Democracy

Tacoma City Council Passes Climate Commission Ordinance

December 21, 2024 Talison Crosby, Fight Back! News. Create! City Council, Climate Justice, Democracy, Tacoma

Tacoma, WA – Dozens of community members gathered at the Tacoma City Council chambers on Tuesday, December 17, in preparation for the city of Tacoma’s vote to pass the city’s first Climate and Sustainability Commission into law. “It’s great that the city council is planning to pass an ordinance enshrining the Climate Commission into law, but as it stands there are some serious problems with it,” said Haze Bender, a rank-and-file member of Teamsters Local 174. “As written, the commission is only advisory, has no real power, and all members are appointed, rather than elected.”

The Conflicted Transformation Of CAW-Unifor, A Canadian Union

December 13, 2024 Herman Rosenfeld, The Bullet. Strategize! Canada, Democracy, UAW, Unions

Recent commentaries on the political trajectory of the major private sector union in Canada, CAW-Unifor, have often had a rather simplistic and problematic perspective. That the CAW-Unifor (the latter being the new name and re-foundation of the union in 2013) drifted from a left, struggle-oriented approach, summarized in the slogan “Fighting back makes a difference,” toward a more collaborative centrist and Gomperist political approach, as the union distanced itself and ultimately moved away from the New Democratic Party (NDP).

Calls For Resignation Of Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol Grow

December 5, 2024 People's Dispatch. Resist! Democracy, General Strike, Martial Law, Military dictatorship, South Korea, Unions, Worker Rights and Jobs, Yoon Seok-Yeol

Trade unions, political parties, and civil society organizations in South Korea have called for the resignation of President Yoon Suk Yeol following his attempt to impose martial law. Opposition parties, including the Democratic Party and the Rebuilding Korea Party, have sponsored a motion in the parliament to impeach Yoon. Thousands participated in a candlelight vigil on Wednesday to demand the same. The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), the largest trade union confederation in the country, announced that they will stage a general strike until President Yoon steps down.

Adapting Employee Ownership For Truly Democratic Businesses

November 12, 2024 Kosta Juri and Tej Gonza, Grassroots Economic Organizing. Create! Cooperatives, Democracy, ESOPs, Globalization, New Economy, Worker Ownership

The form of globalisation that has prevailed – one that primarily serves the interests of financial and corporate elites – is, to a large extent, a political and legal artefact, not an inevitable outcome of an increasingly interconnected global economy. More specifically, it is primarily attributable to the commodified nature of the business enterprise, which is essentially a human organisation but legally treated as a commodity in our economies. A prime example of the damaging effects of business commodification is the private equity industry. Private equity firms typically acquire businesses with growth potential (often through a leveraged buyout, a mechanism originally devised by Louis Kelso in the 1950s for worker buyouts), restructure them to maximise profitability, and then sell them for a profit.

How To Legally Fight Fascism In Your Community

November 6, 2024 John Zangas, DC Media Group. Strategize! Anti-fascism, Democracy, Fascism, History

Washington DC — Anne Frank wrote in her diary, “A single candle can define and defy darkness.” Her diary chronicled the last year of her family’s attempt to remain hidden in an attic from the Nazi persecution of Jews during the Holocaust. She wrote daily entries as the brutality of fascism was marching across the European continent. Her Diary was found on the floor in the attic after she and her family were betrayed, arrested, and taken to a concentration camp where they perished. Her diary stands as both an historic register of the chilling effect of fascism in Holland and a documentation of her family’s personal struggle like millions of other Jewish families under Nazi occupation.

Portents Of Chaos

November 1, 2024 Patrick Lawrence, Consortium News. Educate! 2024 US Presidential elections, Democracy, Democrats, Elections, Republicans

Uh-oh. The New York Times is picking up its familiar theme now that the Nov. 5 elections are but a few days out front: Those mal-intended foreigners are again “sowing discord and chaos in hopes of discrediting American democracy,” it reported in a piece published Tuesday. The Beelzebubs haunting this political season, when everything would otherwise be orderly and altogether copacetic among Americans, are Russia, China and Iran. Why can’t this year’s version of the old, reliable “Axis of Evil” leave us alone with our “democratic process,” the one the rest of the world envies and resents?

Journalism And Democracy In A Time Of Genocide

October 30, 2024 Mary Kostakidis, Consortium News. Educate! Democracy, Free Speech, Genocide, Israel, Journalism, Media, Palestine, Social Media, United Kingdom (UK)

Last month in New York at separate forums, two senior Democrat figures – John Kerry and Hillary Clinton – pointed to what they saw as major problems: the First Amendment was “an obstacle to building consensus,” and the “narrative” in the press needs to be (even more) “consistent.” The challenge presented by the free flow of ideas and information in the digital world, to those accustomed to maintaining control of the narrative, defines our moment in history and the fragility of democratic freedoms. Those calls for less freedom of speech and for more consistency in messaging to the public by the Fourth Estate, come at a time when large sections of the public have lost trust in a legacy media too consistent in its messaging, and incapable of providing the information and analysis that will enable them to know and fully understand what’s happening.

