A great question. #nyc #nyclife #newyorkcity
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A great question. #nyc #nyclife #newyorkcity
Exclusive đ¨ New comicsâincluding an original from Bianca Xuniseâcurated by @mattbors.bsky.social. Featuring work from @mattielubchansky.com, Jen Sorensen, @rubenbolling.bsky.social & @pkuper.bsky.social.
The disaster that struck the Gulf Coast 20 years ago was not an aberration but a product of U.S. history. #HurricaneKatrina #climatecrisis #blacklivesmatter
"The executive order ... focuses extensively on removing unhoused peopleâ82.5% of whom are Black in D.C.âthereby presenting homelessness as both an aesthetic and safety concern: an eyesore to be expunged, rather than a social problem to be addressed."
What if we had a years-long plan to build working-class power? The UAW's call to align contracts to expire on May 1, 2028, is the seed of #Plan2028 â a realistic strategy for labor & social movements to build power through escalating actions.
makes me feel slightly less insane to read this by @ahjohnson.bsky.social in @inthesetimes.com inthesetimes.com/article/new-...
4/ Post-Katrina recovery programs appropriated funds to homeowners but not renters. A decade later, the city's population had fallen by nearly 100,000, with 92,000 of those missing being African American.
3/ Federal programs like the Swamp Land Acts, GI Bill, and National Flood Insurance Program encouraged building in flood-prone areas. The federal levee system, a massive public works project, failed in 2005.
2/ The book states that the age of a building was the strongest predictor of flooding in 2005. Most houses built after the city's 1915 push for expansion flooded, while most built before 1915 did not.
1/ An excerpt from Andy Horowitz's book Katrina: A History, 1915â2015 (Harvard University Press, 2020) argues the disaster was a product of U.S. history, not an aberration. Its causes and consequences stretch across a century.
5/ The historical fight for control over work time continues. Read the full analysis on its past and present significance: inthesetimes.com/article/labo...
4/ The story notes that the structure of employer-provided healthcare can incentivize longer hours for existing workers rather than the hiring of new staff.
3/ Scheduling is a major factor. Less than one quarter of hourly workers have a regular standard shift, while almost 60% have a variable schedule, which studies link to health and economic challenges.
2/ Data from the Economic Policy Institute shows annual work hours increased by 13% from 1975 to 2016. For the bottom 20% of wage earners, annual hours increased by almost 25% in that period.
1/ This Labor Day, a look at a key goal of the early labor movement: reducing work hours without reducing pay. A 2020 story by @jamiemccallum.bsky.social details how this fight remains highly relevant today. #LaborDay inthesetimes.com/article/labo...
Seeking a bit of laughter to bring a touch of lightness? Comics Editor, @mattbors.bsky.social presents a collection for Augustâfeaturing @mattielubchansky.com, @jensorensen.bsky.social, @rubenbolling.bsky.social, @pkuper.bsky.social and an exclusive from Bianca Xunise on how to fight gentrifiction.
I interviewed Yazan al-Saadi, editor of Cartoonists For Palestine (published by @crucialcomix.bsky.social) for @inthesetimes.com: check it out, and donate if you can!
đď¸Migrant communities and labor organizing are intrinsically connected says @malcriada.bsky.social. She draws a line from anti-immigrant movements of the 1920s to the present in her recent writing for @theprogressivemag.bsky.social and @inthesetimes.com. Listen here: www.wortfm.org/repatriation...
#OnThisDay in 1963, the March on Washington changed the course of history. Meet the labor leader who helped make it happen: A. Philip Randolph. By threatening a 1941 march, he forced an end to defense job discrimination & laid the groundwork for 1963. inthesetimes.com/article/a-ph...
"Comics have no walls nor borders." A powerful new anthology brings together 60+ cartoonists to support Palestine & fight despair with collective imagination. Free to read. Attached comic by Julia Mata inthesetimes.com/article/pale...
"The reality is we have very good empirical reason to believe Mamdani is the top candidate with Jewish New Yorkers. Likely not the majority, but certainly a plurality."
5/ PS: This isn't the first time. In June, @ahjohnson.bsky.social caught the New York Times ignoring polls showing Mamdani in second place among Jewish voters. Now theyâre ignoring polls that show him in first.
4/ NYT said they avoid polls with "agendas," ignoring one from a firm they often use, commissioned by a Mamdani opponent. It showed him winning. @ahjohnson.bsky.social reports
3/ On August 4, the New York Times claimed it's "difficult to determine" Jewish voter support, citing the population's size. This is despite the paper having cited Marist polls on Jewish voters in May & June when those polls showed Mamdani in 2nd or 3rd place.
2/ Before the primary, the New York Times repeatedly claimed Mamdani had "alienated parts of the Jewish community" without citing polls. Since the primary, they have ignored polls showing his lead with the same demographic.
