When Joe Biden Takes the White House, What’s Next for the Left?
The American left has been transformed over the past four years under President Donald Trump. But the Left will have to organize and fight just as hard under President Joe Biden.
17 Articles by: Barry Eidlin
Barry Eidlin is an assistant professor of sociology at McGill University and the author of Labor and the Class Idea in the United States and Canada.
Morbid Symptoms Can Persist for a Long Time
The Republican Party is frozen in place, unable to move beyond Donald Trump but unsure of what to do even if it could. The Democratic establishment is firmly in charge of their party. We’re stuck in a bankrupt interregnum — with little chance of breaking free one way or the other anytime soon.
Whoever Wins, This Election Is Not the End of Trumpism
Joe Biden and the Democrats have steadfastly refused to articulate a compelling alternative political vision to Donald Trump’s reactionary right-wing politics. Trump looks likely to have lost, but without creating an alternative to defeat it, Trumpism could return with a vengeance four years from now.
Becoming Labor Secretary Might Not Be the Best Way for Bernie to Aid Workers
As Secretary of Labor, Bernie Sanders could do a lot to empower American workers. But the working class might be better served with Bernie pushing for pro-labor legislation outside the Biden administration rather than inside it.
Last Week’s Pro Athletes Strikes Could Become Much Bigger Than Sports
Professional athletes have an enormous amount of power that they put to good use this past week in a series of unprecedented strikes. But workers of all types have similar kinds of power — and could, just like athletes, use it to shut society down to fight injustice.
Why Unions Are Good — But Not Good Enough
For socialists, unions are paradoxical organizations. On the one hand, unions are essential for creating a workers’ organization that can oppose capital and challenge it for power. But they are also an insufficient vehicle for mobilizing those workers to transform the world.
We Shouldn’t Be Nostalgic for Jimmy Hoffa
At a time of historic working-class weakness, it’s tempting to watch the portrayal of Jimmy Hoffa in Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman and long for similar labor leadership today. But while Hoffa negotiated contracts that improved the lives of millions, his corruption and autocratic leadership also paved the way for the Teamsters’ decline.
Bernie’s Plan for Workplace Democracy Is the Boldest Presidential Plan for Workers’ Rights Ever
Bernie Sanders’s Workplace Democracy Plan, unveiled yesterday, is the best plan for promoting workers’ rights ever proposed by a major US presidential candidate. Whether they support or oppose it, all the other Democratic candidates will have to respond to it.
Why I’m a Socialist
I believe in democracy, freedom, and humans’ ability to create a better world than the one we have now. That’s why I’m a socialist.
What is the Rank-and-File Strategy, and Why Does It Matter?
We can’t win socialism without workers fighting back. The rank-and-file strategy gives us the tools to do that.
A Life of Contradiction and Clarity
Erik Olin Wright understood the necessity of clearly articulating what’s wrong with society, what a better society could look like, and how we could get there.
Freedom From the Boss
At its best, the labor movement hasn’t just fought for better wages. It’s fought to bring democracy to workplaces marked by despotism.
Labor’s Legitimacy Crisis Under Trump
Unions are under unprecedented attack under Trump. But labor can rebuild itself — if it chooses to.
Demographics Are Not Destiny
Why Democrats were wrong to think that shifting demographics alone would hand them victory.
The Phantom Limb
Why it matters that the United States has no labor party.
From Class to Special Interest
Why are US unions less powerful than their Canadian counterparts?
The House That Reuther Built
Walter Reuther’s careful management of shop-floor politics shapes the UAW’s relationship to student workers today.