” Read more>>
North Carolina Sanitation Workers Strike For $5K Bonuses: “We’re here to make a stand. At least 40 trucks should be on the road right now, and as far as we know, no trucks have gone out this morning,” said Durham, North Carolina, sanitation worker Christopher Benjamin, flanked by 100 sanitation and other city workers at a September 6 press conference. By Oct 5th, city workers won $6.5 million in bonuses. Read more>>
‘Striking Does Work’ – Fort Worth Journalists Win Only Newspaper Union Contract in Texas: On the heels of an unprecedented 24-day labor strike late last year, around 20 journalists at the 117-year-old Fort Worth Star-Telegram have ratified the only union contract at a Texas newspaper. Read more>>
Striking Workers From A Homelessness Charity Beat Their Tight-Fisted Bosses: Workers from the homelessness charity Shelter have won their battle against the bosses. Unite the Union, which organizes Shelter workers, said they had won a “vastly improved pay offer” following effective strike action. In addition, a one-off payout was also prized out of the bosses. Read more>>
Strike Suspended After UIC Faculty Union Reaches Tentative Deal: The deal includes minimum salary increases and commitments to expand resources for student wellness. Read more>>
King Crab Fisherman in Alaska: In Alaska, 130 king crab fishing boats and their crews in Kodiak, Alaska are declaring victory in their two-week long strike against the local processors in Kodiak. Initially, the processors’ association was offering the fisherman only $2.50 per pound for crab, down from $5.85 per pound. The fishermen won an increase to $3.35-per-pound and after 2 weeks on strike, declared victory so that they can take advantage of the fishing season. Read more>>
Norfolk Southern Workers Win Paid Sick Days – And Hyundai to Divest from Plant that Used Child Labor: Norfolk Southern, reeling from negative publicity, has agreed to give seven days of paid sick leave to 3,000 railroad workers. Immigrant child labor was widely used in both the Kia and Hyundai supply chains in Alabama. Now, Hyundai says that it will divest from one of its suppliers that used child labor. Read more>>
‘Huge Win’ – Railway Unions Strike Deal on Sick Leave With Industry Giant CSX: After sustained pressure from organized workers and their allies, freight rail giant CSX Transportation agreed Tuesday to provide 5,000 employees in two unions with four days of paid sick leave each year—an industry-first move progressive said should serve as an example for other companies to follow. Read more>>
Union Kitchen Workers Win Back Pay in National Labor Relations Board Settlement: Union organizers at Union Kitchen locations in the D.C. region have settled a dispute with the food accelerator and retailer, which officials said had engaged in union-busting tactics outlined in an extensive complaint last fall. The National Labor Relations Board settlement agreement requires the restaurant to pay nearly $25,000 in backpay and frontpay to five workers who were fired or faced discipline, apparently in retaliation for their participation in the union drive. Read more>>
How To Get Un-Fired: In a few days Austin Locke will walk back into the Queens, New York, Starbucks store he was fired from seven months ago. He’ll also get a wad of back pay, and money from civil penalties. His case was argued and won by the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP), using a city law passed in 2021 which makes unjust firings in fast food illegal. Read more>>
Temple’s Graduate Worker Strike Ends With Important Victories: After a six-week-long strike, Temple University graduate workers won important victories, including the reinstatement of healthcare benefits and tuition remission. They also ended the tiered wage structure and gained pay raises, bereavement and parental leave. Read more>>
‘When We Fight, We Win!’: LA School Workers Secure Deal After 3-Day Strike: Union negotiators for about 30,000 school support staffers in California’s Los Angeles County struck a historic deal with the second-largest district in the United States on Friday after a three-day strike. Read more>>
Chipotle Must Pay $240K to Workers After It Closed Unionizing Store in Maine: Labor officials found that Chipotle illegally closed the store after workers sought to form the company’s first union. Read more>>
A Landmark Wage Increase At the University of California: Graduate students won a major raise after five weeks on strike. The victory is a product of the militancy that has pushed the union to the vanguard of organized labor in higher ed. Read more>>
Half A Million California Workers Get A Raise And A Seat At The Table: In a remarkable reversal of fortune, the state’s fast-food worker movement, created and steered by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), has compelled the giants of the fast-food industry (both national stalwarts like McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King, and Starbucks and local legends like In-N-Out) to withdraw their opposition to raising their workers’ wages and establishing a statewide labor-business board to deal with industry issues. Read more>>