1/ Two polls (one from an anti-Mamdani group) show Zohran Mamdani leading with Jewish NYC voters by 12+ points. The New York Times has not reported this. @ahjohnson.bsky.social presents the story.
ICYMI: About 450 immigrant workers hired to disinfect New York Cityâs subways at the height of the pandemic were given inadequate equipment and paid less than the cityâs prevailing wage. They have now won more than $3 million in back pay. inthesetimes.com/article/new-...
Only certain Jewish voters count according to the NY Times
Polling shows Zohran Mamdani leading with Jewish voters in NYCâs mayoral race. But the New York Times keeps framing him as âalienatingâ the communityâwhile ignoring polls that say otherwise. đ Read @ahjohnson.bsky.socialâs breakdown.
Federal takeover of D.C. policing. National Guard in the streets. Confederate statues returning. Trumpâs Aug. 11 order is more than spectacleâitâs an authoritarian test run.
2022: Spotify CEO Daniel Ek puts $100M into Helsing, a military AI firm. 2025: Heâs now chairman of the board. Spotify is still invested in war. inthesetimes.com/article/spot...
7/âIf you have a job, you should have a union.â Brisack: Organizing isnât just about wagesâitâs about building democracy, defending our humanity, and fighting for a better world. đ° Full story: inthesetimes.com/article/is-s...
6/The Starbucks campaign was led by young workersâmany queer, trans, and active in other justice strugglesâoften couch-surfing while taking on a multinational giant.
5/Brisack calls what companies do âcorporate terrorism.â âTerrorism is instilling fear for political reasons. Thatâs exactly what corporations are doingâterrorizing people out of taking a stand.â
4/Whatâs âsaltingâ? âĄď¸ Workers take jobs with the goal of organizing. âĄď¸ They quietly build trust & momentum before going public. âĄď¸ Itâs often the only way to beat corporate union-busting.
3/âWe werenât just trying to unionize Starbucks; we were trying to unionize the entire coffee industry.â For Brisack, workplace democracy isnât just strategyâit transforms peopleâs lives.
2/Jaz Brisack helped organize the first-ever unionized Starbucks in Buffalo in 2021.
1/đ§Is âsaltingâ the future of labor? đ§ Starbucks Workers United cofounder Jaz Brisack talks organizing lessons, corporate terror, & why every job deserves a union. đ° by @maximillianalvarez.bsky.social inthesetimes.com/article/is-s...
âCrazy as hell!â DC residents on Trumpâs National Guard takeoverâcheckpoints, sweeps, and harassment targeting Black & Brown communities. đ§ New Working People podcast featuring Mansa Musa on the ground speaking with residents and @maximillianalvarez.bsky.social therealnews.com/distraction-...
Florida schools are sweltering. As some classrooms hit over 85 degrees, teachers in Orlando are fighting back, bargaining for AC protections so students can learn without risking heat illness.
Katrina reshaped New Orleansâbut gentrification reshaped it more. Longtime residents are still losing homes, markets, and neighborhoods. Check out this 2015 story from Fatima Shaik that still hits hard. inthesetimes.com/article/the-...
One Purple Heart veteran faces deportation. Another has already self-deported while military spouses & parents sit in ICE detention. Sofya Aptekar writes, focusing outrage only on military deportations misses the bigger fight: dismantling the system.
What do Trumpâs threats to âinvadeâ cities & expand encampment sweeps have to do with Palantir-linked think tank the Cicero Institute? On the @deathpanel.bsky.social podcast, In These Times investigative reporter @rebeccaburns.bsky.social breaks it down. đ§ Listen: www.patreon.com/posts/137338...
From Edmund Burke to William F. Buckley to Trump: The Rightâs campaign against higher ed has long aimed to suppress free inquiry and uphold elite power. Read this piece from @MattPolProf on the conservative war on intellect.
The UNâs highest court has ruled: countries must phase out fossil fuels or risk liability for climate harms. Could this landmark decision force the U.S. to face accountability? @basavsen.bsky.social on how courts & Brazilâs defiance could check climate lawlessness.
Find Rebeccaâs reporting discussed in the episode, âInside the Rightâs War on the Homeless,â in @inthesetimes.com here: inthesetimes.com/article/joe-...
In our latest, @reallandsend.bsky.social & @city.bsky.social speak with @rebeccaburns.bsky.social about how Trumpâs threats to invade cities to combat âendemic vagrancyâ echo the policies of the Cicero Institute, a right wing think tank run by a co-founder of Palantir www.patreon.com/posts/137338...
10/ For opponents, the fight in D.C. is not just about one city â itâs about resisting a broader authoritarian model being tested nationwide.
9/ Meanwhile, Republicans in Congress are pushing to extend Trumpâs takeover indefinitely â and Trump has floated sending troops to other cities, naming Chicago as a possible next target.
