thenation--2020-04-16--The Coronavirus Strike Wave Could Shift Power to Workers—for Good

Daniel Steinbrook ’ s job at Whole Foods has changed completely as a result of the coronavirus pandemic .
His store is mobbed .
Many customers come in wearing masks .
Steinbrook , who works at a Whole Foods in Cambridge , Massachusetts , hasn ’ t been given a mask by his employer and was told he couldn ’ t wear a scarf over his face for added protection .
“ It ’ s been extremely stressful , ” Steinbrook said .
“ And it ’ s grown increasingly stressful over time as the pandemic has advanced and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 31 , he and his fellow Whole Foods workers across the country went on strike , orchestrating a mass sick-out to protest what they say is a lack of protections for employees and customers alike .
It ’ s the first national collective action ever staged by Whole Foods employees .
They are one of a number of groups of workers who have gone on strike in recent weeks .
Amazon warehouse workers walked off the job in Detroit , Chicago , and New York City ; in the latter , they ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many weeks over safety and pay concerns .
Workers at fast-food restaurants such as McDonald ’ s , Burger King , KFC , Checkers , Domino ’ s , and Waffle House have gone on strike in California , Florida , Missouri , North Carolina , Tennessee .
They ’ ve been joined by workers at companies where workers have never gone on strike before , such as Family Dollar , Food Lion , and Shell gas stations .
Instacart shoppers held a national strike on March 30 , refusing to accept orders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s same-day delivery service , organized a walkout on April 7 .
The unrest has even spread to bus drivers , poultry workers , and painters and construction workers .
The stakes are high .
Many of these workers have been deemed essential as their employers stay open .
But , striking workers say , their employers are not doing enough to protect their health and keep them financially afloat .
Already , grocery workers have started to die from Covid-19 .
This marked the first time that Steinbrook took part in workplace @ @ @ @ @ @ @ someone who ever gets involved in things like this , ” he said .
“ I normally just shut up and do my job.
” Finding out that Whole Foods ’ s paid sick leave policy requires a positive Covid-19 test even though the company isn ’ t covering the costs of tests galvanized him .
“ It incentivizes employees to come into work sick , ” he explained .
And , he pointed out , Whole Foods ’ s policy runs counter to guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ closing stores where employees test positive .
Instead , they do a deep cleaning overnight and notify employees via voicemail ; customers may not have any idea .
And there is nothing done to address whether or not other employees were also infected .
“ This is an extremely dangerous and irresponsible policy [ from ] Whole Foods meant to preserve their profits , ” Steinbrook said .
“ It ’ s frankly only a matter of time for a Whole Foods Market employee to die from Covid-19 that they contracted at work.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ employer is putting the rest of his community at risk .
“ A number of the existing policies are frankly dangerous for employees and customers and the public at large , ” he said .
“ Any transmission within the store will grow exponentially within the community , and it will put people ’ s lives at risk.
” So Whole Foods employees have issued a set of demands : paid leave for anyone who isolates or self-quarantines , health care for part-time and seasonal employees , company coverage of coronavirus testing and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pay , new policies to facilitate social distancing in stores and ensure adequate sanitation , and an immediate shutdown of any store where an employee tests positive with pay for all of its employees .
The company did not respond to a request for comment .
In response to the pandemic , it has increased hourly pay by $ 2 an hour .
Steinbrook doesn ’ t believe the company will make changes without pressure .
It ’ s already ignoring the CDC recommendations , as well as a letter sent by 14 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Washington , D.C. urging the CEO of Amazon , which owns Whole Foods , and the CEO of Whole Foods Market to change its paid sick leave policy .
Executives are “ not listening to the government , ” Steinbrook noted .
“ They ’ re not going to listen to me , just a random employee.
” But , he hopes , they might listen to employees banding together .
“ Since the entire nation is shut down…and grocery stores are one of the few places open , I think that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health , ” he said .
That sentiment—that so many employers are putting their employees in danger by flouting the recommendations of authority figures—is part of what has made this moment such a fertile one for labor activism according to Nelson Lichtenstein , distinguished professor of history at the University of California Santa Barbara .
The current swell of strikes comes after two years of a huge uptick in worker unrest : more workers went on strike in 2018 than any time since 1986 , and the numbers held steady last year .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and traditions and impulses that have immediately gone before it , ” Lichtenstein pointed out .
It ’ s no coincidence that all of these workers have responded to this crisis with walkouts after two years of strikes by teachers , nurses , and Uber drivers—not to mention movements like Occupy Wall Street and the Fight for 15 .
“ We have had a decade where these ideas are floating around , ” he noted .
But something vital has shifted .
“ It ’ s not just that their [ working ] @ @ @ @ @ @ @ existence forever , ” he said .
Now these workers are being called heroes and told by society “ they are part of a larger , important…vital functioning of society.
” That makes it even more egregious when their employers then violate the “ new set of social norms and moral structures set up by this crisis , ” he said .
“ There demands [ have been ] legitimized by other people in authority and power and prestige.
” Workers feel a sense of empowerment in their new , essential roles—which makes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t live up to the moment and take steps to protect and compensate them adequately .
“ Those things come together and create an explosive situation , ” he said .
This moment “ gives them a sense of moral righteousness.
” The Workers on the Front Lines of the Philippines ’ Fight Against Coronavirus The Lesson of the Coronavirus ?
There ’ s No One Left to Trust .
Immigrants Are Bearing the Brunt of the Coronavirus Crisis More in this series There ’ s another factor on workers ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in high demand right now .
Grocery stores can barely keep shelves stocked .
Customers are relying on deliveries from Amazon and Instacart so they don ’ t have to go outside .
Workers “ have the leverage here , ” Lichtenstein said .
Mario Crippen can ’ t afford to stay away from his job at an Amazon warehouse in Detroit .
He has a three-month-old and a six-year-old to provide for .
At the same time , he ’ s terrified of bringing coronavirus home to his family .
At least @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; employees in 64 Amazon warehouses and shipping facilities have now tested positive .
When he arrives at work he goes straight to his station—the company is not doing any screening for Covid , he said—and waits to be given the one bleach wipe per worker to wipe down his entire station .
The company has run out of masks for employees and has stationed employees by doors to squirt sanitizer into people ’ s hands in order to ration it .
Amazon ’ s current order volumes look like we ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ frenzy .
“ I feel like I ’ m on my last days when I walk in there , ” he said .
He was at work when he got a call from the company informing him that two of his coworkers had tested positive .
“ That made me so scared , ” he said .
