This article was originally posted on Truthout.org.

An interview with anti-eviction organizer Steve Meacham of City Life/Vida Urbana in Boston

Since most of the original Occupy encampments were evicted by wintertime, the question now is, what's next for activists? One of the most popular...

Two newspaper stories from last week said a lot about the state of the inequality debate in America. Last Wednesday, the New York Times reported on research showing that it is "Harder for Americans to Rise From Lower Rungs." For all the talk of opportunity in our country,...

If labor and other progressive groups are going to rebuild an economy that works for the 99 percent in America, they need to do great organizing in workplaces and communities and they also need to build deep coalitions among themselves. But that's not enough.

They also need to translate their...

This article was originally posted on Truthout.org.

Last week, the labor movement and its allies scored a major victory with the repeal of Ohio Senate Bill 5 (SB5), a piece of anti-union legislation signed by Republican Gov. John Kasich. In a referendum that gave voters a chance to...

Business and liberal elites have long invested in developing collaborative leadership. In Occupy Wall Street and beyond, grassroots progressives are now getting into the game of working together.

Something huge is happening in this country. It's been a long time since we've seen this level of populist activity directed at...

In the United States during the 1930s, revolution was in the air. With the stock market crash and the ensuing Great Depression, the broken economy was failing most Americans. This gave rise to a spectrum of responses, providing communists and socialists on the left and fascists on the right with...

Electoral irregularities and promises of recounts have thrown into question the final outcome of the hotly contested race over a Wisconsin Supreme Court seat. Yet, these complications notwithstanding, the elections in Wisconsin last week sent a clear message: The conservative attacks by Republican governors represent a losing strategy.

Regardless of...

Thousands of people gathered on the streets of St. Paul, Minnesota on April 4 to take part in a "March for the Middle Class." As they made their way from the St. Paul Cathedral to the State Capitol, they carried signs that defended the rights of working Americans and chanted,...

Michigan? Ohio? Indiana? In the wake of Republican Governor Scott Walker's over-the-top attacks on public sector workers in Wisconsin, many people are asking which will be the next state to draw the public spotlight. However, looking at the state-level assaults by these arch-conservatives as individual battles might be the wrong...

With 20 years in the labor movement under my belt, I looked at the actions taken last night by Wisconsin's Republican legislature and Governor Scott Walker and had an unusual response. It wasn't despair or anger. Though once the shock wears off from seeing tens of thousands of workers stripped...

After two weeks of protests in Wisconsin, we are now watching demonstrations spread across the country. Over the weekend, the online advocacy group MoveOn.org helped mobilize tens of thousands of people, who marched in all 50 state capitals in support of Wisconsin workers. Demonstrators are speaking out against...

The actions of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and other elected leaders who are following his lead speak to a striking failure of leadership: We live in an economy that has undergone massive transformations over the past several decades. Yet, instead of reckoning with the impact of these changes and understanding...

While I admired so much of what I heard from the president last night, after the applause dies away, we have to face the next difficult stage of this national conversation. It's the kind of conversation that gets to the tough decisions and real problems only alluded to last night....

Tuesday night the nation will focus its attention on the president's State of the Union address, looking for solutions to the economic crisis in this country and in their own lives. We can hope to hear President Obama articulate a bold vision for restoring economic security to our nation's middle...

Twenty-five years ago, Congress established a federal holiday honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as a national day of service. His message of tolerance and working to make our community better for all is especially timely as we try to cope with the aftermath of...

There's no sugarcoating it: 2010 was a rough year for progressives. Looking back, there were plenty of bad and some downright ugly moments for us, culminating in the Republican victories in the November midterms. But pointing fingers and looking for places to lay blame doesn't get us very far.

Almost every piece of legislation passed in Washington these days is pushed forward in the name of creating jobs. Our elected officials are right to be concerned with the issue; Americans want stability and economic security in their lives.

But the predicament we face is hardly new. Over the...

It appears that Republicans have once again outmaneuvered Democrats on the tax issue this week -- a sad continuation of events we are likely to see more of as Republicans prepare to enter the next Congress with a majority in the House and momentum from midterm victories. Progressives have been...

For me, there are two key lessons in moving beyond this year's disastrous midterms. The first is that progressives need to build a permanent grassroots infrastructure, so that they begin treating politics as a year-round endeavor and not merely show up at the last minute to endorse a lesser-of-two-evils candidate....

Whatever results come from today's election, Democrats will largely have the Labor movement and workers across this country to thank for any silver lining they find. I have written recently about the critical role unions play in supporting democratic candidates.

For those who question whether...