Truthout
Labor
![Then-candidate from New York, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, speaks at a progressive fundraiser on August 2, 2018, in Los Angeles, California. She was elected to the US Congress with 78 percent of the vote.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2018/11/2018_1108-ocasio-cortez-400x300.jpg)
Progressives Are Pushing Economic Democracy. Democrats Need to Listen.
Democrats at all levels of government must direct public resources toward a cooperative, not a corporate economy.
![](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2018/11/GettyImages-957069154-400x300.jpg)
AFSCME Workers Find Their Power on the Picket Line
Kathryn Lybarger, president of Local 3299, discusses the ongoing fight at the University of California.
![Chicago workers have now won the creation of a new Office of Labor Standards that will fight to ensure that they actually reap the rewards of their previous labor gains, including a 2013 ordinance to combat wage theft, a 2014 minimum wage increase, and a 2016 ordinance mandating sick days.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2018/11/2018_1101-chicago-400x300.jpg)
Chicago Creates New Office of Labor Standards to Combat Wage Theft
The new office has the authority to investigate mistreatment reported in the news or by community groups.
![Teachers with ASPIRA charter school network chant during a rally outside an ASPIRA high school on March 9, 2017, in Chicago, Illinois, which almost lead to the nation's first strike at a privately run charter school last year.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2018/10/2018_1101-teachers-400x300.jpg)
Chicago Teachers Just Voted to Authorize the First Charter School Strike
Charter school teachers are currently bargaining their first contracts as members of the Chicago Teachers Union.
![Teachers march through downtown Phoenix on their way to the State Capitol during a rally for the #REDforED movement on April 26, 2018, in Phoenix, Arizona.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2018/10/2018_1031-teachers-400x300.jpg)
Teachers Promise a Show of Power at the Polls
Educators and their allies hope to turn momentum from nationwide strikes into gains at the ballot box.
![Voters in line](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2018/10/2018_1030-vote-400x300.jpg)
What to Tell a Boss Who Won’t Give You Time Off to Vote
When it comes to taking time off to vote, you need to know your rights.
![LGBTQ activists and their supporters rally in support of transgender people on the steps of New York City Hall, October 24, 2018, in New York City.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2018/10/2018_1030-trans-400x300.jpg)
Labor Has a Role in Defending Trans People Against Trump’s Attacks
Union protections are imperative in countering the potential erasure of transgender and nonbinary people.
![Diane Pastos pickets outside the Sheraton Boston by Marriott, where she works as an attendant, in Boston on October 3, 2018.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2018/10/2018_1025-hotel-400x300.jpg)
Unionized Baseball Players Making Millions Just Crossed a Hotel Picket Line
The players mostly avoided eye contact with the workers, keeping their heads down as they walked through the protest.
![To this day, domestic workers aren’t covered by OSHA or civil rights employment laws.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2018/10/2018_1018-clean-400x300.jpg)
Black Domestic Workers Demand Better Pay, Professionalism and Respect
A new report shines light on health care workers in Durham and Atlanta.
![UPS workers are pushing for $15 an hour for part-timers as well as increased health care.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2018/10/2018_1016-ups-400x300.jpg)
Chicago Teamsters Consider Peak Season Strike at UPS
Workers are pushing for $15 an hour for part-timers as well as increased health care.