The Coming Storm In New York
5 Lessons Learned for Mamdani From 40 Years of Building Independent Politics in Chicago. In 1983, Harold Washington was the first Black man to be elected mayor of Chicago. He...
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How Mass-Based Community Unions Could Transform the Country
Over-reliance on outside funding threatens organizations’ long-term stability. Veteran labor organizer, Keith Kelleher, proposes member-driven “community unions” as a sustainable alternative. We are in a mess right now. Labor and...
How Black Workers Challenged the Mafia
A story of intrigue and power involving union organizers, Black laundry workers, the Mafia, and the FBI in 1980s Detroit.
Organizing One of the Largest Black Led Unions in the United States
A follow-up to “How Four Black Women Changed Labor Organizing Forever”, this article captures the contract fight that followed and the genius and fortitude required to create one of the most important unions in U.S. history.
How Four Black Women Changed Labor Organizing Forever
40 years ago in Chicago, McMaid workers sparked a movement.
“They Go Low, We Go Deep”
This is a problem organizers and organizations confront every time they elect an ally to office: How can labor, community, and other peoples’ organizations keep politicians to their commitments after the election? Here’s how we did it.
Amazon, Starbucks, And What it Means to Act Like A Union
By trusting workers and empowering them to act like a union, ALU and SBU are building power, moving their campaigns along, and creating a path to collective bargaining and better working conditions despite the hostile legal terrain and vicious employer-led anti-union campaigns.
The Early History of Childcare Organizing in Chicago
The recent victory by 43,000 childcare providers in California is the latest in a long movement started by Black women in Chicago.
The Fight for a Caring Economy
“There was just no accountability”
Pam Franks talks with Keith Kelleher about organizing the first childcare providers union in Illinois
The Fight for a Caring Economy