Wade Rathke:

New Orleans      A small notice in an email caught my eye.  A National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) attorney in a newly released guidance letter wanted to make sure that employers knew that it was alright to fire workers who are involved in advocating for police reform or racial justice outside of the workplace, unless […]

New Orleans     I didn’t want to be right on this, but from any reading of the Center for Disease Control’s federal eviction ban, it was clear that it was going to be a hot mess when it came to implementation.  At one level, the order was full of a Swiss cheese of holes left […]

New Orleans      New Yorkers are lucky.  Not only do they get to vote with relatively little hassle, but they get to send important messages to politicians about where they stand by voting on unique ballot lines that identify their politics not in broad strokes, but along sharp edges.  Why? Because New York State remains […]

New Orleans      Most of us think our own health is our business, that is until we find out it is big business, and that everyone wants to make it their business.  Health data is now a quiet corporate battlefield and a public issue at the same time because of the pandemic.  Who knows who […]

Pearl River     Every month in the 50th anniversary year of ACORN, I’ve been talking on the radio to veteran organizers and others with unique perspectives on the organization, its history, and contributions. Recently, I spoke to Bob Fisher, Professor of Community Organization at the University of Connecticut School of Social Work on Wade’s World.  Fisher for […]

New Orleans   We’re in the countdown to the November 3rd election, so while the candidates’ campaign and the voters try to sort out the choices, as the saying goes, “Here comes the judge!”  We should say judges. In Texas, a federal appeals court ruled that the state could continue blocking mail ballots to anyone under […]

New Orleans      Leaders and members of Local 100 United Labor Unions finally had enough of working on the frontlines without proper protection against the coronavirus in nursing homes, supported living centers, human development centers, transportation, sanitation, cleaning, schools, head start centers, and public-facing offices.  OSHA, the Occupational Safety & Health Administration, requires every workplace […]

New Orleans      We can answer the question of whether or not democracy can work for the poor, or we can ask why democracies are failing the poor?  Either way, the answer is uncomfortable for many who would think the question is easy, but the question is serious, largely because democracies are in fact failing […]

New Orleans      Rochester, New York is an interesting place in its own right.  The heart of downtown is a semi-wasteland, but along the edges there are bike and running trails along the canals.  The Kodak building is a monument to what was, just as the statue of Fredrick Douglass is one that still is.  […]

New Orleans   My comrades and friends at Working-Class Perspectives allowed me once again the honor of having my say on their platform on Labor Day, and this time I did a shout out to unemployed workers and other workers who are just one paycheck or less away in this current pandemic depression.  Hang with me, […]