Americas
Media hysteria grows over Boston bombing
By Barry Grey, 18 April 2013
While the nation, including the people of Boston, have remained calm, deeply saddened and shocked by the bombings as they are, the media and their leading personnel present a picture of disorientation and panic.
Sequestration cuts hit Michigan
By Lawrence Porter, 18 April 2013
As a result of the sequester cuts signed by President Obama, $150 million will be cut from programs that particularly affect the poor in Michigan.
Floods devastate Argentina
By Rafael Azul, 18 April 2013
Torrential storms and floods affected 450,000 people and killed 58 in Argentina.
New York stop-and-frisk trial bares massive police abuse
By Sandy English, 18 April 2013
Plaintiffs in an ongoing federal trial have alleged that New York’s Police Department has violated the constitutional rights of millions of people in its decade-long stop-and-frisk program.
Homeless in San Diego, California
Life on the street in “America’s Finest City”
By Jake Dean and Toby Reese, 18 April 2013
San Diego, California ranks third in the nation for the number of homeless, with estimates of 10,000.
Mass layoffs in Illinois
By Shane Feratu and Jeff Lusanne, 18 April 2013
A large number of companies in Illinois have announced closures and job cuts.
The US Justice Department brief for the assassination of US citizens
Part one
By Tom Carter and Eric London, 18 April 2013
Since the publication of the white paper, leading figures in the US political establishment have declared that the asserted power to assassinate includes the power to kill US citizens on US soil.
Media rush to judgment in Boston Marathon bombing
By Barry Grey, 16 April 2013
At least three people were killed and 144 wounded, including 15 with critical injuries, by two bomb explosions in downtown Boston.
Emergency manager to impose contract on Detroit firefighters
By WSWS reporting team, 16 April 2013
Detroit firefighters will have a new contract imposed on them by emergency manager Kevyn Orr starting July 1.
US Head Start preschool program hit with sequester cuts
By Danielle DeSaxe, 16 April 2013
The Obama administration has announced that Head Start, a federally funded program that provides preschool for low-income families, will face cuts.
Narrow victory for Maduro in Venezuelan elections
By Rafael Azul, 16 April 2013
Nicolás Maduro won Sunday’s presidential election in Venezuela by a razor-thin margin that reflected mounting social discontent.
US Postal Service announces new attacks on workers
By James Brewer, 16 April 2013
The USPS Board of Governors announced its intention to reopen the contracts of postal workers in order to impose new wage and benefit concessions.
Workers Struggles: The Americas
16 April 2013
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Obama budget slashes Social Security, Medicare
By Andre Damon, 11 April 2013
US President Barack Obama unveiled his budget proposal Wednesday, calling for a historic attack on Medicare and Social Security.
Newark, New Jersey students protest education cuts
By Dan Brennan, 11 April 2013
Hundreds of high school students in Newark, New Jersey walked out of class Tuesday to protest millions of dollars in education cuts.
Brazil’s economy beset by inflation, lagging production
By Bill Van Auken, 11 April 2013
The inflation spike has been driven by a sharp rise in the price of food and other consumer items, with the impact felt acutely by Brazil’s working class and poor.
What is the Common Core US education initiative?
By Allison Smith and Phyllis Scherrer, 11 April 2013
Common Core standards are being implemented in K-12 classrooms across the US this year. They have been promoted by the Obama administration, corporations and teachers’ unions.
Common Core: A California kindergarten teacher’s experience
By our reporter, 11 April 2013
A kindergarten teacher in the Long Beach Unified School District in Southern California spoke with the WSWS about the impact of the Common Core curriculum.
US states de-fund public education through expanded voucher schemes
By Zac Corrigan, 11 April 2013
Various state programs divert an ever-increasing amount of funding from the public education system to private schools.
Detroit area gas explosion reveals deadly state of pipeline infrastructure
By James Brewer, 11 April 2013
Utility company Consumers Energy released an interim report that covers up its responsibility in a recent lethal explosion.