“ It made me think , ‘ Do I already have it , what if I go home and give it to my family , what ’ s going to happen to them , who ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the family , who ’ s going to take care of them , how is my family going to pay for a funeral ?
’ All those thoughts running through my head.
” “ I ’ m feeling like somebody ’ s going to have to die for them to take action , ” he said .
“ Nobody is listening to us.
” In the face of inaction , he and his coworkers went on strike on April 1 , the third strike at an Amazon warehouse in as many days , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chicago .
The company has since fired three warehouse employees who say they were involved in the labor actions .
Employees are demanding that the warehouse be shut down immediately to clean it while ensuring all employees keep being paid , safety measures be implemented and the necessary disinfecting supplies be stocked , the company cover medical care for any employees or their family members who contract the virus , anyone who self-quarantines receive pay , and the company stop processing all nonessential items .
“ This accusations are simply unfounded [ sic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the safety of our teams , ” Rachael Lighty , a communications manager for Amazon , said in an e-mail .
She pointed to the company ’ s “ preventative health measures ” and “ enhanced cleaning and sanitation , ” as well as the additional $ 2 per hour pay and paid time off it has offered .
“ I ’ d rather be a part [ of the strike ] than to lose my life for that job , ” Crippen said .
“ A job can be replaced .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the morning of March 12 , Jordan Backman , who lives in Issaquah , Washington , woke up planning to fulfill shopping orders for Instacart like she does every weekday , but “ I just felt off , ” she said .
By the evening she had a constant , painful cough ; then she developed a fever .
A few days later her son developed the same symptoms .
There was a string of days when she was so sick she could barely get out of bed .
The only way she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , is working for Instacart .
When she called the hospital , she was told to go into a 14-day quarantine , so she stopped working .
When she finally recovered , she figured she would be able to get pay from Instacart for the time that she was sick , given that the company has said it will offer 14 days of paid leave to anyone “ who is diagnosed with COVID-19 or placed in individual mandatory isolation or quarantine , as directed by a local , state , or public health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because it said she wasn ’ t told to quarantine by a public health official and because her test came back negative , even though there is a high rate of false negatives .
“ I was really excited to get back to work after not being able to work for two weeks , ” she said .
But her frustration over the company ’ s refusal to grant her paid leave pushed her to take part in a national strike on March 30 .
Organizers say thousands of other Instacart workers joined @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to do shopping trips until their demands are met .
Backman is also on strike indefinitely .
“ I ’ m not working until Instacart decides to pay me , ” she said .
She also wants the company to commit to at least $ 5 of hazard pay per order .
“ We have been consistently , proactively communicating with the shopper community to ensure they have the support they need , ” Instacart said in an e-mail .
“ We ’ ve made a number of significant enhancements to our products @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that demonstrate Instacart ’ s unwavering commitment to prioritizing the health and safety of the entire Instacart community.
” That includes providing disinfecting supplies and safety kits for its workers in the wake of the strike , sick pay for all part-time employees , and bonuses ranging from $ 25 to $ 200 depending on how many hours were worked .
But so far , Instacart has not budged on its requirements for using paid sick leave or increasing hazard pay .
At a Food Lion grocery store in North Carolina , Nyreese @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
People are buying so much that the store has put limits on certain items , such as meat and toilet paper .
And yet the company isn ’ t giving employees masks and gloves .
Cole has bought his own latex gloves .
“ The only thing that ’ s available to help is sanitizer at the front door and washing my hands in the bathroom , ” he said .
“ I know I ’ m risking myself every day I do go to work , ” he said .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can get at work so that he can pay his bills ; he ’ s even been calling to see if he can get extra shifts .
“ It might sound crazy , but I feel like I don ’ t have a choice , ” he said .
“ At the end of the day , rent is going to keep coming.
” He currently makes $ 10.50 an hour as a stocker , and the company has said it will give employees an extra dollar as hazard pay .
But he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 15 an hour .
He also thinks the company should guarantee paid sick leave .
So he joined fast food and retail workers to go on strike across the Raleigh-Durham area on March 27 with , he says , at least one other Food Lion coworker .
Food Lion disputes that any strike took place at its store .
“ We did not have any widespread absentees , ” Matt Harakal , manager of external communications , said in an e-mail .
“ As a result of the coronavirus outbreak , we have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ policies , enhanced compensation and other key benefits .
We are monitoring this fluid situation , and continue to follow guidance from local , state and national health authorities including the CDC.
” He also said the company recently ordered face masks for employees .
Bettie Douglass is also seeking more hours even though she ’ s worried that her job has left her exposed .
She was working a full-time schedule at McDonald ’ s in Missouri , but when the coronavirus hit and demand dropped , the company reduced her hours @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s worried that her utilities will be cut off come May 1 .
Her refrigerator broke and she doesn ’ t have the money to fix it , but without it it ’ s hard for her to stock up on food for her family .
So she ’ s still going to work at McDonald ’ s , even though she ’ s 62 , and even though the company hasn ’ t given any of them masks .
“ All we were told was use the sanitizer and wash hands frequently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have to take a chance everyday because I can ’ t afford not to go to work.
” As soon as she heard there was a strike brewing , “ I knew I was going to do it , ” she said .
“ Because if you don ’ t stand for something , you don ’ t stand for anything.
” She walked off the job along with more than 100 other fast-food employees in both St. Louis and Tampa , Florida on March 31 .
She ’ s been with McDonald @ @ @ @ @ @ @ never gotten a raise .
“ We don ’ t have any type of retirement , we don ’ t have any type of benefits , we don ’ t have any type of sick pay , ” she noted .
Unlike many of the workers who ’ ve recently gotten active , Douglass has gone on strike before , with the Fight for 15 .
“ I ’ m going to continue to do it until we get some better benefits , until they take us into consideration and take us serious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ highest priority is to protect the health and well-being of our people , ” McDonald ’ s owner and operator Nicole Enearu said in an e-mail , in a response to a request for comment .
She said she has made “ an ample supply ” of gloves available to employees and is asking sick employees to stay home .
Some of these strikes have been orchestrated by Fight for 15 organizers , who have led larger and larger walkouts among fast-food workers and other low-wage employees for several years , demanding higher @ @ @ @ @ @ @ union , as well as newer groups , such as Working Washington , which has been organizing Instacart and other gig workers .
But others have sprung up more organically .
Whole Foods employees are not unionized , and the company has a history of aggressive union busting .
There , the sick-out emerged from “ online organizing of random employees who are concerned , ” Steinbrook noted .
“ It was probably obvious before , but it ’ s definitely obvious now : the need for employee organizing to protect themselves and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could therefore extend beyond the end of the current crisis , whenever it might subside .
