Today in Labor History—November 24
Michael Dunn at Modern School - 1 hour ago
Future Slayer of God, Charles Darwin, Age 7 *November 24, 1859* -- Charles Darwin's Origin of the Species was published. (From the Daily Bleed) *November 24, 1875* - The Cigar Makers International Union, Local 144, was chartered with Samuel Gompers as president. (From Workday Minnesota) Mollie Steimer c1918 (public domain) *November 24, 1921* – Mollie Steimer, after doing 18 months for handing out leaflets, was shipped off to Soviet Russia along with three other radicals (Jacob Abrams, Samuel Lipman, & Hyman Lachowsky). In the U.S., they were victims of the Red Scare, for h... more »
Today in Labor History—November 23
Michael Dunn at Modern School - 1 day ago
Francois-Noel Babeuf (public domain) *November 23, 1760* – French revolutionary Francois-Noel Babeuf was born on this date in St. Quentin, France. Babeuf was a communist leader in the French Revolution and a member of the Conspiracy of Equals (along with Jacque Roux and Jean Varlet) until he was betrayed to the Directory, captured and executed. (From the Daily Bleed) *November 23, 1831* – The Silk Workers' Revolt in Lyon continued, with workers occupying the Town Hall and an insurrectionary government was formed. (From the Daily Bleed) Western Federation of Miners Poster (pu... more »
Data Driven Nonsense from Harvard and the Gates Foundation
Michael Dunn at Modern School - 2 days ago
A new Gates-funded Harvard study has found that Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) teachers vary substantially in quality (more than in other districts) and that it disproportionately places inexperienced teachers in lower performing classrooms (as in other districts). The study, Human Capital Diagnostic, was done by the Strategic Data Project (SDP), which is connected with Harvard University’s Center for Education Policy Research. The biggest problem with this study is that it is a bunch of nonsense. Let’s start with the authors’ most profound claim: The best teach... more »
Today in Labor History—November 22
Michael Dunn at Modern School - 2 days ago
Live Free or Die Fighting, Canuts Uprising, Lyon Silk Strike, 1831 (public domain) *November 22, 1831* -- The revolt of the silk workers was continuing in Lyon, France. Workers seized arms and fought the military. Approximately 100 died, 69 of them civilians. 263 soldiers were wounded. (From the Daily Bleed) In this book, Bernays Argued That The Manipulation of Public Opinion is a Necessary Part of Democracy *November 22, 1891* -- Dr. Edward L. Bernays was born in Vienna, Austria. Bernay, a nephew of Freud, is considered by many to be father of public relations. He is also cre... more »
Unions Collaborate With Obama to Squeeze American Workers
Michael Dunn at Modern School - 3 days ago
Image from Flickr, by DonkeyHotey With the country moving ever closer to the “fiscal cliff,” the Obama Administration is doing everything it can to strike a “grand bargain” that appeases the ruling elite. The grand bargain is a euphemism for an austerity package that will maintain low taxes for the wealthy and subsidies for their business by slashing social spending and services that help keep the rest of the country from sinking further into poverty. Union leaders met with the president on Tuesday to give their support for his plan which will include large cuts to social progr... more »
Education Cuts for California Despite Prop 30 Victory
Michael Dunn at Modern School - 3 days ago
Image from Flickr, by Double-M The California Teachers Association (CTA) lobbied heavily for passage of Proposition 30, mobilizing thousands of teachers to phone bank and canvas neighborhoods. Together with other state unions, they spent $50 million to get the initiative passed. They claimed it would save public education and restore funding to the schools. However, with more than $18 billion slashed from K-12 education since the recession began, the $6.6 billion in projected revenues from Prop 30 won’t even come close to restoring public education funding to pre-recession levels... more »
Today in Labor History—November 21
Michael Dunn at Modern School - 3 days ago
Revolte des Canuts - Lyon 1831(public domain*)* *November 21, 1831* – Silk workers went on strike in Lyon, France. However, the entire city rose in insurrection when the National Guard killed several workers. (From the Daily Bleed) *November 21, 1863 –* Workers across the country were striking and protesting against high prices during the Civil War. (From Workday Minnesota ) *November 21, 1870* -- Alexander Berkman was born on this date in Vilna, Russia (Lithuania). One-time lover and life-long comrade of Emma Goldman, Berkman wrote Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist, after se... more »
Charter School Enrollment Rising Rapidly
Michael Dunn at Modern School - 4 days ago
