Originally published on The Virginia Worker, we provided this coverage on the recent picketing by ATU Local 1493 union members and supporters as they fight for living wages and benefits Across the street from a brand new $17.3 million bus terminal stands a row of picketing bus workers of the ATU Local 1493. Above them... Continue Reading →
After months of red tape a union election was finally set for Bridges Starbucks Workers in June, winning their election unanimously 14-0. The following is an interview with a Starbucks partner since their victory. The Virginia Worker: Firstly, congratulations on your sweeping victory with your election, it’s been several months since we last spoke. Last... Continue Reading →
This reportback was written by an anonymous member of the TAP Head Start Workers Committee A year ago, in January 2021, preschool workers at TAP Head Start in Roanoke, VA initiated our first workplace struggle. We were organizing for some basic, decent working conditions (the first two of which were a long time coming, and... Continue Reading →
Virginia has the highest discrepancy between teacher pay and comparatively educated professionals out of any state in the country. Teachers will get a raise of five percent this year and five percent next year. However, this year’s five percent is underwhelming considering the seven percent inflation rate. There are several reasons why the teacher pay... Continue Reading →
One of the primary claims of capitalism’s advocates is that it creates innovation. However, the reality is that capitalism does considerably more to hinder innovation than to encourage or push it along. Much of the innovation that capitalists and their supporters try to take credit for occurred in the public commons. Much of the innovation... Continue Reading →
The Grandin Holiday Parade, with local school bands, community groups and others, was last week and some of Roanoke City Council walked in it. What many people watching it on the sidewalks may not have known or realized is that while councilpersons were waving and spreading holiday cheer that day the city had also just... Continue Reading →
From 5.15.21:"I have been in this jail since mid April. I got moved here from New River Valley Regional Jail because I was in a relationship with a lieutenant there. So RCJ is doing a courtesy hold. Upon my arrival I got put in a dirty cell. First I noticed the gauze on a mat.... Continue Reading →
It's no secret that jails and prisons are hotspots for COVID-19 outbreaks — in fact, they are death traps. As of last summer, the COVID-19 case rate in jails and prisons was 5.5 times higher than that of the general U.S. population. Small spaces, overcrowding, and inmate turnover — not to mention the lack of... Continue Reading →
The only practicable solution to the Covid-19 pandemic for all local jails, prisons, detention centers, and ICE concentration camps is decarceration (mass release). Those institutions are a hotbed for spreading viruses & diseases, they have no way to socially distance people, have horrible sanitation protocols normally, and cannot/do not provide the medical care needed for... Continue Reading →
Companies like Food Lion continue to roll out massive PR campaigns honoring their frontline employees as heroes. Some have even made token concessions concerning worker compensation and safety. However, the flashy advertising and bold headlines mask a treacherous reality for many workers in the retail, healthcare, hospitality, and agricultural industries (among others). “To say the least, I do not believe Food Lion cares about anything more than maintaining a façade. Doing the bare minimum is enough to please the customers and silence the workers.” When crisis response is left to the profit-obsessed CEOs of transnational corporations and the corrupt politicians in Washington, essential workers will continue to disproportionately bear the burden of keeping the country running.
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