Striking workers have notched a few victories .
Instacart said it will provide free health and safety kits to workers .
Lawmakers have taken notice ; Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Ro Khanna unveiled an “ Essential Workers Bill of Rights ” on Monday that would grant grocery store , food service , warehouse , delivery , and other workers health and safety protections , premium pay , and paid sick and medical leave .
For now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sign of cresting .
Amazon workers in New York and Chicago have staged other one-day walkouts since the one Crippen joined in Detroit .
Fast-food strikes have spread to California .
After workers at a pizzeria in Chicago learned that a coworker had tested positive , they all walked out of the job on April 11 .
And the employees who already took part may do so again .
Despite Steinbrook ’ s prior reluctance to join in workplace activism , he ’ s prepared to do more .
“ If these things @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the petition are not addressed immediately , there absolutely will be more mass actions , ” he promised .
Whole Foods workers are already planning another sick out for May 1 .
Steinbrook and his coworkers also hope that their action “ will have a cascading effect on other grocery stores and other retail chains.
” As the crisis continues to unfold , a general strike—one that extends across industries and , indeed , possibly engulfs the whole country— “ is not inconceivable , ” Lichenstein said .
If unrest spreads from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ companies , those companies would have to shut down until workers ’ demands are met .
There are budding signs of such solidarity : white-collar Amazon employees sent an internal e-mail in support of the warehouse workers who have gone on strike and protested publicly about their working conditions ; in response , Amazon fired two of them on Friday .
It would be similar to entire school systems being shut down to support teachers going on strike in 2018 .
“ There needs to be continuing labor organization to prevent something like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .

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Daniel Steinbrook’s job at Whole Foods has changed completely as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. His store is mobbed. Many customers come in wearing masks. Steinbrook, who works at a Whole Foods in Cambridge, Massachusetts, hasn’t been given a mask by his employer and was told he couldn’t wear a scarf over his face for added protection.
“It’s been extremely stressful,” Steinbrook said. “And it’s grown increasingly stressful over time as the pandemic has advanced and the risks have gotten higher.”
On March 31, he and his fellow Whole Foods workers across the country went on strike, orchestrating a mass sick-out to protest what they say is a lack of protections for employees and customers alike. It’s the first national collective action ever staged by Whole Foods employees.
They are one of a number of groups of workers who have gone on strike in recent weeks. Amazon warehouse workers walked off the job in Detroit, Chicago, and New York City; in the latter, they’ve now staged two strikes in as many weeks over safety and pay concerns. Workers at fast-food restaurants such as McDonald’s, Burger King, KFC, Checkers, Domino’s, and Waffle House have gone on strike in California, Florida, Missouri, North Carolina, Tennessee. They’ve been joined by workers at companies where workers have never gone on strike before, such as Family Dollar, Food Lion, and Shell gas stations. Instacart shoppers held a national strike on March 30, refusing to accept orders. Workers for Shipt, Target’s same-day delivery service, organized a walkout on April 7. The unrest has even spread to bus drivers, poultry workers, and painters and construction workers.
The stakes are high. Many of these workers have been deemed essential as their employers stay open. But, striking workers say, their employers are not doing enough to protect their health and keep them financially afloat. Already, grocery workers have started to die from Covid-19.
This marked the first time that Steinbrook took part in workplace activism. “I’m not someone who ever gets involved in things like this,” he said. “I normally just shut up and do my job.” Popular "swipe left below to view more authors"Swipe → The Evisceration of a Public University The Evisceration of a Public University Lisa M. Corrigan The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks Chris Lehmann “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash Dave Zirin How the “Brooks Brothers Riot” Set the Stage for Insurrection How the “Brooks Brothers Riot” Set the Stage for Insurrection Chris Lehmann Popular "swipe left below to view more authors"Swipe → The Evisceration of a Public University The Evisceration of a Public University Lisa M. Corrigan The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks Chris Lehmann “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash Dave Zirin How the “Brooks Brothers Riot” Set the Stage for Insurrection How the “Brooks Brothers Riot” Set the Stage for Insurrection Chris Lehmann
Finding out that Whole Foods’s paid sick leave policy requires a positive Covid-19 test even though the company isn’t covering the costs of tests galvanized him. “It incentivizes employees to come into work sick,” he explained. And, he pointed out, Whole Foods’s policy runs counter to guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control. Current Issue View our current issue
Meanwhile, Whole Foods has not been closing stores where employees test positive. Instead, they do a deep cleaning overnight and notify employees via voicemail; customers may not have any idea. And there is nothing done to address whether or not other employees were also infected. “This is an extremely dangerous and irresponsible policy [from] Whole Foods meant to preserve their profits,” Steinbrook said. “It’s frankly only a matter of time for a Whole Foods Market employee to die from Covid-19 that they contracted at work.”
Steinbrook is also worried that his employer is putting the rest of his community at risk. “A number of the existing policies are frankly dangerous for employees and customers and the public at large,” he said. “Any transmission within the store will grow exponentially within the community, and it will put people’s lives at risk.”
Grocery store workers and others stage a protest rally outside the Whole Foods Market, in the South End of Boston. (Pat Greenhouse / The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
So Whole Foods employees have issued a set of demands: paid leave for anyone who isolates or self-quarantines, health care for part-time and seasonal employees, company coverage of coronavirus testing and treatment for all workers, double hazard pay, new policies to facilitate social distancing in stores and ensure adequate sanitation, and an immediate shutdown of any store where an employee tests positive with pay for all of its employees.
The company did not respond to a request for comment. In response to the pandemic, it has increased hourly pay by $2 an hour.
Steinbrook doesn’t believe the company will make changes without pressure. It’s already ignoring the CDC recommendations, as well as a letter sent by 14 state attorneys general and the attorney general of Washington, D.C. urging the CEO of Amazon, which owns Whole Foods, and the CEO of Whole Foods Market to change its paid sick leave policy. Executives are “not listening to the government,” Steinbrook noted. “They’re not going to listen to me, just a random employee.” But, he hopes, they might listen to employees banding together.
“Since the entire nation is shut down…and grocery stores are one of the few places open, I think that they have a big responsibility for public health,” he said.