General Motors in drive to cut skilled trades jobs in US plants
By Shannon Jones, 11 April 2013
GM is seeking to eliminate skilled and high seniority workers in order to slash costs.
Obama defends plan to cut Medicare and Social Security
By Andre Damon, 9 April 2013
After media reports that the Obama administration plans to slash Medicare and Social Security in its latest budget proposal due to be released Wednesday, government officials have been seeking to diffuse popular opposition to the cuts.
Communities across US feel impact of sequestration cuts
By Kate Randall, 9 April 2013
The effects of the sequestration order signed by President Obama on March 1 began to be felt in earnest beginning April 1.
Thousands of scientists protest US cuts to medical research
By Nick Barrickman, 9 April 2013
Up to 15,000 scientists from around the country attended Monday’s rally, which was called by the American Association for Cancer Research.
AT&T workers reject contract, face déjà vu betrayal by union
By Juan Verala Luz and Marc Wells, 9 April 2013
AT&T West workers resoundingly rejected a proposed contract that would have capped wages at $22 an hour and offered paltry health care plans.
California union supports Democratic-sponsored attack on teachers
By Juan Verala Luz and Marc Wells, 9 April 2013
Proposed California Assembly Bill 375, sponsored by Democrats and supported by the union, expedites the firing of teachers.
Workers Struggles: The Americas
9 April 2013
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Atlanta testing scandal exposes fraud of anti-public school “reform”
By Andre Damon and Barry Grey, 4 April 2013
The types of practices exposed in Atlanta are the inevitable outcome of the reactionary drive to dismantle public education in the name of “reform.”
California governor seeks end to federal prison oversight
By Norisa Diaz, 4 April 2013
California is seeking to regain oversight of its vast prison system, arguing that it has made adequate improvements in mental health care and overcrowding.
Canada’s government suppresses scientific reporting
By Carl Bronski, 4 April 2013
Canada’s Conservative government has muzzled government scientists as part of a systematic campaign to manipulate and suppress scientific information.
Approval of Stockton, California bankruptcy paves way for new assault on workers’ pensions
By Gabriel Black, 2 April 2013
A federal bankruptcy judge ruled on Monday that the city of Stockton, California could proceed with the largest municipal bankruptcy in US history.
Venezuela’s Maduro runs right-wing campaign in preparation for austerity
By Alexander Fangmann, 2 April 2013
Nicolás Maduro, Hugo Chávez’s handpicked successor, has run a right-wing campaign with overtures to the military and Catholic Church in preparation for cutbacks and austerity.
Workers Struggles: The Americas
2 April 2013
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Tenants angry over New York Housing Authority’s plans to sell to developers
By Alan Whyte, 2 April 2013
Tenants in New York City public housing voiced opposition to plans to lease public land to private developers.
Obama, Republicans plot sweeping attack on Medicare
By Fred Mazelis, 30 March 2013
The plan that is being discussed would restructure Medicare to impose major increases in deductible payments on millions of beneficiaries.
Stock markets and food stamps at record highs
The two sides of the US economic “recovery”
By Kate Randall, 30 March 2013
The growth of social inequality since the 2008 financial crash is the product of definite policies pursued first under Bush and then under the Obama administration.
US Supreme Court hears arguments on gay marriage
By Barry Grey, 30 March 2013
There is a clear issue of democratic rights in the same-sex marriage question. Having said that, claims that recognition of same-sex marriage signifies a new flowering of democratic rights lack any credibility.
Convicted Ponzi schemer Madoff accuses US government of stonewalling on bank prosecutions
By Andre Damon, 30 March 2013
Bernard Madoff, who admitted in 2009 to running a multibillion-dollar Ponzi scheme, has charged that the government-appointed trustee for his firm’s investors is ignoring evidence of major banks’ complicity in his activities.
Detroit’s emergency manager keeps mayor, city council on payroll
By Bryan Dyne and Shannon Jones, 30 March 2013
Kevyn Orr’s first act as Detroit’s emergency financial manager was to restore the wages of the mayor and the city council.