Huck/Konopacki Labor Cartoons Between the 2010-11 and 2011-12 school years, the number of students enrolled in charter schools rose by nearly 13%, to just over two million students nationwide, according to a new report from the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. 110 school districts across the nation have at least 10% of their students enrolled in charter schools, 16 more than last year. New Orleans leads the nation with 70% of its students enrolled in charter schools, the New York Times reported last week. Detroit, Washington, D.C., and St. Louis, each have more th... more »
Today in Labor History—November 20
Michael Dunn at Modern School - 4 days ago
Zumbi dos Palmares bust, Brasilia (image by Elza Fiúza/Agencia Brasil, creative commons) *November 20, 1695* – ZumbÃ, head of the Quilombo de Palmares, was assassinated on this date. Palmares was the largest and longest lasting Quilombo (community of freed slaves) in Brazil. Estimates range from 11,000 to more than 20,000 inhabitants living in Palmares during its height. The community lasted for more than 100 years. Members of Palmares routinely raided plantations, freeing slaves and brutally slaughtering their masters. Palmares was portrayed in the 1984 film, *Quilombo*, directe... more »
Obama’s Crushing Student Debt Repayment Scam
Michael Dunn at Modern School - 5 days ago
The Department of Education recently enacted new rules for Income-Based Repayment (IBR) of student loans. The hallmark of this “reform,” according to the WSWS, is that a small fraction of students will now be able to repay their loans in 20 years instead of 25 and their rates will go down from 15% of their discretionary income to 10%. The change will have no effect on undergraduates and may end up costing more for those who go on to earn graduate degrees if their starting salaries upon graduation are under $33,000 per year. While tuition has been rising faster than the rate ... more »
Today in Labor History—November 19
Michael Dunn at Modern School - 5 days ago
*November 19, 1904 – *6,000 members of the United Garment Workers of America struck at 27 wholesale houses in Chicago, which were then members of the National Wholesale Tailors' Association. (From the Daily Bleed) Joe Hill * November 19, 1915* - Joe Hill, IWW organizer and song writer was executed by a Utah firing squad after being convicted of murder on trumped-up charges. His final message from prison was “Don’t mourn, Organize!” His ashes were supposedly sprinkled in every state of the union, except Utah, because he had said, "I don't want to be found dead in Utah." However, i... more »
Today in Labor History—November 18
Michael Dunn at Modern School - 5 days ago
*November 18, 1918 – *A major workers' insurrection occurred in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, involving over 6,000 workers and a plot to overthrow the government. (From the Daily Bleed) Strikers Guarding a Window During the Flint Sit-Down Strike, 1937 (Library of Congress) * November 18, 1936* - Workers at the General Motors plant in Atlanta engaged in one of the many sit-down strikes that occurred during the organizing waves of the 1930s. (From Workday Minnesota) ------------------------------ Modern School
Today in Labor History—November 17
Michael Dunn at Modern School - 1 week ago
*November 17, 1785 -* The General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen was founded on this date in 1785 in a tavern in New York City. The Society, which still exists today, created a library, clubhouse, bank and school for their apprentices, mechanics, tradesmen and their families.. (From Workday Minnesota) *November 17, 1878* -- The maritime strike of 1878-1879 began in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. The sailors were supported by miners in New South Wales and by dock workers in the three colonies. (From the Daily Bleed ) Ben Reitman, 1910-1915 (Library of Congress) ... more »
Idaho Voters Reject Merit Pay, Super Intends to Bring it Back
Michael Dunn at Modern School - 1 week ago
On November 5, voters rejected free market education initiatives in several states in what many have called a referendum on corporate education reform. These “reforms” are not going away any time soon, however. Their backers are plowing ahead with plans to expand the reforms or reinstate them in places where they lost ground. In Idaho, for example, voters overturned their “Students Come First” laws, which had imposed merit pay on the state’s teachers for the past year. Immediately after the election, state superintendent Tom Luna jumped into the fray saying he intended to brin... more »
Today in Labor History—November 16
Michael Dunn at Modern School - 1 week ago
British Press Gang, 1780 (wiki commons) *November 16, 1747* – The Knowles Riot occurred in Boston, with hundreds of sailors, laborers and free blacks rising up against British Navy Press Gangs. Commodore Knowles routinely had Bostonians kidnapped and forced to work on his ships. Protestors were able to kidnap several of Knowles’ officers, holding them hostage until all Bostonians were freed from his ships. (From theDaily Bleed) Dostoevsky, 1879 (public domain) *November 16, 1849* -- Russia: Author Fyodor Dostoevsky receives a death sentence for engaging in socialist activities... more »