How Major League Baseball Came Together For ‘Life-Changing’ New Contract For The Minor Leagues: “It’s life-changing for a lot of people now,” Nambiar said, “and for generations going forward.” In-person discussions and first-person stories led to a landmark first collective-bargaining agreement for minor league players, who described their struggle to understand how an $11 billion-a-year industry could so disregard the mental and physical well-being of its next generation of players. Read more>>
Union Hotel Workers in New York Suburbs Score Biggest Pay Raise in 100 Years: The deal boosts some wages to $31 an hour. It reflects pressure hotels face to raise pay amid inflation and labor shortages. The hike is closing the gap between the 7,000 covered suburban workers and their union counterparts in New York City. Read more>>
Agitation By Teachers Forces Latvian Government To Increase Wages: An intense three-day strike by educators in Latvia, led by the Latvian Education and Science Workers’ Trade Union (LIZDA), forced the coalition government headed by Krisjanis Karins to increase their wages. LIZDA organized a major protest march in the Latvian capital of Riga on April 24 and went on a three-day strike until April 27. Read more>>
North Hollywood Strippers Unionize in LA First: In Los Angeles, strippers at North Hollywood’s Star Garden have unionized with Actor’s Equity in a first for Los Angeles. The victory comes after management withdrew its legal challenge to a nearly-year-long legal battle by the strippers for the right to unionize there. Read more>>
Rutgers Strike Wins Big : The strike was the first in Rutgers’ 253-year history, and remarkable in that all instructional workers walked out, including full-time faculty, grad workers, and adjuncts. Rutgers is the oldest large public university in New Jersey with 67,000 students. The agreement includes big salary gains: 30 percent for the lowest-paid adjuncts in the first year, and 43 percent across the life of the contract, plus 33 percent raises for graduate teaching and research assistants. Read more>>
‘Huge Victory for Workers’: Judge Excoriates Starbucks for Union-Busting in Pittsburgh: “Time is ticking, Starbucks and the longer you continue your anti-union crusade,” said Starbucks Workers United, “the more the public will learn about your truly heinous actions against workers.” Read more>>
Ironworkers’ Loud Contract Campaign Gets the Goods: Ironworkers in Local 807 in Augusta, Maine, marched, organized, and got loud to win a good contract from the steel manufacturing company Cives. To make company negotiators feel their power, ironworkers in Augusta, Maine, got loud—hammering on beams in the plant and leaning on their car horns. “Hammer time” was one of many pressure points they used to win a good contract in May. Another one: when the company dragged its feet in bargaining, workers just stopped putting in extra hours—and stopped going the extra mile when they were there. Read more>>
“We’ve Changed The Game: Teamsters Win Historic UPS Contract: Today, the Teamsters reached the most historic tentative agreement for workers in the history of UPS, protecting and rewarding more than 340,000 UPS Teamsters nationwide. The overwhelmingly lucrative contract raises wages for all workers, creates more full-time jobs, and includes dozens of workplace protections and improvements. The UPS Teamsters National Negotiating Committee unanimously endorsed the five-year tentative agreement. Editor’s Note: Critics of the agreement point out that it falls short on issues that affect 140,000 part-time workers. Read more>>
“We Refused to Leave Anyone Behind” – Oakland Teachers Secure Wins in Strike: Teachers’ demands included a living wage, equitable class sizes and expanded special education services. Read more>>
Dozens of Truck Drivers Went On Strike In Germany And Won. Here’s How. After a six-week strike and a failed attempt to disperse them using force, more than 60 truck drivers from Georgia and Uzbekistan finally left their picket off a German motorway, and headed home with their wage arrears paid in full. This spring’s historic strike marked the first time they had engaged in industrial action on such a wide – or successful – scale. Read more>>
With Strike Looming, UPS Teamsters Win Air Conditioning & Other Gains: Since national negotiations started in March, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters has reached many tentative agreements in their national contract with United Parcel Service. These agreements that will benefit Teamsters include but are not limited to better cooling systems in package cars, strengthened grievance procedures, and the creation of more union jobs. The current Teamsters contract with UPS was a five-year agreement which expires on July 31. Unless the Teamsters bargaining team reaches a tentative agreement with UPS for a next contract and the rank and file votes “yes” by July 31, over 300,000 Teamsters are set to strike on August 1. Read more>>