Quebec’s Option Nationale: An aspiring party of big business
By Richard Dufour, 30 March 2013
At its first full convention, Option Nationale—a party courted by the ostensibly leftwing Québec Solidaire— paraded its support for capitalism and indifference to poverty.
Illinois House approves pension cuts
By Alexander Fangmann, 30 March 2013
The Illinois House of Representatives has approved a bill all but eliminating cost-of-living increases and raising the retirement age for state workers.
New Jersey governor announces state takeover of Camden schools
By Elliott Vernon, 30 March 2013
Camden, among the poorest cities in the US, became the fourth city in New Jersey to see its public schools fall under state control.
The trade unions and Michigan’s “right to work” law
By Joseph Kishore, 28 March 2013
The actions taken by the trade unions in response to the passage of Michigan’s reactionary “right to work” law expose the anti-working class character of these organizations.
Plans to vastly expand drones in US
By Fred Mazelis, 28 March 2013
After a decade of the use of drones as part of its “war on terror” abroad, the US government is preparing the American people for the routine use of drones inside the US.
Tensions high at Chrysler Warren Stamping in wake of victimization
By Shannon Jones, 28 March 2013
Skilled trades worker Alex Wassell was fired for opposing the Alternative Work Schedule, recently implemented at the plant.
Workers Struggles, the Americas
26 March 2013
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On eve of emergency manager take-over
Unions move to ram through concessions against Detroit workers
By Jerry White and Bryan Dyne, 21 March 2013
The sweeping concessions demanded from teachers and the city’s municipal employees give a picture of the draconian measures planned for the entire working class.
US Senate budget bill makes sequester cuts permanent
By Andre Damon, 21 March 2013
The US Senate passed a “continuing resolution” bill to fund the US government through September, while paving the way for the implementation of furloughs for about 1 million federal government employees.
D.C. Fire Department investigation highlights underfunding
By Adam Sagitov and Nick Barrickman, 21 March 2013
An audit by the emergency worker’s union exposed yet another attempt by the city government to undercut safety funding.
Los Angeles election results in May runoff between pro-business candidates
By Dan Conway and Thomas Gaist, 21 March 2013
Regardless of which candidate wins the May election, they will play an instrumental role in crafting the next austerity budget, as they have been in implementing brutal cost-cutting measures in the past.
US funding bill to make sequester cuts permanent
Hundreds of thousands face unpaid furloughs
By Andre Damon, 19 March 2013
As the US government prepares to furlough hundreds of thousands of federal employees, Congress is moving to make $1.2 trillion in spending cuts implemented under the sequester process permanent.
The managed bankruptcy of GM and Chrysler: A model for the assault on Detroit
By Jerry White, 19 March 2013
Detroit’s new Emergency Financial Manager is considering a “managed bankruptcy” to slash jobs, wages and pensions.
Plans for military surveillance of Americans’ financial records
By Ed Hightower, 19 March 2013
The Treasury’s proposal represents yet another front in the escalating attack on democratic rights, especially the rights to privacy and freedom of association.
Head of Canada’s NDP auditions before US elite
By Graham Beverley, 19 March 2013
Official Opposition leader Thomas Mulcair made a trip to Washington and New York last week to assure US business and political leaders that an NDP government would be a dependable ally of American imperialism.
Fifth West Virginia miner killed in as many weeks
By Naomi Spencer, 19 March 2013
The latest fatality comes in the wake of a statewide “safety standdown” called by Governor Earl Ray Tomblin and the eruption of a fire in another mine.
School bus drivers face legacy of toxic pollution
By Dan Brennan, 19 March 2013
As school bus companies in New York seek to cut costs by eliminating health benefits, workers are exposed to high levels of diesel pollution linked to asthma, cancer and premature death.
Workers Struggles: The Americas
19 March 2013
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US budget debate targets Social Security and Medicare
By Andre Damon, 14 March 2013
While the media is once again seeking to create the appearance of deep and fundamental conflicts—with endless talk of congressional “gridlock” and the “partisan divide”—there has never been greater bipartisan agreement on basic policy.
