Tag: Chicago

Socialist Action candidate calls for solidarity with U.S. prison strike

By FRED LINCK Below are remarks by Socialist Action Senatorial candidate Fred Linck to an Aug. 25 Connecticut rally in solidarity with the national prison strike. Organizers reported in the first days that incarcerated people in 17 states had joined the strike—risking severe punishment for their effort. Some were engaged in refusals to work, in … Continue reading Socialist Action candidate calls for solidarity with U.S. prison strike →

Fast food workers walked out on Labor Day 2017

By ANN MONTAGUE On this year’s Labor Day, Sept. 4, there were more marches and rallies than in previous years. Several U.S. cities had large labor actions anchored in fast-food walkouts. Britain saw its first strikes against McDonald’s Corporation; activists chose U.S. Labor Day as a nod to the birthplace of the Fight For 15 … Continue reading Fast food workers walked out on Labor Day 2017 →

No sanctuary for immigrant workers in Chicago and Los Angeles

By MARK UGOLINI Democratic Party Mayors Eric Garcetti and Rahm Emanuel proudly declare that they run “Sanctuary Cities.” They claim that Los Angeles and Chicago offer “sanctuary” for immigrants; that local police will neither ask about immigration status, nor will they detain immigrants for ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement). These reassurances are phony, designed to … Continue reading No sanctuary for immigrant workers in Chicago and Los Angeles →

Chicago workers take to the streets on May Day

By MARK UGOLINI — CHICAGO — Nearly 10,000 workers, immigration rights activists, and supporters took to the streets on May Day to demand legalization of undocumented workers; an end to terrorizing immigrant communities with raids on homes and workplaces; and an end to criminalization, mass incarceration, and deportations. (See a full list of demands at … Continue reading Chicago workers take to the streets on May Day →

Chicago Teachers Union hosts International Women’s Day Protest

By MARK UGOLINI — CHICAGO — Over 1000 trade-union women and supporters gathered at the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) Hall on Mar. 8 to celebrate International Women’s Day and declare solidarity with women everywhere struggling to protect and extend woman’s rights. Chairing the rally, Adriana Alvarez of Fight for $15 spoke of the struggle of … Continue reading Chicago Teachers Union hosts International Women’s Day Protest →

Chicago teachers cancel strike and accept contract

By MARK UGOLINI — CHICAGO, Nov. 3 — On Nov. 1 the nearly 25,000-member Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) announced the results of a ratification vote on a new contract with Chicago’s Board of Education and Democratic Party mayor Rahm Emanuel. With all but 60 schools reporting, 72 percent of voting members accepted the new contract, … Continue reading Chicago teachers cancel strike and accept contract →

Chicago Teachers Union sets Oct. 11 strike date

By MARK UGOLINI — CHICAGO — On Sept. 28, the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) House of Delegates announced plans to strike on Oct. 11. Negotiations with Chicago Public Schools on a new contract have made little progress since they began over 22 months ago. The union has been without a contract since June 30, 2015. … Continue reading Chicago Teachers Union sets Oct. 11 strike date →

Cuba celebration in Chicago highlights plight of prisoners

 By WILLIAM WOOD — CHICAGO — On July 28, 75 people gathered in the Albany Park neighborhood of Chicago to Celebrate Cuba’s July 26 holiday and to demand that the U.S. government “End the Blockade of Cuba” and “Return Guantánamo.” As the most important revolutionary holiday in Cuba, the Day of National Rebellion commemorates the … Continue reading Cuba celebration in Chicago highlights plight of prisoners →

Chicago teachers, parents demand school funding

By MARK UGOLINI — CHICAGO — On July 20 over 200 Chicago teachers, students and parents gathered at City Hall to demand full funding for public schools and an elected school board. Protesters crowded inside City Hall’s second-floor lobby for a press conference with a host of local media. Later, they formed a militant picket … Continue reading Chicago teachers, parents demand school funding →

Honeywell workers locked out

By MARK UGOLINI — CHICAGO — In South Bend, Ind., on June 30 over 200 members of UAW Local 9, family members, and supporters protested outside the main gate of Honeywell’s aerospace plant to demand the company immediately end its imposed lock-out and other union-busting activities. The protest included supporters from Service Employees International Union … Continue reading Honeywell workers locked out →

Low-wage workers demand $15 and a union

  By WILLIAM WOOD — CHICAGO — Despite a torrential downpour and thunderstorms, more than 2000 low-wage workers and supporters marched up 22nd St. in Oak Brook, Ill., to the McDonald’s national headquarters on May 25 to demand a $15 minimum wage and union rights. The company’s annual shareholders’ meeting was held there the following … Continue reading Low-wage workers demand $15 and a union →

Nabisco workers protest layoffs and downsizing

By MARK UGOLINI A spirited and determined group of about 150 current and former Nabisco bakery workers and their supporters demonstrated on May 18 at Mondelez International’s annual shareholder meeting in Lincolnshire, Ill. Workers protested the company’s decision to lay off 600 of the 1200 workers at its Southwest side Chicago plant. Mondelez International is … Continue reading Nabisco workers protest layoffs and downsizing →

Students, staff protest cuts at Chicago State

By MARK UGOLINI Chicago State University (CSU) announced the layoff of more than 300 employees, effective on April 29. Widely considered only the first round of layoffs, it impacts about one-third of the university’s workforce. CSU and other Illinois state universities have been denied funds for nearly the entire academic year, resulting in layoffs, furloughs, … Continue reading Students, staff protest cuts at Chicago State →

Day of Action for Chicago teachers

On April 1, the solidarity of Chicago Teachers, along with the solidarity of more than 50 union, community, and student organizations, was on full display before the entire city and state, and across the country. Nearly 20,000 teachers and supporters flooded the streets in a late-afternoon rally and march in Chicago’s “Loop,” capping a powerful Day of Action on the theme “Fund Our Futures.”

Chicago coalition protests blockade of Cuba

By MARK UGOLINI To coincide with Barack Obama’s March 20-22 trip to Cuba, 30 Chicago activists participated in a “Public Speak-Out and Discussion” at Roosevelt University’s downtown campus on March 19, demanding “End the U.S. Blockade and Travel Ban on Cuba, Return Guantánamo!” The meeting was sponsored by the Chicago Cuba Coalition, which described the … Continue reading Chicago coalition protests blockade of Cuba →