That sentiment—that so many employers are putting their employees in danger by flouting the recommendations of authority figures—is part of what has made this moment such a fertile one for labor activism according to Nelson Lichtenstein, distinguished professor of history at the University of California Santa Barbara. The current swell of strikes comes after two years of a huge uptick in worker unrest: more workers went on strike in 2018 than any time since 1986, and the numbers held steady last year. “People face crises with the ideas and traditions and impulses that have immediately gone before it,” Lichtenstein pointed out. It’s no coincidence that all of these workers have responded to this crisis with walkouts after two years of strikes by teachers, nurses, and Uber drivers—not to mention movements like Occupy Wall Street and the Fight for 15. “We have had a decade where these ideas are floating around,” he noted.
But something vital has shifted. “It’s not just that their [working] conditions are bad—that’s been in existence forever,” he said. Now these workers are being called heroes and told by society “they are part of a larger, important…vital functioning of society.” That makes it even more egregious when their employers then violate the “new set of social norms and moral structures set up by this crisis,” he said. “There demands [have been] legitimized by other people in authority and power and prestige.” Workers feel a sense of empowerment in their new, essential roles—which makes them even more outraged when their employers don’t live up to the moment and take steps to protect and compensate them adequately. “Those things come together and create an explosive situation,” he said. This moment “gives them a sense of moral righteousness.” The Coronavirus Crisis The Workers on the Front Lines of the Philippines’ Fight Against Coronavirus Xyza Cruz Bacani The Lesson of the Coronavirus? There’s No One Left to Trust. Elie Mystal Immigrants Are Bearing the Brunt of the Coronavirus Crisis Cinthya Santos Briones, The Nation and Magnum Foundation Undercounting Covid-19 Deaths Is a Deadly Mistake Jeet Heer
There’s another factor on workers’ side: All of these companies are in high demand right now. Grocery stores can barely keep shelves stocked. Customers are relying on deliveries from Amazon and Instacart so they don’t have to go outside. Workers “have the leverage here,” Lichtenstein said.
Mario Crippen can’t afford to stay away from his job at an Amazon warehouse in Detroit. He has a three-month-old and a six-year-old to provide for. At the same time, he’s terrified of bringing coronavirus home to his family. At least three of his coworkers have tested positive; employees in 64 Amazon warehouses and shipping facilities have now tested positive. When he arrives at work he goes straight to his station—the company is not doing any screening for Covid, he said—and waits to be given the one bleach wipe per worker to wipe down his entire station. The company has run out of masks for employees and has stationed employees by doors to squirt sanitizer into people’s hands in order to ration it.
Amazon’s current order volumes look like we’re in the midst of the winter holiday frenzy. “I feel like I’m on my last days when I walk in there,” he said. He was at work when he got a call from the company informing him that two of his coworkers had tested positive. “That made me so scared,” he said. “It made me think, ‘Do I already have it, what if I go home and give it to my family, what’s going to happen to them, who’s going to be the breadwinner for the family, who’s going to take care of them, how is my family going to pay for a funeral?’ All those thoughts running through my head.”
“I’m feeling like somebody’s going to have to die for them to take action,” he said. “Nobody is listening to us.” In the face of inaction, he and his coworkers went on strike on April 1, the third strike at an Amazon warehouse in as many days, following actions in New York City and Chicago. The company has since fired three warehouse employees who say they were involved in the labor actions. Employees are demanding that the warehouse be shut down immediately to clean it while ensuring all employees keep being paid, safety measures be implemented and the necessary disinfecting supplies be stocked, the company cover medical care for any employees or their family members who contract the virus, anyone who self-quarantines receive pay, and the company stop processing all nonessential items.
Amazon employees hold a protest and walkout over conditions at the company’s Staten Island distribution facility. (Spencer Platt / Getty Images)
“This accusations are simply unfounded [sic]. Nothing is more important than the safety of our teams,” Rachael Lighty, a communications manager for Amazon, said in an e-mail. She pointed to the company’s “preventative health measures” and “enhanced cleaning and sanitation,” as well as the additional $2 per hour pay and paid time off it has offered.
“I’d rather be a part [of the strike] than to lose my life for that job,” Crippen said. “A job can be replaced. But your life cannot be.”
On the morning of March 12, Jordan Backman, who lives in Issaquah, Washington, woke up planning to fulfill shopping orders for Instacart like she does every weekday, but “I just felt off,” she said. By the evening she had a constant, painful cough; then she developed a fever. A few days later her son developed the same symptoms. There was a string of days when she was so sick she could barely get out of bed. The only way she could have been exposed, she said, is working for Instacart.
When she called the hospital, she was told to go into a 14-day quarantine, so she stopped working. When she finally recovered, she figured she would be able to get pay from Instacart for the time that she was sick, given that the company has said it will offer 14 days of paid leave to anyone “who is diagnosed with COVID-19 or placed in individual mandatory isolation or quarantine, as directed by a local, state, or public health authority.” But the company denied her because it said she wasn’t told to quarantine by a public health official and because her test came back negative, even though there is a high rate of false negatives.
“I was really excited to get back to work after not being able to work for two weeks,” she said. But her frustration over the company’s refusal to grant her paid leave pushed her to take part in a national strike on March 30. Organizers say thousands of other Instacart workers joined her, some of whom are refusing to do shopping trips until their demands are met. Backman is also on strike indefinitely. “I’m not working until Instacart decides to pay me,” she said. She also wants the company to commit to at least $5 of hazard pay per order.
“We have been consistently, proactively communicating with the shopper community to ensure they have the support they need,” Instacart said in an e-mail. “We’ve made a number of significant enhancements to our products and offerings over the last few weeks that demonstrate Instacart’s unwavering commitment to prioritizing the health and safety of the entire Instacart community.” That includes providing disinfecting supplies and safety kits for its workers in the wake of the strike, sick pay for all part-time employees, and bonuses ranging from $25 to $200 depending on how many hours were worked. But so far, Instacart has not budged on its requirements for using paid sick leave or increasing hazard pay.
At a Food Lion grocery store in North Carolina, Nyreese Cole can barely keep the shelves stocked. People are buying so much that the store has put limits on certain items, such as meat and toilet paper. And yet the company isn’t giving employees masks and gloves. Cole has bought his own latex gloves. “The only thing that’s available to help is sanitizer at the front door and washing my hands in the bathroom,” he said.
“I know I’m risking myself every day I do go to work,” he said. But he needs all of the hours he can get at work so that he can pay his bills; he’s even been calling to see if he can get extra shifts. “It might sound crazy, but I feel like I don’t have a choice,” he said. “At the end of the day, rent is going to keep coming.”
He currently makes $10.50 an hour as a stocker, and the company has said it will give employees an extra dollar as hazard pay. But he wants hazard pay of at least $15 an hour. He also thinks the company should guarantee paid sick leave. So he joined fast food and retail workers to go on strike across the Raleigh-Durham area on March 27 with, he says, at least one other Food Lion coworker.