Union Wins At New York Farms Raise Hopes For Once-Powerful United Farm Workers: Five hundred farmworkers have unionized – the biggest success in years for the union co-founded by Cesar Chavez. Teresa Romero, president of the United Farm Workers, told the Guardian that the victories were made possible by a four-year-old New York law – the Farm Laborers Fair Labor Practices Act – which gives farm workers a state-protected right to unionize prohibits retaliation against farm workers seeking to organize. To ease unionization, the law requires farms to recognize a union once a majority of workers sign pro-union cards. Read more>>
Ontario’s Hidden Wage Wins Should Be Recognized as Union Victories: While the past two years have posed challenges for Canadian union members amid soaring inflation, unions in Ontario have secured remarkable wage gains that have largely gone unnoticed. Read more>>
United Airlines Pilots Reach Preliminary Labor Deal With Up To 40% Raises: United Airlines pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, reached a deal in principle with the airline, giving the pilots up to a 40% raise, the union confirmed to CNN Saturday. The deal has about $10 billion in value over the life of the contract, the union said, with improvements to “quality of work-life, compensation, job security, work rules, retirement, benefits.” Read more>>
Wage Gains At UPS Have Amazon Workers Demanding More: “Everybody’s jaw dropped” when they heard that night shift workers at the Philly UPS air hub will get an immediate raise to $24.75, Blundell said. “We (UPS) top out around $20.90 after three years, so UPS is now starting well above that—with raises for the rest of the contract.” Read more>>
How a California Child Care Workers’ Union Fought for Living Wages — And Won: The victory was a big moment for a labor movement largely led by immigrants and women of color — two groups whose domestic work has historically been undervalued and excluded from labor protection laws. Read more>>
Workers At a Chicago Safety-Net Hospital Went On Strike. They Just Won Across-The-Board Raises: Following an 11-day strike that galvanized a Chicago West Side neighborhood, around 200 hospital workers treating uninsured and underinsured patients have won and ratified a new contract they believe will help them better serve the community. Read more>>
Southwest Airlines Strikes Deal with 19,000 Ground Workers for New Contract: After two years of negotiations, Transport Workers Union Local 555, which represents the 19,000 workers in ramp, operations, provisioning and freight at Southwest, reached an agreement on Aug. 9 with the Dallas-based carrier. Read more>>
After Historic 3-Day Strike, Kaiser Permanente Workers Win 21% Raise Over 4 Years: Kaiser Permanente and a coalition of unions reached a tentative deal Friday morning, ending the largest healthcare labor dispute in U.S. history. The new contract aims to address staffing shortages with raises that will amount to 21% in wage increases over the next four years, to help retain current workers. The deal comes after tens of thousands of nurses, ER technicians, and pharmacists participated in a three-day strike Oct. 4-6. Read more>>
For the First Time, A Garment Manufacturing Business Owner Arrested For Felony Wage Theft: Lawrence Lee, co-owner of garment manufacturer business Parbe Inc., dba Fabiola, and Soon Ae Park, a garment contractor who had a history of wage theft, have been arraigned on felony charges of grand theft of wages and perjury by declaration. “This is the first time a garment manufacturer and garment contractor have ever been arrested for wage theft,” said Labor Commissioner Lilia García-Brower. “These employers not only abused their workers by paying them as little as $6.00 per hour but they also defrauded the system. Read more>>
US Unions Winning Big Gains Amid ‘Great Reset’ in Worker Power: Increased militancy after pandemic sacrifices and tighter labor market contributed to impressive contract deals in the last year. Across the US, labor unions are winning surprisingly large contract settlements as workers have reset their expectations to demand considerably more than they did just a few years ago, and that has in turn pressured many corporations to reset – and increase – the pay packages they are giving in union contracts. Read more>>
UAW Reaches Tentative Agreement With Ford: The United Auto Workers union said it has reached a tentative contract agreement with Ford that could be a breakthrough toward ending the nearly 6-week-old strikes against Detroit automakers. “We told Ford to pony up, and they did,” President Shawn Fain said in a video address to members. “We won things no one thought possible.” He added that Ford put 50% more money on the table than it did before the strike started on Sept. 15. Read more>>