In 1976, Steve Chapple profiled Gil Scott-Heronâwriter of âThe Revolution Will Not Be Televisedââa musician whose politics drew FBI surveillance and inspired artists like Bob Vylan today. inthesetimes.com/article/gil-...
NEW: In a long-awaited victory, immigrant subway cleaners in NYC just won $3 million in back pay in a settlement secured by city comptroller Brad Lander. When workers get fair pay, it benefits all of us. More of this. @lfelizleon.bsky.social in @inthesetimes.com:
NEA delegates voted to bar the union from using ADL materials, citing its role in silencing pro-Palestine voices. The board overturned the measure, fueling calls for accountability. Full story by @soniachajetwides.bsky.social
NYC immigrant subway cleaners, hired to sanitize trains in 2020, were underpaid by contractors. Now theyâll receive millions in back wages after a New York City audit. By @lfelizleon.bsky.social
10/ For opponents, the fight in D.C. is not just about one city â itâs about resisting a broader authoritarian model being tested nationwide.
8/ Migrant rights organizations are also challenging expanded ICE cooperation, warning it undermines D.C.âs Sanctuary Values Amendment Act.
7/ On Aug. 15, protesters gathered at MPD headquarters, rejecting Trumpâs effort to override local leadership and demanding the return of democratic governance.
6/ On Aug. 11, DC Voteâs Kelsye Adams spoke at a rally outside the AFL-CIO headquarters, denouncing the federal seizure of city control.
5/ In response, community groups have organized rallies and protests across D.C. The Free DC Project and DC Vote have mobilized against the takeover, demanding protection of home rule and sanctuary policies.
4/ While the White House frames the move as public safety, critics note crime rates are at historic lows. Analysts link it to past âmoral panicsâ used to justify authoritarian crackdowns.
3/ The order combines policing with âbeautificationâ â targeting unhoused people (82.5% of whom are Black in D.C.) and restoring monuments like the statue of Confederate general Albert Pike.
2/ Trump promised the capital would be âLIBERATED,â part of a pattern of emergency declarations heâs used to claim sweeping powers.
1/ On 8/11, Trump declared a âcrime emergencyâ in Washington, D.C., ordering a 30-day takeover of the local police & mobilization of the National Guard. @alfatau.bsky.social reports on how Trumpâs Washington spectacle moves beyond pageantry.
Sanders planted the seed. đą A decade later, Mamdani watered it. Now, a new left political revolution is breaking through the concrete in NYC. inthesetimes.com/article/zohr...
"In MAGA world, 'safe and beautiful' means the ultranationalist and reactionary imperatives of the culture war will be buttressed by the increasing militarization of civic spaces, in preparation for a 'domestic forever war.'â Read @alfatau.bsky.social @inthesetimes.com on our emerging police state.
From November 2024, but resonates today: After Democratsâ devastating loss, party elites and media allies pointed to âeconomic headwinds,â trans people, immigrants, and demographicsâdeflecting responsibility from consultants and donors in charge.
This 1976 profile examines how the jazz musician and poet Gil Scott-Heron navigated surveillance while creating accessible songs about real issues - from "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" to "Johannesburg." inthesetimes.com/article/gil-...
Immigrant subway cleaners in NYC will receive over $3M in back wages after being underpaid while sanitizing trains during the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The vote spotlights Palestine solidarity in teachersâ unions and raises questions about union democracy. The NEA board cited academic freedom in rejecting the resolution.
As neofascist movements strengthen, labor unions face a fight for survival. @billfletcherjr.bsky.social lays out why antifascism is central to laborâs future.
"Wealthy pro-Israel donors drove Rep. Cori Bush out of office because she thinks Palestiniansâ lives matter." 1/ inthesetimes.com/article/cori...
Contributor Yousef Aljaal is one of the foremost writers on Gaza. His sister, her husband & two of their three daughters were killed on August 6 in an Israeli airstrike. Their 14-year-old daughter Noor was the only survivor.
In NYCâs Democratic primary, Zohran Mamdaniâs victory over Andrew Cuomo has sparked analysis of what the Left can learn from his campaignâand what comes next for the general election against Cuomo and Adams. Read the latest from @alexhan.bsky.social
In the book, *Health Communism* @reallandsend.bsky.social & @avierkant.bsky.social argue that healthcare should be guaranteed to allânot tied to productivity or profit. inthesetimes.com/article/heal...
The UNâs top court has ruled: countries must prevent catastrophic climate change or face liability. Could this open the door to holding the U.S. accountable? @basavsen.bsky.social reports.
Trump and the GOPâs new budget bill will reshape healthcare, food aid, taxes, and immigration. Here are 10 ways it will affect everyday life.
Across the world, trade unions are under threat from right-wing populist and neofascist movements. @billfletcherjr.bsky.social explains why laborâs survival depends on confronting this challenge.