Food Lion disputes that any strike took place at its store. “We did not have any widespread absentees,” Matt Harakal, manager of external communications, said in an e-mail. “As a result of the coronavirus outbreak, we have implemented pandemic guidelines, including modified attendance policies, enhanced compensation and other key benefits. We are monitoring this fluid situation, and continue to follow guidance from local, state and national health authorities including the CDC.” He also said the company recently ordered face masks for employees.
Bettie Douglass is also seeking more hours even though she’s worried that her job has left her exposed. She was working a full-time schedule at McDonald’s in Missouri, but when the coronavirus hit and demand dropped, the company reduced her hours to 20 per week. She’s worried that her utilities will be cut off come May 1. Her refrigerator broke and she doesn’t have the money to fix it, but without it it’s hard for her to stock up on food for her family.
So she’s still going to work at McDonald’s, even though she’s 62, and even though the company hasn’t given any of them masks. “All we were told was use the sanitizer and wash hands frequently,” she said. “I have to take a chance everyday because I can’t afford not to go to work.”
As soon as she heard there was a strike brewing, “I knew I was going to do it,” she said. “Because if you don’t stand for something, you don’t stand for anything.” She walked off the job along with more than 100 other fast-food employees in both St. Louis and Tampa, Florida on March 31.
She’s been with McDonald’s for 14 years and has never gotten a raise. “We don’t have any type of retirement, we don’t have any type of benefits, we don’t have any type of sick pay,” she noted. Unlike many of the workers who’ve recently gotten active, Douglass has gone on strike before, with the Fight for 15. “I’m going to continue to do it until we get some better benefits, until they take us into consideration and take us serious,” she added.
“Our highest priority is to protect the health and well-being of our people,” McDonald’s owner and operator Nicole Enearu said in an e-mail, in a response to a request for comment. She said she has made “an ample supply” of gloves available to employees and is asking sick employees to stay home.
Some of these strikes have been orchestrated by Fight for 15 organizers, who have led larger and larger walkouts among fast-food workers and other low-wage employees for several years, demanding higher pay and the right to form a union, as well as newer groups, such as Working Washington, which has been organizing Instacart and other gig workers. But others have sprung up more organically. Whole Foods employees are not unionized, and the company has a history of aggressive union busting. There, the sick-out emerged from “online organizing of random employees who are concerned,” Steinbrook noted. “It was probably obvious before, but it’s definitely obvious now: the need for employee organizing to protect themselves and stand up for themselves.” These strikes could therefore extend beyond the end of the current crisis, whenever it might subside.
Striking workers have notched a few victories. Instacart said it will provide free health and safety kits to workers. Lawmakers have taken notice; Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Ro Khanna unveiled an “Essential Workers Bill of Rights” on Monday that would grant grocery store, food service, warehouse, delivery, and other workers health and safety protections, premium pay, and paid sick and medical leave.
For now, the wave of strikes shows no sign of cresting. Amazon workers in New York and Chicago have staged other one-day walkouts since the one Crippen joined in Detroit. Fast-food strikes have spread to California. After workers at a pizzeria in Chicago learned that a coworker had tested positive, they all walked out of the job on April 11. And the employees who already took part may do so again. Despite Steinbrook’s prior reluctance to join in workplace activism, he’s prepared to do more. “If these things are not changed, if these demands in the petition are not addressed immediately, there absolutely will be more mass actions,” he promised. Whole Foods workers are already planning another sick out for May 1. Steinbrook and his coworkers also hope that their action “will have a cascading effect on other grocery stores and other retail chains.”
As the crisis continues to unfold, a general strike—one that extends across industries and, indeed, possibly engulfs the whole country—“is not inconceivable,” Lichtenstein said. If unrest spreads from not just frontline employees but throughout entire companies, those companies would have to shut down until workers’ demands are met. There are budding signs of such solidarity: white-collar Amazon employees sent an internal e-mail in support of the warehouse workers who have gone on strike and protested publicly about their working conditions; in response, Amazon fired two of them on Friday. It would be similar to entire school systems being shut down to support teachers going on strike in 2018.
“There needs to be continuing labor organization to prevent something like this from happening again,” Steinbrook said.


thenation--2020-04-16--Los Angeles Faces Down Covid-19

Los Angeles Faces Down Covid-19

Driving past the Fountain Valley hospital south of Los Angeles , you see something new : a huge white tent in what was the parking lot .
To Angelenos , it looks something like the tent that appears downtown Beverly Hills for the Vanity Fair Oscar party .
But this one , and others like it outside hospitals throughout Southern California , is not a party tent ; it ’ s a temporary structure designed to deal with the overflow of Covid-19 cases at the hospital—a “ triage tent.
” For a big city full of poor people , LA @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the coronavirus than New York .
The sprawl that urban critics have been complaining about for decades—the gridlocked freeways and the endless bland suburbs , where everybody gets a little house with a little front yard—makes it easier to maintain the required social distance than in dense urban centers like Brooklyn and Queens .
That ’ s one big reason why the death rate in New York City has been 20 times higher than in LA .
But our assumptions about LA ’ s lower urban density need to be qualified , says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He and I have just published a book on LA in the 1960s , Set the Night on Fire . )
He points out that Maywood , a town on the Alameda corridor between downtown and the port of LA , is the ninth most densely populated city in the nation—the first eight are all suburbs of greater New York .
“ Nearby Cudahy and Huntington Park , as well as West Hollywood , have populations denser than San Francisco , ” he points out .
And within the city of LA , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their densities be reflected in a final map of positive cases ?
” Whatever the reasons , hospitals in LA have not been overwhelmed by the virus .
The authoritative Covid-19 tracker at the Institute for Health Metrics at the University of Washington showed no shortage of hospital beds or ICU beds for California at the peak in April , while New York State had a shortage of more than 10,000 hospital beds and 5,000 ICU beds .
The Coronavirus Strike Wave Could Shift Power to Workers—for Good And LA has some new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ship Mercy docked in LA harbor on March 27 and immediately became the biggest hospital in LA , with 1,000 beds .
And billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong , who bought the Los Angeles Times two years ago , has now bought ( for $ 135 million ) the recently closed St. Vincent ’ s hospital near downtown , which will become the “ LA Surge Hospital , ” opening April 19 with ( eventually ) 266 beds , but only for patients who tested positive at other regional public and private hospitals .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ immense .
Almost half of Angelenos report job loss or reduction of hours in a new poll from Center for the Study of Los Angeles at Loyola Marymount University .