Uber, Lyft To Pay $328 Million To Settle New York Wage Theft Claims: Uber (UBER.N) and Lyft (LYFT.O) will pay a combined $328 million to settle claims by New York’s attorney general that the ride-sharing companies systematically cheated drivers out of pay and benefits in the state of New York. Attorney General Letitia James said Uber will pay $290 million and Lyft will pay $38 million to resolve her office’s multi-year investigation into the companies, calling it the largest wage theft settlement in her office’s history. The complaint started with driver groups. Read more>>
MGM Resorts Reaches Tentative Deal To Avoid Strike With Las Vegas Hotel Workers: The Las Vegas hotel workers union says it has reached a deal with MGM Resorts International, the largest employer on the Las Vegas Strip, on the heels of its breakthrough agreement with Caesars Entertainment. Read more>>
Honda Hikes US Production Workers’ Pay After UAW Deals With Detroit Three: Honda Motor said on Friday it would give production workers at its U.S. facilities an 11% pay hike starting in January, a decision announced a couple of weeks after the United Auto Workers (UAW) union and the Detroit Three automakers agreed to new contracts. Read more>>
Pharmacist Organizing Forces Walgreens to Give Thanksgiving Off: Across the United States, pharmacists have been increasingly organizing, engaging in wildcat strikes, and winning changes. Last month, the Machinists union even launched the Pharmacist Guild. In response to their organizing, Walgreens has agreed to close most of their pharmacies for Thanksgiving. Read more>>
Striking Actors Reach “Extraordinary” Tentative Deal With Hollywood Studios: The union representing actors across the television and film industries announced late Wednesday that it reached a tentative contract deal with major studios, bringing to an end a monthslong strike that — combined with a simultaneous writers strike — shut down much of Hollywood’s production. The deal, which includes pay increases and protections against AI, brings to an end a four-month long strike. Read more>>
Farmworkers Hold First Union Election After Winning New Law: “Great news: farm workers just won their first election under the new law we marched for last summer! I wanted to share this first with amazing supporters like you, who stood by us the entire way. As I marched 335 miles, I listened to the stories of workers who marched every mile alongside me.” Read more>>
Portland Teachers End Strike After Winning Higher Wages and Smaller Class Sizes: In Oregon, thousands of teachers are expected to return to work today after reaching a historic tentative agreement with the Portland Public Schools district. The deal, reached Sunday, came more than three weeks after teachers at 81 Portland-area schools walked out on strike. The Portland Association of Teachers union said the tentative deal had secured key wins, including demands for higher wages, class size limits and more time to plan lessons. Read more>>
Marvel Studios VFX Workers Unanimously Vote to Unionize with IATSE, Marking Historic First: Marvel Studios’ Visual Effects (VFX) Workers unanimously voted in favor of unionizing with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) in an election held by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the union announced Wednesday. Disney VFX workers are balloting until October 2. Read more>>
How Did California Fast-Food Workers Win $20 an Hour? The fast-food industry threatened to undo a major labor law in California. But even a compromise bill appeasing the industry is a huge step forward for low-wage workers. Read more>>
Writers’ Strike Ends After Nearly Five Months as WGA Unveils Tentative Deal: “The WGA appears to have won more than analysts initially believed possible.” “It is the leverage generated by your strike, in concert with the extraordinary support of our union siblings, that finally brought the companies back to the table to make a deal.” Read more>>
‘Unbreakable Solidarity Is Working’: UAW Wins Protections for GM Battery Plant Workers: Wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with the words, “Eat the Rich” in his latest online broadcast Friday afternoon, United Auto Workers president Shawn Fain told the union’s 145,000 members that brand-new progress made in contract negotiations with the Big Three automakers made one thing clear: “We are winning.” Read more>>
United Campus Workers Racks Up Victories Across ‘Right-To-Work’ Tennessee: UCW President Anne Langendorfer explains her union’s unique approach to building power in a state where the cards are firmly stacked against workers’ rights. Read more>>
Cornell Will Not Renew Starbucks Contract Amid Student Pressure: Cornell appears to be the first university to cancel its contract with Starbucks as a result of the company’s response to the Starbucks Workers United campaign. Read more>>
Despite DeSantis’ Anti-Union Law, Florida’s Teachers’ Union Gains 5,000 Members: Florida’s Governor DeSantis passed a provision that stripped public employees’ unions in the state of the ability to collect dues automatically from union members’ paychecks. However, Florida Education Association President Andrew Spar says the attacks have backfired. Surprisingly, they found that teachers, particularly younger teachers, who had never been involved in the union were starting to sign up to become members. Read more>>
