September 1, 2023

We can all feel it and it gives hope — “Something has shifted in how the majority of Americans view the power dynamic between themselves and what the Occupy Wall Street movement memorably dubbed ‘the one percent.’ Nowhere is this more evident than in the crescendo of labor activism.” The online newsletter Capital & Main kicks off a series on labor ferment, “Striking Back” — How Workers Across a Polarized U.S. Are Challenging Economic Inequality. Thanks to our comrade Jules B for highlighting this. 

Steve Early emphasizes how important the “workers” in “working class” are in this Jacobin review of two new books: Unions Can’t Revitalize Without Rank-and-File Power. Within the labor movement, all of the bright ideas and strategic insights in the world won’t amount to much if the democratic rights of union members themselves aren’t respected, restored, and expanded. Via Portside.

The Making of John Lewis’ 1963 March on Washington Speech

“John Lewis’ 1963 speech bluntly assailed deficiencies in the civil rights bill others were championing — but succeeded in doing so without undermining the day’s unity.” Good history from the NYT via Portside and doesn’t gloss over the socialist-labor contribution to the march’s success. And a useful parallel account comes from Jamelle Bouie, regular NYT columnist: “The march wasn’t a demand for a more inclusive arrangement under the umbrella of postwar American liberalism, as it might seem today. It was a demand for something more — for a social democracy of equals,” grounded in struggle that the movement had been practicing and was now offering to teach to a wider stratum of victims of liberal capitalism. 

Solar panel shipments in the United States reached a new record in 2022: Energy Information Administration

A total of 31 gigawatts of solar capacity was added, 10% more than the previous year. Importantly, a third of that was utility-scale — that is, power plants — and most of the rest were rooftop panels on people’s homes. It’s the fourth consecutive record year: At some point, the relentless expansion of solar power will become unremarkable, like saying that a child is taller this year than last. The cost of solar has also dropped, from $1.96 per watt of capacity in 2010 to 39¢ in 2022. At the same time, a study found that the European Union is burning less coal to make electricity than ever before, The Guardian reports … (From a Semafor Flagship post.)

The leader of Maryland and DC’s AFL-CIO labor organizations argues for Project Labor Agreements to protect workers from wage theft, with a focus on school construction in Prince George’s County. Opinion from Maryland Matters.