Heidi Tinsman , a historian at UC Irvine , reports that in her neighborhood of San Pedro ( the port of LA ) , which is mostly working-class and very multicultural , more than half have lost their jobs , including restaurant workers , crew members in the film industry , construction workers and contractors , and everyone doing housekeeping or nannying .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ has dried up , and although most regular union members still have work , their hours are reduced .
Ships still come in , but like the 2008–10 crisis , the vast majority of cranes “ ‘ have their nose in the air , ’ ” Tinsman reports , “ meaning they are not unloading or loading anything.
” Among those still working are public school teachers , who “ report it is impossible to teach with their own kids at home , combined with the fact that most of their students don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , despite efforts to deliver Chromebooks to the poor.
” It ’ s “ an economic calamity for workers in the hotel industry , ” Meghan Cohorst told the LA Times—she ’ s the spokeswoman for Unite Here , which represents workers at hotels , LAX , Disneyland , and Dodger Stadium , all of whom are facing massive unemployment .
Local 11 is running a food bank for its members , which distributed food to 7,000 people on April 10 .
The police and the jails Crowed jails are a frightening breeding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ County runs the biggest jails in the country .
The sheriff has reduced the number of inmates by more than 4,000 , almost a quarter of the pre-Covid total—releasing those with fewer than 30 days of jail time left to serve .
But unlike San Francisco , where the DA reduced the jail population—by 38 percent—because of public health concerns as well as a broader commitment to decarcertion , in LA the reduction has been largely a response to “ community pressure , ” says Melina Abdulla , a co-founder of Black Lives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Studies at Cal State LA .
The key groups have been Reform LA Jails and Justice LA , along with the ACLU of Southern California and others .
The police and sheriffs in LA have announced they are issuing citations instead of arresting people , and the LAPD has announced that it ’ s shifting hundreds of cops to street patrol “ to help people feel secure in the city.
” “ Black folks are concerned about that , ” Abdullah says .
“ It feels like a set-up for harassment , brutalization @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s a waste of resources that could be better used for healthy food programs , testing centers , housing , mental health , and other resources that could speak to the disparate impact of Covid-19 on black people in particular.
” Black Lives Matter and other groups have also complained about the presence of police at the food distribution centers at public schools which provide takeout breakfasts and lunches for students .
Students Deserve , a student group allied with Black Lives Matter , has demanded “ food distribution centers that are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ notorious for its huge homeless population : 60,000 people living on the streets—in tents and under bridges , with the biggest group—maybe 5,000 people—downtown on Skid Row .
Mark Casanova of Homeless Health Care LA ( HHCLA ) says , “ There is a deep sense of community among Skid Row residents and the great majority seem to be aware of Covid-19 and its implications .
The majority of Skid Row community members ( guesstimate of 70 percent ) are wearing some form of personal protective equipment ( PPE—gloves and/or face masks ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an immense overall need for additional PPE in the Skid Row area .
For example , HHCLA ’ s ReFresh Spot received a donation of 1,000 face masks this week and was able to distribute them all to the Skid Row community in about one day.
” Mayor Eric Garcetti announced last month that he planned to convert 42 recreation centers into homeless facilities with 6,000 beds .
That number was later reduced to 2,000 after they realized that beds needed to be six feet apart .
The Los Angeles Times reported that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opposition to the shelter program ” from NIMBY groups , with one exception : Pacific Palisades , above the beach , where there ’ s a lawsuit seeking to block officials from moving homeless people into the local rec center .
According to the Times , “ the city probably won ’ t even need to use that recreation center for a shelter ” —which seems absurd , given the tens of thousands living on the streets .
But the new shelter program “ does not appear to be having any noticeable effect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mark Casanova .
“ We ’ ve heard from one outreach team that the rec center shelters don ’ t have adequate supplies ( hygiene kits , feminine products , basic supplies ) .
This will likely change with time , but at the moment there is a critical shortage of those type of items , including PPE .
We have seen an increase in drug overdoses and increased substance use in general since Covid-19 hit .
Additionally , there has been an increase in emotional/mental health crises—suicide rates among the homeless and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an increase in domestic violence situations as well.
” Civil rights attorney Carol Sobel raised a different objection to the new shelter program .
Appearing in Federal court as the lawyer for the Orange County Catholic Worker , said she was “ worried about the city packing more people into recreation centers than the CDC recommends gathering in one place.
” She added that “ cramming people into buses and transporting them to recreation centers could spread the virus ” —a better solution , she suggested , was placing the homeless in hotels @ @ @ @ @ @ @ service organizations .
And then there ’ s the Dodgers .
Cheated by the Houston Astros in the 2017 World Series , 2020 was going to be their year , especially after they signed the great Mookie Betts .
The Dodgers sell more tickets than anybody in baseball .
But now they ( and everybody else ) are refusing to refund tickets bought for unplayed games .
Those games are still listed as “ postponed ” on the official schedule , rather than “ canceled.
” At a time when fans are facing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ special outrage .
But there ’ s at least one piece of good news : the air .
Michael Ned Holte , an art critic and Cal Arts faculty member , lives in South LA just off the freeway , which is now almost empty .
As a result , he says , “ the sky in Los Angeles has not been this clean or beautiful in my 25 years living in the city .
”

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Driving past the Fountain Valley hospital south of Los Angeles, you see something new: a huge white tent in what was the parking lot. To Angelenos, it looks something like the tent that appears downtown Beverly Hills for the Vanity Fair Oscar party. But this one, and others like it outside hospitals throughout Southern California, is not a party tent; it’s a temporary structure designed to deal with the overflow of Covid-19 cases at the hospital—a “triage tent.”
For a big city full of poor people, LA has been luckier in the face of the coronavirus than New York. The sprawl that urban critics have been complaining about for decades—the gridlocked freeways and the endless bland suburbs, where everybody gets a little house with a little front yard—makes it easier to maintain the required social distance than in dense urban centers like Brooklyn and Queens. That’s one big reason why the death rate in New York City has been 20 times higher than in LA.
But our assumptions about LA’s lower urban density need to be qualified, says urban theorist Mike Davis (disclosure: He and I have just published a book on LA in the 1960s, Set the Night on Fire.) He points out that Maywood, a town on the Alameda corridor between downtown and the port of LA, is the ninth most densely populated city in the nation—the first eight are all suburbs of greater New York. “Nearby Cudahy and Huntington Park, as well as West Hollywood, have populations denser than San Francisco,” he points out. And within the city of LA, “Koreatown is like Brooklyn. Will their densities be reflected in a final map of positive cases?”
