Building workers' power in Roanoke, VA
In the annals of labor history, particularly Appalachian labor history, there are few events as important and long-echoing as the Battle of Blair Mountain, a culturally defining moment of worker organization and an enduring display of the violence the ruling class is willing to inflict upon them. Blair Mountain is treated as a conflict of... Continue Reading →
We seek the organization of every worker that is now unorganized. We hold meetings, teaching ourselves democratic principles, and host meals, carefully constructing a community that this administration would see disappeared. But this moment, more than any other in our nations history, demands action, movement, and for us to go on the offensive. We want... Continue Reading →
Coordinated workplace actions across Roanoke show how workers are standing up together for better pay and working conditions.
Over three hundred labor activists from across 13 States and 15 industries converged on the South Carolina city of Spartanburg for the Southern Worker Action Summit, organized by the Southern Workers Assembly (a network of union representatives, workplace organizing committees, and local Worker Assemblies dedicated to building labor power and workplace democracy throughout the Southeastern... Continue Reading →
Originally published on The Virginia Worker, we provided this coverage on the recent picketing by ATU Local 1493 union members and supporters as they fight for living wages and benefits Across the street from a brand new $17.3 million bus terminal stands a row of picketing bus workers of the ATU Local 1493. Above them... Continue Reading →
After months of red tape a union election was finally set for Bridges Starbucks Workers in June, winning their election unanimously 14-0. The following is an interview with a Starbucks partner since their victory. The Virginia Worker: Firstly, congratulations on your sweeping victory with your election, it’s been several months since we last spoke. Last... Continue Reading →
This reportback was written by an anonymous member of the TAP Head Start Workers Committee A year ago, in January 2021, preschool workers at TAP Head Start in Roanoke, VA initiated our first workplace struggle. We were organizing for some basic, decent working conditions (the first two of which were a long time coming, and... Continue Reading →
Virginia has the highest discrepancy between teacher pay and comparatively educated professionals out of any state in the country. Teachers will get a raise of five percent this year and five percent next year. However, this year’s five percent is underwhelming considering the seven percent inflation rate. There are several reasons why the teacher pay... Continue Reading →
Companies like Food Lion continue to roll out massive PR campaigns honoring their frontline employees as heroes. Some have even made token concessions concerning worker compensation and safety. However, the flashy advertising and bold headlines mask a treacherous reality for many workers in the retail, healthcare, hospitality, and agricultural industries (among others). “To say the least, I do not believe Food Lion cares about anything more than maintaining a façade. Doing the bare minimum is enough to please the customers and silence the workers.” When crisis response is left to the profit-obsessed CEOs of transnational corporations and the corrupt politicians in Washington, essential workers will continue to disproportionately bear the burden of keeping the country running.
We, the undersigned, are demanding that Mayor Lea and the City of Roanoke, Virginia Government, as well as Mayor Foley and the City of Salem, Virginia Government, immediately implement a response to the coronavirus pandemic that places the needs of Roanoke & Salem’s most vulnerable groups first. As COVID-19 continues to spread throughout Virginia and... Continue Reading →