What Role for Labor in the Progressive Uprising? A Conversation With Stephen Lerner

On October 6, 2011

This article was originally published on Truthout.org for Amy’s Walking the Walk series.  No force did more to build the American middle class than organized labor. In recent decades, however, unions have been decimated. Despite concerted efforts to turn the tide, the movement now represents only 7 percent of workers in the private sector. Never have working people [...]

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Jobs Act’s Pre-Emptive Concessions Show More Pressure Needed Within and Outside Washington

On September 22, 2011

This was originally published on Truthout.org for Amy’s Walking the Walk series.   President Obama’s speech about jobs last week was a step forward. But we need to do better. We need to do better on policy, and better on politics. Here’s what that means: On policy, Obama’s jobs proposal is a lot like his administration’s [...]

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Taking Back Labor Day

On September 5, 2011

This article was originally published on Truthout.org. While many would say there is little for working people to celebrate as we approach this Labor Day, I see new hope in the rising number of working people standing up to fight back for themselves and all working-class families. Despite an unprecedented wave of attacks on our [...]

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YES! Magazine

Where Does the Labor Movement Go From Here?

Thousands of people gathered on the streets of St. Paul, Minnesota yesterday to take part in a "March for the Middle Class." As they made their way from the St. Paul Cathedral to the State Capitol, they carried signs defending the rights of working Americans and chanted, "We are one." The march in Minnesota was just one of hundreds of events that took place around the country.
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Truthout

Walking the Walk

Across the country, under the guise of fiscal responsibility, Republican governors and state legislatures have been waging a war against the middle class and trying to undermine the rights of hard-working Americans. What these politicians didn’t count on, however, was the public outcry and show of solidarity that these attacks have provoked. In this new series, “Walking the Walk,” author, activist, social entrepreneur and labor veteran Amy Dean will take a look at the faces and strategies behind the real change that is happening across the country to fight back against this onslaught.
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The Jewish Daily Forward

Around the Nation, a Rebirth of Jewish Social Justice

By Amy B. Dean and Simon Greer
Abraham Joshua Heschel, one of the most pre-eminent rabbis and theologians of the 20th century, was a Jewish leader who insisted that our faith be linked to the struggle for social justice in America. He lived this conviction by actively supporting causes such as the Civil Rights Movement and serving as an adviser to the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
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