Whatever the reasons, hospitals in LA have not been overwhelmed by the virus. The authoritative Covid-19 tracker at the Institute for Health Metrics at the University of Washington showed no shortage of hospital beds or ICU beds for California at the peak in April, while New York State had a shortage of more than 10,000 hospital beds and 5,000 ICU beds. Coronavirus The Coronavirus Strike Wave Could Shift Power to Workers—for Good Bryce Covert
And LA has some new hospitals. The navy’s hospital ship Mercy docked in LA harbor on March 27 and immediately became the biggest hospital in LA, with 1,000 beds. And billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong, who bought the Los Angeles Times two years ago, has now bought (for $135 million) the recently closed St. Vincent’s hospital near downtown, which will become the “LA Surge Hospital,” opening April 19 with (eventually) 266 beds, but only for patients who tested positive at other regional public and private hospitals.
Jobs: A “Calamity”
But the toll in LA has nevertheless been immense. Almost half of Angelenos report job loss or reduction of hours in a new poll from Center for the Study of Los Angeles at Loyola Marymount University. Heidi Tinsman, a historian at UC Irvine, reports that in her neighborhood of San Pedro (the port of LA), which is mostly working-class and very multicultural, more than half have lost their jobs, including restaurant workers, crew members in the film industry, construction workers and contractors, and everyone doing housekeeping or nannying. Longshore workers report that work for casuals has dried up, and although most regular union members still have work, their hours are reduced. Ships still come in, but like the 2008–10 crisis, the vast majority of cranes “‘have their nose in the air,’” Tinsman reports, “meaning they are not unloading or loading anything.” Among those still working are public school teachers, who “report it is impossible to teach with their own kids at home, combined with the fact that most of their students don’t have access to the Internet, despite efforts to deliver Chromebooks to the poor.” Popular "swipe left below to view more authors"Swipe → The Evisceration of a Public University The Evisceration of a Public University Lisa M. Corrigan The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks Chris Lehmann “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash Dave Zirin How the “Brooks Brothers Riot” Set the Stage for Insurrection How the “Brooks Brothers Riot” Set the Stage for Insurrection Chris Lehmann Popular "swipe left below to view more authors"Swipe → The Evisceration of a Public University The Evisceration of a Public University Lisa M. Corrigan The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks Chris Lehmann “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash Dave Zirin How the “Brooks Brothers Riot” Set the Stage for Insurrection How the “Brooks Brothers Riot” Set the Stage for Insurrection Chris Lehmann
It’s “an economic calamity for workers in the hotel industry,” Meghan Cohorst told the LA Times—she’s the spokeswoman for Unite Here, which represents workers at hotels, LAX, Disneyland, and Dodger Stadium, all of whom are facing massive unemployment. Local 11 is running a food bank for its members, which distributed food to 7,000 people on April 10. Current Issue View our current issue
The police and the jails
Crowed jails are a frightening breeding ground for the virus, and LA County runs the biggest jails in the country. The sheriff has reduced the number of inmates by more than 4,000, almost a quarter of the pre-Covid total—releasing those with fewer than 30 days of jail time left to serve. But unlike San Francisco, where the DA reduced the jail population—by 38 percent—because of public health concerns as well as a broader commitment to decarcertion, in LA the reduction has been largely a response to “community pressure,” says Melina Abdullah, a co-founder of Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles and a professor of Pan-African Studies at Cal State LA. The key groups have been Reform LA Jails and Justice LA, along with the ACLU of Southern California and others.
The police and sheriffs in LA have announced they are issuing citations instead of arresting people, and the LAPD has announced that it’s shifting hundreds of cops to street patrol “to help people feel secure in the city.” “Black folks are concerned about that,” Abdullah says. “It feels like a set-up for harassment, brutalization, and criminalization. Also, it’s a waste of resources that could be better used for healthy food programs, testing centers, housing, mental health, and other resources that could speak to the disparate impact of Covid-19 on black people in particular.”
Black Lives Matter and other groups have also complained about the presence of police at the food distribution centers at public schools which provide takeout breakfasts and lunches for students. Students Deserve, a student group allied with Black Lives Matter, has demanded “food distribution centers that are ICE-free and police-free zones.”
The homeless: “Immense Needs”
LA is notorious for its huge homeless population: 60,000 people living on the streets—in tents and under bridges, with the biggest group—maybe 5,000 people—downtown on Skid Row. Mark Casanova of Homeless Health Care LA (HHCLA) says, “There is a deep sense of community among Skid Row residents and the great majority seem to be aware of Covid-19 and its implications. The majority of Skid Row community members (guesstimate of 70 percent) are wearing some form of personal protective equipment (PPE—gloves and/or face masks) and are requesting more. There is an immense overall need for additional PPE in the Skid Row area. For example, HHCLA’s ReFresh Spot received a donation of 1,000 face masks this week and was able to distribute them all to the Skid Row community in about one day.”
Mayor Eric Garcetti announced last month that he planned to convert 42 recreation centers into homeless facilities with 6,000 beds. That number was later reduced to 2,000 after they realized that beds needed to be six feet apart. The Los Angeles Times reported that “the city has received relatively little opposition to the shelter program” from NIMBY groups, with one exception: Pacific Palisades, above the beach, where there’s a lawsuit seeking to block officials from moving homeless people into the local rec center. According to the Times, “the city probably won’t even need to use that recreation center for a shelter”—which seems absurd, given the tens of thousands living on the streets.
But the new shelter program “does not appear to be having any noticeable effect” on the street population, says Mark Casanova. “We’ve heard from one outreach team that the rec center shelters don’t have adequate supplies (hygiene kits, feminine products, basic supplies). This will likely change with time, but at the moment there is a critical shortage of those type of items, including PPE. We have seen an increase in drug overdoses and increased substance use in general since Covid-19 hit. Additionally, there has been an increase in emotional/mental health crises—suicide rates among the homeless and suicide risks are higher. There is an increase in domestic violence situations as well.”
Civil rights attorney Carol Sobel raised a different objection to the new shelter program. Appearing in Federal court as the lawyer for the Orange County Catholic Worker, said she was “worried about the city packing more people into recreation centers than the CDC recommends gathering in one place.” She added that “cramming people into buses and transporting them to recreation centers could spread the virus”—a better solution, she suggested, was placing the homeless in hotels and motels, with oversight from homeless service organizations.