How Cities Can Bring Some Humanity To The Criminal Legal System

October 26, 2024 Erica Perry, Next City. Create! Criminal Justice and Prisons, Democracy, Legal System, Participatory Democracy

Last month, the state of Missouri executed 55-year-old Marcellus Williams, who spent two decades in prison, despite prosecutors’ efforts to overturn his conviction for the 1998 murder of Felicia Gayle. The victim’s family and the St. Louis county prosecuting attorney’s office joined Williams’ family, faith leaders and thousands of community members in asking decision-makers to spare his life. But neither their pleas nor revelations of mishandled evidence and racially biased jury selection were enough to outweigh a legal system with disdain for human life. This pattern of unjust sentencing to death is true across America.

Municipalism, Economic Development, And Participatory Democracy

October 23, 2024 Austin Cole, Black Agenda Report. Create! Democracy, Organizing, Participatory Democracy

In this first part of the conversation, Nick lays out his thoughts on a large range of topics: definitions of economic development and how to think about expanding it to serve all people in a more holistic manner; the fallacy of jobs-only economic development programs and measurements; radical municipalism that can form and utilize people-centered institutions; what true participatory democracy might look like; how to make the public sector work for “the people” and why organizers should get involved in local/municipal governance ; and governing from a place of radical inclusiveness, collective wisdom, and a shared responsibility.

APIII Militia Infiltrator Warns Of Danger To 2024 Elections

October 12, 2024 Dan Feidt, Unicorn Riot. Educate! Democracy, Elections, Rightwing extremism, Violence

A new set of leaks from inside the Telegram chats of the American Patriots Three Percent militia group (AP3 or APIII) reveal a sprawling network buzzing with activity. We got in touch with someone who infiltrated this group for around two years; they gave us a full explanation of why they spent so long trying to get into the group’s leadership circles, which span many states. ‘The infiltrator’ wrote, “I spent two years infiltrating right-wing terrorist groups. I can say firsthand that voters are at risk on Election Day.” An investigation ProPublica released in August is based in part on the same overall group of leaks. While no one in APIII has caught terrorism charges, the infiltrator has emerged with a lot of receipts which raises questions of whether APIII has violated laws around voter intimidation.

A New Frontier For Rail Labor: Why Not?

October 10, 2024 Jason Doering, Railway Age. Strategize! Class Struggle, Democracy, Railroads, Unions, Worker Rights and Jobs

For decades, rail labor has been content with incremental changes, celebrating small victories that feel more like stopgaps than real wins. We’ve traded away larger gains for short-term stability, often without realizing the long-term costs. Just as past generations gave away firemen, brakemen and cabooses with little to show for it, we now find ourselves at another crossroads—staring down a future where one-person crews and automation loom large. The question isn’t if these changes will happen, but when. Why not seize this moment to rethink our approach? Why not stop asking how we can hold onto the scraps of what we once had, and instead demand a bigger seat at the table for the future?

End The Siege On New York City

October 3, 2024 Imani Nile, Black Agenda Report. Educate! Democracy, Jordan Neely, New York (NY), New York City (NYC), Police, police brutality

On May 1, 2023, Jordan Neely walked onto the F train at the Second Avenue subway stop in Manhattan and never walked out. Daniel Penny, a former Marine from West Islip in suburban Suffolk County, executed Jordan Neely in a full subway car while passengers watched. They were forced to witness Penny keep Neely in a chokehold for about six minutes — even after he had gone completely motionless. Neely, a known subway performer and Michael Jackson impersonator, was homeless and battled a number of mental health conditions. That day on the train, he began to cry out in anger and anguish and instead of receiving help or services, he was murdered.

UAW Reformers Muster Forces To Hold Bosses To Their Word

October 3, 2024 Keith Brower Brown and Jane Slaughter, Labor Notes. Strategize! Democracy, Unions, United Auto Workers (UAW), Worker Rights and Jobs

A year after the United Auto Workers’ Stand-Up Strike, the union caucus that helped make it possible is setting out to transform locals still stuck in the mud. Their first step is to fight a new onslaught of layoffs, broken promises, and retaliation from CEOs. The reform caucus Unite All Workers for Democracy (UAWD) held its first convention last weekend outside Detroit, with 150 UAW members, mostly auto workers but also from higher ed, legal services, and heavy equipment manufacturing. Shafarrah Hill, a Stellantis transport driver from a Detroit local, said she joined the convention after local officers did nothing about bullying by her supervisors. "My union steward has been telling me for two years,” she said, “that if I want to do something about it, I need to come to UAWD."

Biden’s UNGA Address On Democracy, Cooperation Contrasts With Reality

September 26, 2024 Natalia Marques, People's Dispatch. Educate! Democracy, Gaza, Genocide, Hybrid Warfare, Israel, Lebanon, Palestine, Russia, Sanctions, Sudan, Ukraine, UNGA, US Imperialism, Wars and Militarism

When US President Biden ended his final address to the UN General Assembly with “my fellow leaders, there is nothing that’s beyond our capacity if we work together,” it can be easy to forget that the United States is the number one obstacle to mutual cooperation around the world. Biden’s mention of the various conflicts and aggressions around the world—from Ukraine to Sudan to Gaza—of course made no mention of the US’s complicity in each of these conflicts. Biden calls for “a ceasefire and hostage deal” for Gaza in order to “bring the hostages home, secure security for Israel, and Gaza free of Hamas’ grip, ease the suffering in Gaza, and end this war.”

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