Last year, broken air conditioning systems in Orlando schools led to students being hospitalized with heat-related illness. This year, teachers say: Never again. Theyâre using their union power to demand safe, cool classrooms.
Against fire, poverty, & political hostility, Serenity House enduresâproving that dignity & care save lives. Full story by @bokchoy-baobei.bsky.social (5/5)
From Gigi, finding sobriety & support in her transition⌠to Brandon, a trans man who escaped sex trafficking in Honduras⌠Serenity House offers more than recovery. It offers freedom. (4/5)
Here, clients arenât treated as âunredeemable.â Theyâre seen as survivorsâpeople whoâve endured homelessness, trafficking, anti-trans violence & addiction, and are now reclaiming their lives. (3/5)
The Eaton fire destroyed nearby recovery homesâbut Serenity House miraculously survived, its 18 beds just filled. For many residents, it was the only safe harbor left. (2/5)
After barely surviving the LA wildfires, Serenity House remains one of the only addiction recovery centers in the United States created for trans, gender-nonconforming & intersex people. đđĽ a đ§ľ(1/5)
Mamdaniâs campaign leaned into affordability: đ Free buses đŞ Publicly-run grocery stores đ Rent freeze Black voters, who bear the brunt of high costs, responded.
The Mauser strike is about more than wages. Itâs about fighting for immigration protections and fair treatment for all workers. Learn how Teamsters are demanding that the company protect its Latino and Black workforce. @lfelizleon.bsky.social reports inthesetimes.com/article/maus...
âCalm is a form of resistance.â In these noisy times, Woody Guthrieâs home recordings cut through with quiet, radical power. đľ New collection out now â
The pandemic showed who NYC depends on: immigrant communities. This settlement is a victoryâbut itâs just a fraction of what workers deserve. Justice for subway cleaners is justice for all immigrant workers. 7/7
Today, Reyna is in a union job with 32BJ SEIU: â Sick days â Paid vacation â Raises up to $31/hr âThe benefits⌠I have never had in any other job,â he says. But many immigrant workersâlike Catalina Cruz, a Venezuelan cleanerâare still struggling. 6/7
For years, these workers were underpaid by $14/hr compared to NYCâs prevailing wage + benefits. They were owed healthcare, pensions, and protections that never came. Instead, they got disposable gloves + the constant risk of infection. 5/7
Meanwhile, contractors made a killing: $371M in government money. Workers got sick while facing retaliation, harassment, and poverty wages. Now, NYC Comptroller Brad Lander secured $3M in back wages for over 400 cleaners. 4/7
Hundreds of immigrant cleaners faced the same. ⌠Chemicals burned their skin ⌠They werenât given uniforms or respirators ⌠They worked on empty trains, sometimes encountering people in crisis ⌠They kept the city moving while fearing Covid every shift 3/7
In 2020, Hector Reyna, a 48-year-old from the Dominican Republic, scrubbed trains in Brooklyn & Queens. He earned $21/hr. But there were no benefits. No respirators. Just flimsy gloves + burning chemicals. âWhy so little money for such a risky job?â he asked. 2/7
đ Immigrant workers risked their lives cleaning NYC subways during the height of COVID. Now, after years of underpayment + exploitation, theyâve won a $3M settlement. A story of sacrifice, survival, and overdue justice. a đ§ľ1/7
One trait of @billfletcherjr.bsky.social's writings that I hope is more widely emulated is that when advancing an argument about the kind of work that needs doing the most, they also identify the formations already doing that kind of work. Here, that's LaborForDemocracy.org + standing4democracy.org.
Since then, 100+ orgs and hundreds of educators have signed onto a âDrop the ADLâ campaign. NEA members vow to return strongerâpushing not just to reject ADL, but to confront U.S. weapons spending & union complicity. 5/5
Activists call the veto anti-democratic. âDemocracy doesnât lie at the top of the union. It lies in the rank and file.â The fight, they say, is about both Palestine solidarity and protecting academic freedom. 4/5
NEAâs Arab American Caucus & Educators for Palestine organized for years. This summer, delegates voted YESâan unprecedented rebuke. But after lobbying by the ADL & 300+ Jewish orgs, NEAâs board vetoed the resolution. 3/5
Once seen as a civil rights org, the ADL has long spied on movements from anti-apartheid activists to the ACLU, while pushing pro-Israel curricula & conflating criticism of Zionism with antisemitism. 2/5
In a historic vote, 7,000 NEA delegates moved to bar the union from using Anti-Defamation League (ADL) materials, citing its surveillance of left groups, attacks on pro-Palestine educators & alignment with Trump. A đ§ľ1/5
The victory surrounds back wages and the dangerous work cleaners undertook during the Covid-19 pandemic.
For unions to survive, they must embrace antifascism.