Ep138: Quiet Revolutions in Labor

While Anti-work culture is on the rise; so are the possibilities and movement towards unionization, coops, and so on. Today’s I cover stories that link these things together with a general theme discussing the role of spectacle as being necessary, but also harming anything we take on. The 1st Half covers worker unrest, a coffeeshop workers buying their workplace after unionizing, while a union forms a co-op as their strike drags for years. In the 2nd half I cover Italy’s co-op transition policy, activist students at high school and college levels, and a piece discussing that democracy is boring in contrast to the excitement of fascism.

Sources

Rev Socialist saw potential in upswing of worker actions during 2020 unrest
https://www.leftvoice.org/a-historic-wave-of-worker-struggle-is-sweeping-the-u-s-and-its-speeding-up/
Workers organizing post 2020 unrest ends with their buying the business
https://inthesetimes.com/article/providence-cafe-coop-union-labor-workers-rhode-island
Telecom workers break off after failing strike to start coop Internet service with mesh network
https://gizmodo.com/revenge-spectrum-workers-on-strike-build-their-own-isp-1846678437
Worker Buy Out potential in Italy, retiring owners create openings everywhere
https://geo.coop/articles/why-italy-might-see-worker-co-operative-boom
Students on Tik-Toc organize solidarity walkout for teachers
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/juliareinstein/tik-tok-students-strike-teachers-nevada-clark-county
Grad Students agitate for police Abolition coursework
https://progressive.org/latest/students-abolition-coursework-fondren-210204/
Anarchism; and Democracy are not a spectacle
https://www.sapiens.org/culture/anarchism-democracy/