US officials announce formation of offensive cyber war units
By Alex Lantier, 14 March 2013
US intelligence officials announced Tuesday that Washington is setting up military units to write destructive computer code to attack other countries.
Parents, teachers and students oppose New York City school closings
By Steve Light, Alan Whyte and and A. Woodson, 14 March 2013
More New York City school closings and co-locations were approved by the Bloomberg-controlled Panel on Educational Policy, in defiance of the views of the majority of parents and teachers.
Nationalism or socialism in Latin America
A reply to a supporter of Chavez
By Bill Van Auken, 14 March 2013
The kind of “alternative” that is envisioned here is one that is imposed from above, not arising from the politically independent movement of the working class itself, striving to establish its own organs of power.
Too big to jail
By Joseph Kishore, 12 March 2013
At a Senate Judiciary Committee last week, US Attorney General Eric Holder declared that major financial institutions engaged in criminal activity are too big to prosecute.
Former Detroit mayor convicted of racketeering and extortion
By Jerry White, 12 March 2013
After a five-month trial a jury on Monday found Detroit’s former mayor, Kwame Kilpatrick, guilty of 22 corruption charges.
Building, food service workers strike University of Illinois
By Marcus Day, 12 March 2013
Building and food service workers at University of Illinois voted down a proposed contract over the weekend and walked off the job Monday morning.
Maryland moves to repeal state death penalty
By Trent Novak, 12 March 2013
Last Wednesday, the Maryland State Senate voted in favor of repealing the state death penalty.
Workers Struggles: The Americas
12 March 2013
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Obama administration claims right to assassinate citizens within the US
By Joseph Kishore, 7 March 2013
The administration claims the power to order extrajudicial assassination of citizens within the US under undefined “extraordinary circumstances.”
Operation Condor trial begins in Argentina
By Bill Van Auken, 7 March 2013
The trial is the first to deal with the coordinated state terror campaign launched by Latin America’s US-backed dictatorships.
New York City homeless population reaches Great Depression levels
By Fred Mazelis, 7 March 2013
The Coalition for the Homeless reports an average nightly total of more than 50,000 in New York’s shelters, a record “since modern homelessness emerged three decades ago.”
Oscar-nominated Palestinian filmmaker detained at Los Angeles airport
By Kevin Martinez, 7 March 2013
Emad Burnat, co-director of 5 Broken Cameras, was detained and threatened with deportation by US immigration officials on arrival in Los Angeles before last week’s Oscar ceremony.
California governor prepares implementation of Obama health care bill
By Thomas Gaist, 7 March 2013
Deceptive claims of expanded coverage for poor and working class families are an attempt to cover over the real impact of the ACA.
Teachers, school staff strike in Cleveland suburb
By Phyllis Scherrer, 7 March 2013
The Strongsville, Ohio school board is seeking the elimination of seniority protections and changes to pension and health care plans.
Sequester cuts boost corporate assault on American workers
By Kate Randall, 5 March 2013
The media presentation of the sequester as a symptom of “gridlock” and bitter policy differences between the Democrats and Republicans is a cynical fraud.
Brutal budget cutting, privatization planned for Detroit
By Lawrence Porter, 5 March 2013
Michigan governor Rick Snyder’s declaration of a “financial emergency” in Detroit is paving the way for the gutting of city services and a fire sale of public assets.
Homeless crisis grows in San Diego
By Jake Dean and Justin Jones, 5 March 2013
San Diego ranks third in the nation after New York and Los Angeles in the size of its homeless population.
Las Vegas taxi drivers continue strike
By Therese Leclerc, 5 March 2013
The strike is the industry’s first in nearly two decades in Las Vegas.
Gas explosion kills Michigan man
By James Brewer, 5 March 2013
As a utility company maintenance crew worked on a “civic improvement project,” an apparent gas leak caused an explosion that was felt for miles.
Workers Struggles: The Americas
5 March 2013
The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature.
