Chris Brooks

Former chief of staff @UAW & architect of 2023 Stand Up Strike. @Jacobin columnist. Previously @nyguild / @cwaunion & NEA & @labornotes.

[The New Yorker Union @newyorkerunion]

When we fight, we win—and get some great press coverage to boot! This week, after trying to break our union by illegally firing and disciplining our members, Condé Nast settled with the NewsGuild.

[Center for Work and Democracy at ASU @CWD_ASU]

“Employers are not choosing workplace control over the maximization of profits, but seeking to maintain workplace control as the means for maximizing profits” – Vivek Chibber

[The Valley Labor Report @LaborReporters]

Why Bosses Spend More Money Stopping Unions Than Paying Workers

@Jacobin Columnist @chactivist joins us to break down how the managerial class protects its "zone of freedom" through captive audience meetings and one-on-one supervisor surveillance.

🧵

[Tony Annett @tonyannett]

Showing your work.

[Brecca Stoll @breccastoll]

NOW: Mamdani says his admin will transfer ownership from bad landlords to non-profits.

“For buildings that have suffered chronic neglect, we will work to transfer ownership to responsible stewards.

Stewards that include community land trusts, non-profits, or even the tenants themselves.”

[Pope Leo XIV @Pontifex]

In the era of #ArtificialIntelligence, when human dignity is threatened by new forms of dehumanization, ours is the pressing duty to remain profoundly human. We must lovingly safeguard the grandeur of humanity bestowed upon us and revealed in its fullness in Christ, the splendor of which no machine can ever replace. #MagnificaHumanitas
https://t.co/6i9MWs6LJl

[Chris Brooks @chactivist]

Ironically, this kind of serious, thoughtful autopsy of successful and unsuccessful political approaches is what the Democratic Party and broader non-profit sector desperately needs, but seems incapable of performing (especially relying on beltway consultants)

[Chris Brooks @chactivist]

Highly recommend this exchange on political strategy and climate change by @Matthuber78. It sharply contrasts socialist strategy-rooted in working-class organization as the key to moving beyond a carbon economy-w/ the issue-focused coalition politics of liberal environmental NGOs

[Jacobin @jacobin]

Democrats’ explicit focus on climate change has led back to Donald Trump and reversed what marginal climate progress Joe Biden achieved, argues Matt Huber.

A more promising approach: pursue pro-worker policies that benefit the climate without centering it. https://t.co/vDsRxy9vN1

[Matt Huber @Matthuber78]

My response to @AaronRegunberg & @jamieclimate (which was itself a response to my NYT piece) is up at @jacobin.

[Chris Brooks @chactivist]

👇👇👇

[Jacobin @jacobin]

A new report by @EconomicPolicy and @LaborLabUS reveals employers spend $1.7 billion annually to break unions. The true cost may be much higher: https://t.co/uZxcmvneFM

[Chris Brooks @chactivist]

My latest piece for @jacobin takes a deep look into how much employers spend on union busting, why they’re willing to spend so much to keep workers from having a voice at work, and how honesty, clarity, and unity are key to winning. https://t.co/dDFjN9LoPU

[Chris Brooks @chactivist]

Solidarity with comrade Claude

https://t.co/NqqiVHXlTE

[Chris Brooks @chactivist]

@leftistwhatever Neoliberalism & free trade have enjoyed a bipartisan consensus for decades. That is hopefully shifting now & we are seeing more progressives taking up the fight for placing restraints on capital and not letting companies pit workers against each other across borders

[Chris Brooks @chactivist]

This article doesn’t once acknowledge how disastrous global trade policies have been for the US working class & doesn’t seriously address the problem of having unionized US workers compete with workers in countries like China where free independent unions are literally outlawed.

[Nathan J Robinson @NathanJRobinson]

Politicians, both Democrats and Republicans, are trying to prevent you from ever even getting to see a Chinese car, because they know that these cars are cheaper and higher quality than American-made cars and they're worried you'll want to buy one.
https://t.co/E1bxAoC34x

[Matt Huber @Matthuber78]

Hey fam is it socialist to advocate for the import of cheap consumer goods from China, "where free independent unions are literally outlawed" (@chactivist), thereby eviscerating domestic unions & manufacturing capacity?

[Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani @NYCMayor]

Inflation is at a three-year high. Everything costs more — groceries, gas, healthcare, a plane ticket.

The math is simple. Every American dollar spent overseas on war is a dollar that could’ve been spent here at home to pay for a dignified life. It's time we change the equation.

[More Perfect Union @MorePerfectUS]

It's time to nationalize the airlines.

Air travel is a public good, and taking the profit out of the system would mean cheaper flights and cheaper shipping.

Nationalization would also mean the public air service would be bound to serve the whole country, like the post office.

Right now taxpayers are already subsidizing the airlines via billions of dollars of bailouts and subsidies. We deserve a say in how they are run.

Let's make airlines work for us instead of padding the pockets of billionaires.

[The Associated Press @AP]

People across the world kicked off May Day with large marches and protests as many workers grapple with rising energy costs and shrinking purchasing power tied to the Iran war.
Also known as International Workers’ Day or Labor Day, the holiday highlights the struggles and achievements of workers worldwide. Thousands are taking to the streets from Asia to Europe and beyond calling for stronger labor protections, higher wages and greater equality while drawing attention to stagnant incomes and the rising cost of living.

[Jacobin @jacobin]

The largest union local in New England is also one of the most militant.

Outgoing @massteacher president Max Page discusses how education workers shook off their fear, organized illegal strikes, and won improvements for students and workers: https://t.co/0ysq6DmThG

[Ben Burgis @BenBurgis]

I was an avid @jacobin reader for years before I started writing there. The magazine has played an immensely valuable role in reviving the socialist Left in the contemporary United States and I am so damn proud to get to be part of it.

If you aren't subscribed, today's the day!