Labor | Dissent Magazine

The Bereavement of Elder Care

Michelle Chen ▪ July 2, 2020

As coronavirus tore through nursing homes, workers weathered fights for adequate protection and anguish from mounting deaths.

What DACA Means for Immigrant Workers

Michelle Chen ▪ July 1, 2020

The Supreme Court’s ruling on DACA grants union workers like Nelson Iraheta some peace of mind. But his future hangs on the results of November’s election.

Teamsters Demand Stronger Protections as States Reopen

Michelle Chen ▪ June 22, 2020

As commercial activity ramps up, the union is demanding stronger safety protections at food processing plants.

Belabored Podcast #200: Back to the Streets of Chicago

Sarah Jaffe and Michelle Chen ▪ June 19, 2020

For the 200th episode of Belabored, Sarah and Michelle speak to Chicago Teachers Union Vice President Stacy Davis Gates about what it’s like to be an educator and an organizer during a pandemic and an uprising against police brutality.

Workers at the Los Angeles Apparel Factory Are Getting Sick

Michelle Chen ▪ June 12, 2020

In L.A., thousands of garment workers manufacture clothes for dismal pay in unsanitary factories. Now these workers are catching COVID-19.

How Economic Assumptions Uphold Racist Systems

Joelle Gamble ▪ June 9, 2020

Racism shapes how economics is taught and practiced. When we fail to scrutinize neoclassical assumptions, they perpetuate racist outcomes.

The Bus Drivers’ Refusal

Michelle Chen ▪ June 5, 2020

Transit unions around the country have declined requests from police departments to transport protesters to jail.

Belabored Podcast #199: Radical Seattle, with Cal Winslow

Sarah Jaffe and Michelle Chen ▪ June 5, 2020

For a short time in 1919, the working class ran the city of Seattle. Radicals experienced intense police violence, and those deemed “outside agitators” faced deportation. The story of a general strike.

As Florida Reopens, the Health Crisis in Immokalee Deepens

Sarah Jaffe ▪ May 29, 2020

“Unfortunately, we see a lot of people getting sick and not receiving the proper medical care and resources that they need,” one farmworker said. “For the governor to continuously ignore us is incredibly irresponsible.”