Illinois public employees’ union agrees to concessions contract
By Alexander Fangmann, 5 March 2013
AFSCME has agreed to a pay freeze in the first year of the contract.
US Supreme Court dismisses lawsuit challenging secret wiretaps
By John Burton, 28 February 2013
In dismissing the suit, the Supreme Court majority adopted the positions urged by Obama administration lawyers in their briefs and at oral argument last October.
Fed chairman reassures markets on dollar-printing “quantitative easing” program
By Barry Grey, 28 February 2013
The real beneficiaries of the policy Bernanke reaffirmed was reflected in the surge of share values on global stock markets.
Quebec: PQ imposes annual hikes in university tuition fees
By Keith Jones, 28 February 2013
Using a phony “national” Education Summit as a backdrop, Quebec’s Parti Québecois government announced Tuesday that henceforth university tuition fees will rise annually by at least 3 percent.
Four perish in Maryland house fire
By Adam Sagitov, 28 February 2013
A house fire claimed the lives of three children and one adult Thursday in a Washington, DC suburb.
New York City homelessness continues to set new records
By Fred Mazelis, 26 February 2013
Mayor Michael Bloomberg dismissed complaints that the city had turned away homeless families from municipal shelters.
Workers Struggles: The Americas
26 February 2013
The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature.
Obama calls for more spending cuts to prevent “sequestration”
By Andre Damon, 21 February 2013
US President Barack Obama called on Congress Tuesday to implement billions in spending cuts to head off the so-called “sequestration” scheduled to take effect at the end of the month.
Another West Virginia coal miner killed
By Naomi Spencer, 21 February 2013
A second miner has been killed in the same mine where a fatal accident occurred just two weeks ago.
Draconian White House immigration reform leaked to press
By Kate Randall, 19 February 2013
Undocumented immigrants would have to wait an estimated eight years for the chance to receive a “Lawful Prospective Immigrant” visa.
Deteriorating conditions in Illinois prisons lead to hunger strike
By Marcus Day, 19 February 2013
In response to overcrowding and deteriorating prison conditions, inmates at Pontiac Correctional Center have launched a hunger strike.
SEIU union leader convicted on federal charges
By Allison Smith and Marc Wells, 19 February 2013
A federal court convicted the former president of an SEIU affiliate on 14 criminal counts, including embezzlement of thousands of dollars of union funds.
Workers Struggles: The Americas
19 February 2013
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Two more US coal miners killed
By Clement Daly, 19 February 2013
Two more US coal miners were killed last week, bringing the nation’s coal mining fatalities to five this year.
600 children living in Washington, DC homeless shelter
By Naomi Spencer, 14 February 2013
A single homeless shelter in the nation’s capital is crowded with nearly 1,000 residents.
California governor’s budget foreshadows new assaults on health care
By Thomas Gaist, 14 February 2013
Governor Brown’s agenda includes a restructuring of health care programs to shave hundreds of millions of dollars from the budget.
After the bids: New York School bus strike at the crossroads
By Bill Van Auken, 14 February 2013
The New York City school bus strike has reached a critical turning point following the Department of Education’s opening of bids Tuesday for 1,100 school bus routes.
“I see this as an attack on public education.”
New York City workers and students express support for school bus strikers
By Bryan Dyne, 14 February 2013
The strike by 9,000 school bus workers has generated popular support among workers and youth in New York City.
Socialism and the defense of public education in Chicago
the Socialist Equality Party, 14 February 2013
The SEP calls for the independent mobilization of the entire working class to oppose all school closings.
On eve of State of the Union speech
Obama pushes austerity in the guise of defending the “middle class”
By Patrick Martin, 12 February 2013
Obama is calling for further deficit-reduction measures, including cuts in core social programs.
Workers Struggles: The Americas
12 February 2013
The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature.
US Postal Service announces plan to end Saturday mail delivery
By James Brewer, 7 February 2013
The postmaster general announced a $2 billion cost-cutting measure that would end Saturday mail service by August.
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