Working Matters
Articles
Coverage from UCSC: AFSCME strikes against UC system’s unfair labor practices and a recent history of the university’s investment into real estate companies pushing for higher rent
As America continues to destroy itself for profit at the request of billionaires and oligarchic companies, the working class needs solidarity now more than ever.
“The wealth of Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk—the world’s richest person—is heading toward an unprecedented milestone, half a trillion dollars. Since Donald J. Trump was elected the U.S. president on Nov. 5, Musk’s net worth skyrocketed 84% from $264 billion to a high of $486 billion on Tuesday before falling to $458 billion amid Wednesday’s market rout, according to the Bloomberg Billionaire’s Index. Tesla stock dropped 8.3% on Wednesday, closing at $440.13.”
— Barron’s
“About half of U.S. adults say that it is very or somewhat difficult for them to afford their health care costs (47%). Among those under age 65, uninsured adults are much more likely to say affording health care costs is difficult (85%) compared to those with health insurance coverage (47%). Additionally, at least six in ten Black adults (60%) and Hispanic adults (65%) report difficulty affording health care costs compared to about four in ten White adults (39%).”
— KFF
I have heard people say over and over again, “There are great evils happening the world, states across the world perpetrating evils against whole groups of people. Why pick on Israel?” And the thing I say is, “I’m an American. This is the thing that we have our fingerprints on.” Those bombs over Gaza, the planes that drop bombs on Gaza, the plaques that I saw, for instance, in Jerusalem, all of that is America. And we are going around the world propping ourselves up as the font of democracy. We are going around the world propping Israel up as the only democracy in the Middle East. This is a deep, deep fiction, a very, very dangerous fiction that must be addressed.”