News Day

Photo from Kopplin’s Coffee Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Kopplins

I’m writing this post at Kopplin’s Coffee, a local (St. Paul), family-owned business where the new year brought good news for workers:

“As of January 1, 2015, we will begin paying our employees not just a living but a livable wage. … As the owners, we are an integral part of Kopplin’s, but so too are our talented employees. … As we seek to create this alternative to standard ‘service industry’ chains, we choose to provide fair compensation (exceeding the “living wage” of $9.69 in Ramsey County). This validates the good work of our employees and creates a more stable and equitable pay environment for these people who bring beauty into our lives with the creation of their hands.”

Apart from Kopplin’s, where the coffee and the company are always good, here’s a round-up of the good, the bad and the ugly in labor-related news as 2015 begins. Continue reading →

Photo by photologue_np <https://www.flickr.com/photos/44313045@N08/&gt;, published under Creative Commons license.

Racism pervades all of American society, not just police interactions with people on the street. Even when people are not consciously racist, their actions show bias and that bias affects Black Americans every single day. Yet many, maybe most, white Americans do not see or understand or believe in the constant and corrosive effects of racism. The January 4 New York Times Upshot section listed some of the many studies showing bias in action in employment, apartment rentals, cardiac care, graduate education, used car sales, jury verdicts and even eBay auctions. Nothing new there — but a powerful reminder of the need to keep on talking, writing and educating people. Continue reading →

Telamonia spider. Photo by Rushen, published under Creative Commons license.

Does a venomous, two-striped telamonia spider lurk under toilet seats in public restrooms? Is President Obama planning a run for a third term? Does China hold more than 50 percent of U.S. debt? The answers: No, no, and no. Continue reading →

“Hope” is the thing with feathers – That perches in the soul – And sings the tune without the words – And never stops – at all – (Poem by Emily Dickinson) Photo by Finn Frode, Creative Commons license

A day before the new year begins, I’m looking hard for hope.

Way back in 1959, the Kingston Trio sang a song that began:

“They’re rioting in Africa, they’re starving in Spain.
There’s hurricanes in Florida, and Texas needs rain.
The whole world is festering with unhappy souls…”

Has anything changed? Where can we find any reasons for hope for 2015? Continue reading →

November 25 protest march

As one grand jury after another refuses to indict police who have killed black men, #BlackLivesMatter protests continue across the United States. I marched on November 25, missed Saturday’s MOA protest, and will probably march again. Like many people, I keep hearing the same questions on Facebook and from friends and family. Before the next family gathering, here’s my short question-and-answer. Continue reading →

Workers need humane working conditions and vigorous enforcement of laws protecting their rights

I’m writing regularly on Al Jazeera: click here for the rest of the article on Al Jazeera. 

I’m writing regularly on Al Jazeera: click here for the rest of the article on Al Jazeera. 

Obama ignores that migrants at border are being denied even the minimum protection afforded by US law

” … Border agents routinely intimidate, coerce and deport refugees, ignoring their expressed fear of returning to their home countries when agents should instead refer them for credible-fear interviews with asylum officers. The abusive and illegal treatment of asylum seekers is a result of the U.S. government’s increased reliance on expedited border removals.”

I’m writing regularly on Al Jazeera: click here for the rest of the article on Al Jazeera. 

“Discussing political views is not advisable.” This 1905 rule for Iowa teachers apparently also applies to Delta Airlines workers in 2014.

The Story County, Iowa teaching contract was explicit in saying teachers should not talk politics — or loiter in ice cream parlors, play cards, dance, or indulge in “undue use of cosmetics.” While the code of conduct for teachers seems antiquated and laughable, the continuing right of employers to control workers’ speech and conduct, on and off the job, is no laughing matter.

First published in Workday Minnesota, 12/14/2014.

Continue reading →

The long-secret “torture report” from the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence is out. Sort of. The full report, still classified, is 6700 pages of “comprehensive and excruciating detail.” What we got on December 9 was a mere 525 pages of Findings and Conclusions and Executive Summary. Even with lots of names and details neatly blacked out, this gut-twisting account shines an unforgiving light on evil done in our name. Continue reading →