After Beloved Baltimore Coffee Shop Abruptly Closed, Workers Reopened As Co-op: Common Ground Bakery Cafe suddenly closed this summer, but workers have now revived it as a co-op that will soon reopen in the same building. The date hasn’t been set yet, but they’re aiming to return in early September with a similar menu. Nineteen people will be worker-owners, and another three will return temporarily. Read more>>
After Trying Out The 4-Day Work Week, 91% of Companies Want To Keep It: Sixty-one companies in the United Kingdom joined a pilot program in June 2022 in which they reduced their employees’ workweek to four days—with no reduction in salary—and eight months later, 91% of them say they have no plans to go back to a five-day week. “It’s time for the four-day week to go mainstream,” said advocates. Read more>>
A Cooperative Farm’s Long Path to Liberation for Farmworkers: Tierra y Libertad in northern Washington is the first farmworker-owned co-op in the Pacific Northwest; after years of uncertainty, the group is focused on growing a solidarity economy. Read more>>
Virginia Dept. of Veteran Affairs Reaches ‘Historic’ Settlement To Reinstate, Compensate Thousands of Wrongfully Fired Feds: The settlement comes years after the American Federation of Government Employees filed a grievance against the Dept. of Veteran Affairs for carrying out mass firings in violation of the union’s collective bargaining agreement. Read more>>
Loophole Closed To Protect Workers: Giant companies like Amazon and McDonalds can’t hide behind loopholes, contractors and franchisees to exploit workers anymore. The NLRB just finalized a new ‘joint-employer’ rule that says corporations are responsible for workers employed by contractors. Read more>>
New York Passes Law To Protect Warehouse Workers: The law, known as the Warehouse Worker Protection Act, requires distribution centers to disclose work speed data to their employees so they better understand their productivity rate and the company’s expectations. It also bars companies from firing workers because they failed to meet quotas that weren’t transparent or didn’t allow enough time for rest and bathroom breaks. Read more>>
Companies That Try to Union-Bust Will Be Forced To Recognize Union: The National Labor Relations Board just made it a whole lot harder to union-bust. The new unionization process framework is part of a decision in a case between Cemex Construction Materials Pacific and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. If a majority of workers ask a company to recognize their union, under the new rules, the company must now immediately either recognize the union or petition the NLRB to hold a union election. Read more>>
Economic Justice Solutions
The Movement That Built Puerto Rico’s First Community-Owned Microgrid: Founded in 1980, Casa Pueblo is well known across the island and among the diaspora, who were sending aid, trying, in part, to make up for the inadequate federal response after the hurricane. Across the island, groups like the Casa Pueblo have relied on deep roots in the community to create local buy-in and lead an equitable transition to energy security. Read more>>
A Mobile Bank On Wheels Reaches Bronx Residents Where They Are: This coalition partnered with a credit union to provide services designed for an underbanked community. The mobile banking branch travels the 42-square-mile borough helping people get their banking done. Read more>>
The Zero-Fare Public Transit Movement Is Picking Up Momentum: The “zero-fare” movement has garnered support among business groups, environmental advocates, political leaders and others who say that public transit boosts local economies, mitigates climate change and is a basic necessity for many individuals. The idea gained traction during the pandemic, which underscored the critical role public transit plays for essential workers who don’t have the luxury of working from home. Read more>>
The Transit Equity Movement Wins Their Biggest Zero Fare Victory Yet: A racial justice-focused community organizing group led the charge for Albuquerque’s free bus fare policy. The logic is simple: If most roads are toll-free, shouldn’t public transit be fare-free too? Read more>>
Britain Extends Free Childcare For Working Parents: Britain will expand free childcare to children from 9 months old to help families who currently pay some of the highest costs in the world, finance minister Jeremy Hunt said. As part of a plan to encourage more people back into work, Hunt said the government would provide 30 hours of free childcare per week to eligible working parents of children aged under five by 2025. Read more>>
