David S. Meyer
I'm a professor of sociology and political science at the University of California, Irvine. I've been thinking, and writing about, protest politics for almost ever. This site offers comments on contemporary events, informed (I hope) by knowing something about history and about the academic study of social movements.
Tag Archives: labor
May Day 2013
Wednesday’s May Day events remind us about how the people who participate in an event define it for their own purposes. Initially a celebration of Spring, organized around May poles (and May flies?), for more than 100 years, May 1 … Continue reading
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Tagged austerity, Greece, Haymarket, immigration, labor, Los Angeles, May Day, Occupy Wall Street, unions
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Immigration politics inside and outside the Capitol
The immigration rights activists returned to demonstrate outside the Capitol yesterday, as reports of a Senate compromise on an immigration reform continue to seep into media reports. Most reports put the turnout in the tens of thousands–and noted sympathy rallies … Continue reading
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Tagged Benjamin Jealous, Capitol, countermovements, demonstration, immigration, labor, legislation, Marco Rubio, NAACP, Senate
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Cesar Chavez birthday, Cesar Chavez holiday
Today, March 31, is Cesar Chavez’s birthday; the holiday was celebrated Friday. In commemoration, I’m reposting some thoughts on the holiday, originally posted 2011. On my campus, we commemorated Cesar Chavez Day early, yesterday, rather than March 31 (his birthday), … Continue reading
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Tagged Cesar Chavez, civil rights, Dolores Huerta, farmworkers, holidays, immigration, labor, Latinos
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Lunch counter sit-in anniversaries
There was once a store called Woolworths. It sold dry goods, mostly cheap stuff, including paper and pencils. Many Woolworths also included a cheap restaurant where you could get coffee and a grilled cheese sandwich, also cheap. Fifty-three years ago … Continue reading
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Tagged anniversary, civil rights, CORE, David Richmond, Ella Baker, Ezell Blair Jr., Franklin McCain, Greensboro, IWW, John Lewis, Joseph McNeil, labor, lunch counter, Martin Luther King, NAACP, Rosa Parks, sit-in, Smithsonian, SNCC
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Movement overreach in Michigan
Michigan Governor Rick Snyder blamed the unions when he signed legislation designed to devastate them. He said that he had no intention of pursuing “right to work” legislation in his state, because it would be controversial and divisive. The last … Continue reading
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Tagged ALEC, Americans for Prosperity, countermovements, Indiana, Koch Brothers, labor, Michigan, Ohio, recall elections, referendum, Rick Snyder, right to work, Scott Walker, unions, Wisconsin
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Workers of the world (at least Europe) unite
For Marx and Engels, “workers of the world unite” was invective. Today it’s descriptive. Across Europe, but particularly in countries implementing harsh austerity regimes, workers are taking to the streets, sometimes landing in violent clashes with police. The global financial … Continue reading
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Tagged austerity, Europe, Frederich Engels, general strike, Greece, Italy, Karl Marx, labor, Portugal, Spain, unions
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Strikes without unions: Walmart
Workers (“associates” to their employers) have walked off the job at several Walmarts sprawled across the United States. The workers at Walmart, like most workers in retail, and most workers in the private sector, and most workers in the United … Continue reading
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Tagged Black Friday, boycott, consumers, Joe Biden, labor, Occupy, pickets, strikes, UFCW, unions, Walmart
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Chicago teachers, commitment and numbers
Thousands, maybe tens of thousands, of people rallied to support the Chicago Teachers Union, as its representatives moved closer to a negotiated agreement with the city that would bring them back to work–and send 350,000 students back to school. Mayor … Continue reading
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Tagged bystanders, Chicago, commitment, education, elections, intensity, labor, Rahm Emanuel, teachers, Wisconsin
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A day for labor
For Labor Day Weekend, here’s a reminder about the history of this commemoration in America (reposted from 2011). Successful politicians exploit, buy off, and sell out the movements that sometimes buoy their campaigns. This American story is an old one, … Continue reading
Starving postal workers
Ten current and former postal employees stopped eating yesterday in Washington, DC, starting a hunger strike to protest continuing cutbacks at the United States Postal Service. Organized by Community and Postal Workers United, they do not plan to starve themselves … Continue reading
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Tagged Benjamin Franklin, Fedex, government, hunger strike, labor, mail, postal workers, Postmaster General, private sector, UPS
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