Nigerian School Accepts Plastic Bottles For Tuition: At one school in Lagos, Nigeria, a plastic bottle equals one naira, so parents bring a lot of plastic bottles to be weighed and sold, paying their children’s school fees in this unorthodox way. Although it is the sole responsibility of the parents to gather the bottles for school fees payment, each student is encouraged to bring five bottles a day to teach them how to be “environmentally responsible children for the future.” Read more>>
How A Former Dumping Ground Became a Flourishing Food Ecosystem: On a dead-end street in Cleveland’s Kinsman neighborhood, on 18 acres of land that previously served as an illegal dumping ground, an entire food ecosystem has emerged and thrived under the leadership of local residents. Rid-All Green Partnership started with a single hoop house erected in February of 2011; now acres of farmland support a community kitchen and farmer’s market. All food waste is turned into compost, which supports the farm and is sold across Cleveland. A training program and paid apprenticeships bring community members in, while an aquaponics and hydroponics system generates local jobs. Specialized programs emerged to serve veterans and youth. Read more>>
Debt Activists Buy $10 Million of Student Debt For $125K And Canceled It All: Debt activists have bought out the student debt balances held by nearly all of the attendees of a historically Black college for a penny on the dollar — and canceled it entirely. On Monday, a debtors’ union called the Debt Collective announced that, in collaboration with its sister organization, the Rolling Jubilee Fund, it had bought nearly $10 million of debt in collections from Morehouse College for a mere $125,000, or a little more than a penny on the dollar. Read more>>
Chicago-Area County Is Eliminating Medical Debt For Almost 73,000 People: Nearly $80 million in medical debt has been acquired, eliminating the financial burden accumulated by tens of thousands of people. RIP Medical Debt – a group launched in the 2011 Occupy Movement – engineered this “trendsetting” achievement. Read more>>
Health Care Advocates Celebrate Passage of Medical Debt Relief in New York: Thanks to a new bill, 740,000 New Yorkers will no longer have medical debt on their credit reports. Meanwhile, a battle is brewing in the state to expand health care access to 250,000 undocumented people. Read more>>
Columbus, Ohio Agrees To Wipe Out $335 Million In Medical Debt: City Council reached an agreement with four area hospitals to wipe out medical debt for those who qualify. Columbus City Hall approved on Monday evening a sweeping landmark deal to wipe out $335 million of medical debt, providing financial relief to more than 340,000 moderate-income residents in Columbus. Read more>>
Journalist Mutual Aid Fund Takes Off: She started an aid network for laid-off journalists and it spread like wildfire. Education reporter Kati Kokal wanted to help Gannett reporters facing job cuts. She got help from all over the country. Read more>>
Wesleyan University Becomes Latest School To End Legacy Admissions: In recent years, several schools, including Amherst College in Massachusetts, Carnegie Melon University in Pennsylvania and Johns Hopkins University in Maryland have also eliminated legacy admissions. Read more>>
‘Will Literally Change Lives’: Massachusetts Legislature Approves Universal Free School Meals: The Massachusetts Legislature on Monday approved a budget proposal that requires the state’s public schools to provide all K-12 students with free meals, making permanent a highly successful pandemic-era program. “We would not be where we are today without the voices and activism of thousands of advocates and organizations, who made it clear that feeding our kids must be a statewide priority,” Erin McAleer, president and CEO of the Massachusetts anti-hunger group Project Bread, said in a statement Monday. Read more>>
A Coal Mine Turned Garden Feeds 2,000 Texans Every Month: The 1-acre garden in Texas, situated in the middle of a 35,000-acre former mine, supplies thousands of pounds of fresh produce to families in three counties that have few grocery stores. Read more>>
Baby Boon – Guaranteed Income Pilot Program Goes Permanent: Since 2021, the Bridge Project has been providing no-strings cash to new mothers in northern Manhattan. This pilot program is now set to become permanent — and to spread elsewhere in New York City and Rochester, New York — making it the first guaranteed income program in the US intended to continue indefinitely. Read more>>
NYC Nannies Built an Underground Care Economy That Should Inspire US Policy: A circle of nannies in New York City created an underground care economy that challenges us to dream bigger. Read more>>
Facing Consolidation, Communities Open Their Own Grocery Stores: When the longtime owner of Hometown Foods in tiny Conrad, Iowa announced in 2019 that he was closing the community’s only grocery store, some residents quickly mobilized to buy the business and keep it open. A few of them pooled their money to buy the building; one bought the fixtures; another bought the store’s inventory. They then approached Andy Havens, who owns two small grocery markets in nearby towns, about managing the store. He agreed to do so – and he is now gradually buying out the initial investors. Read more>>
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz Signs Free School Meals Bill Into Law: Minnesota is the third state in the nation to require schools to serve free lunch and breakfast to all students, regardless of income. Read more>>
Philadelphia Aims to Start Guaranteed Income Program for New Parents by 2024: The program’s aim is to cut infant mortality rates for low-income neighborhoods in the city. The pilot program, which will be called the Philly Joy Bank, would provide monthly payments to 250 expecting parents and parents of newborns in three areas of the city where infant health is at the lowest rates. Read more>>
Housing
How a Trailblazing Tenants Union Forced a Mega-Landlord to the Bargaining Table: In less than two weeks, the Blake Street 16 went from facing eviction court to pioneering the first landlord-tenant negotiations in Connecticut’s history. Read more>>
Imagine a Renters’ Utopia … It Might Look Like Vienna: Soaring real estate markets have created a worldwide housing crisis. What can we learn from a city that has largely avoided it? The difference is Vienna prioritizes subsidizing construction, while the U.S. prioritizes subsidizing people with vouchers. Read more>>
Land in Community Hands Could Advance Affordable Housing: Last week, Miami voted to establish a pilot community land trust (CLT) program with the goal of creating 50 units of affordable housing. Read more>>
As Cities Resist Affordable Housing, This Homeless Shelter Fought Back And Won: Advocates for people experiencing homelessness in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, scored an upset victory. They opened a 20-bed shelter for short-term guests in a donated building that once belonged to a dentist and his wife. The private facility fills a gap that the town ignored for years, despite a prolonged housing crisis that continues to push people onto the streets. Read more>>
In Detroit, A Building Is Transformed Into Permanent Housing For Veterans Experiencing Homelessness: The building, operated by nonprofit Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries, gives veterans like Tucker a much needed permanent housing option while stripping away some long-standing rental barriers, such as bad credit or a record of evictions, depending on their circumstances. These barriers often hinder veterans going through a rough phase from securing an apartment. Read more>>
Social Housing: How a New Generation of Activists Are Reinventing Housing: What is social housing? The simple answer is that it is a systemic approach to providing homes that treat housing not as a commodity, but as a human right. But to make it more than just a slogan, you need policies and institutions to make that right. Read more>>
These Tenants Fought Boston University For Ownership Of Their Homes, And Won: A wealthy philanthropist donated four apartment buildings in L.A.’s Baldwin Hills to Boston University. The school wanted to sell the buildings to the highest bidder – but tenants had a better idea. Read more>>
How Los Angeles Tenants Beat the Landlords—For Now: Significantly for tenants, voters approved Measure ULA, a new tax on real estate sales of $5 million or more, with the funds going to affordable housing and rent relief, plus legal counsel for tenants. Then, the Los Angeles City Council, on the heels of rallies, protests, public comment and outcry, approved new protections for renters. Those included universal just cause for evictions, a monetary threshold for nonpayment evictions, and relocation assistance for those displaced by rising rents. Read more>>
Flatbush Tenants Force Repairs After Decades of Neglect: After years of organizing rent strikes and lawsuits against their slumlord, residents of a Flatbush building with more than 500 open violations are starting to see repairs. Read more>>
When Tackling Homelessness, Prevention is Often the Best Medicine: By intervening early, often with small rent payments, a Portland, Oregon, shelter kept nearly 100 families out of homelessness last year, saving thousands of dollars in future rehousing costs. Read more>>
Not Guilty: Volunteer Who Fed Homeless Wins Court Case: A volunteer who was ticketed by Houston Police for feeding the homeless outside the public library back in March was found not guilty in a criminal court trial earlier this week. Phillip Picone is with the group Food Not Bombs, which has been operating since 1995, but because of a city ordinance, they have been asked to move their operations to a different location. Read more>>
Bozeman, Montana Votes To Ban Some Short-Term Rentals, ‘Grandfathers’ Others: Proponents say the new ordinance will help alleviate city’s housing crisis. Members of the group Bozeman’s Tenants United claimed Tuesday’s vote as a victory won through a months-long campaign to ban short-term rentals in the city. Read more>>
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