And then there’s the Dodgers. Cheated by the Houston Astros in the 2017 World Series, 2020 was going to be their year, especially after they signed the great Mookie Betts. The Dodgers sell more tickets than anybody in baseball. But now they (and everybody else) are refusing to refund tickets bought for unplayed games. Those games are still listed as “postponed” on the official schedule, rather than “canceled.” At a time when fans are facing unemployment and worse, that is a special outrage.
But there’s at least one piece of good news: the air. Michael Ned Holte, an art critic and Cal Arts faculty member, lives in South LA just off the freeway, which is now almost empty. As a result, he says, “the sky in Los Angeles has not been this clean or beautiful in my 25 years living in the city.”


thenation--2020-04-16--An Open Letter to the New New Left From the Old New Left

“ THESE are the times that try men ’ s souls .
The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will , in this crisis , shrink from the service of their country.… “ … [ L ] ay your shoulders to the wheel ; … Let it be told to the future world , that in the depth of winter , when nothing but hope and virtue could survive , that the city and the country , alarmed at one common danger , came forth to meet and to repulse it .
Say not that thousands are gone , turn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not the burden of the day upon Providence , but “ show your faith by your works… ” On April 13 , 2020 , Senator Bernie Sanders urged his supporters to vote for the presumptive Democratic nominee , former vice president Joe Biden .
Writing as founders and veterans of the leading New Left organization of the 1960s , Students for a Democratic Society , we welcome Bernie ’ s wise choice—but we are gravely concerned that some of his supporters , including the leadership of Democratic Socialists of America , refuse to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a representative of Wall Street capital .
Some of us are DSA members , but do not believe their position is consistent with a long-range vision of democracy , justice , and human survival .
Now it is time for all those who yearn for a more equal and just social order to face facts .
All of us have charged for years that Trump is the leader of an authoritarian party that aims for absolute power ; rejects climate science ; embraces racism , sexism , homophobia , and violence ; holds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to take over the entire federal judiciary ; represses voting rights ; and violates plain human decency on many fronts .
These are the grounds for our solemn determination : a common effort to unseat him is our high moral and political responsibility .
In our time , we fought—for a time successfully—against the sectarian politics of the Cold War .
We were mindful then of the cataclysm that befell German democracy when socialists and communists fought each other—to death—as Hitler snuck by and then murdered them all .
Now we fear that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the difference between a capitalist democrat and a protofascist .
We hope none of us learn this difference from jail cells .
We have dedicated much of our lives to the fight to extend democracy to more people , more institutions , more places .
We continue this work in diverse ways motivated now as then by a spirit of community and solidarity .
But now the very existence of American democracy is in jeopardy .
Some of us think “ endorsing ” Joe Biden is a step too far ; but we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know that we must work hard to elect him .
This is an all-hands-on-deck moment .
In 1919 , in the midst of the brief German socialist revolution , the great sociologist Max Weber addressed left-wing students about politics .
He urged upon them that the best politics must be painfully aware of the consequences of action , not just intentions .
Speaking to young men , he prophetically warned them that the cost of ignoring consequences might be their deaths .
We salute Bernie Sanders and our friends and comrades in DSA @ @ @ @ @ @ @ justice and environmental sanity that enabled them to rise .
We look forward to joining together to build on and defend our accomplishments .
And now we plead with all : Get together , beat Trump , and fight for democracy—precious , fragile , worth keeping .
The signers of this letter were founders , officers , and activists in Students for a Democratic Society between 1960 and 1969 .
Interested persons may contact Robert Ross at rjsross @ clarku.edu for further information .

Former leaders of the Students for a Democratic Society

“THESE are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country.…
“…[L]ay your shoulders to the wheel; … Let it be told to the future world, that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive, that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet and to repulse it. Say not that thousands are gone, turn out your tens of thousands; throw not the burden of the day upon Providence, but “show your faith by your works…”
—Thomas Paine, December 23, 1776
On April 13, 2020, Senator Bernie Sanders urged his supporters to vote for the presumptive Democratic nominee, former vice president Joe Biden. Writing as founders and veterans of the leading New Left organization of the 1960s, Students for a Democratic Society, we welcome Bernie’s wise choice—but we are gravely concerned that some of his supporters, including the leadership of Democratic Socialists of America, refuse to support Biden, whom they see as a representative of Wall Street capital. Some of us are DSA members, but do not believe their position is consistent with a long-range vision of democracy, justice, and human survival.
Now it is time for all those who yearn for a more equal and just social order to face facts. All of us have charged for years that Trump is the leader of an authoritarian party that aims for absolute power; rejects climate science; embraces racism, sexism, homophobia, and violence; holds the democratic process in contempt; bids to take over the entire federal judiciary; represses voting rights; and violates plain human decency on many fronts. These are the grounds for our solemn determination: A common effort to unseat him is our high moral and political responsibility.
In our time, we fought—for a time successfully—against the sectarian politics of the Cold War. We were mindful then of the cataclysm that befell German democracy when socialists and communists fought each other—to death—as Hitler snuck by and then murdered them all.
Now we fear that some on the left cannot see the difference between a capitalist democrat and a protofascist. We hope none of us learn this difference from jail cells. Popular "swipe left below to view more authors"Swipe → The Evisceration of a Public University The Evisceration of a Public University Lisa M. Corrigan The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks Chris Lehmann “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash Dave Zirin How the “Brooks Brothers Riot” Set the Stage for Insurrection How the “Brooks Brothers Riot” Set the Stage for Insurrection Chris Lehmann Popular "swipe left below to view more authors"Swipe → The Evisceration of a Public University The Evisceration of a Public University Lisa M. Corrigan The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks Chris Lehmann “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash Dave Zirin How the “Brooks Brothers Riot” Set the Stage for Insurrection How the “Brooks Brothers Riot” Set the Stage for Insurrection Chris Lehmann
We have dedicated much of our lives to the fight to extend democracy to more people, more institutions, more places. We continue this work in diverse ways motivated now as then by a spirit of community and solidarity. But now the very existence of American democracy is in jeopardy.
Some of us think “endorsing” Joe Biden is a step too far; but we who now write this open letter all know that we must work hard to elect him. This is an all-hands-on-deck moment.
In 1919, in the midst of the brief German socialist revolution, the great sociologist Max Weber addressed left-wing students about politics. He urged upon them that the best politics must be painfully aware of the consequences of action, not just intentions. Speaking to young men, he prophetically warned them that the cost of ignoring consequences might be their deaths.
We salute Bernie Sanders and our friends and comrades in DSA and in the diverse movements for social justice and environmental sanity that enabled them to rise. We look forward to joining together to build on and defend our accomplishments. And now we plead with all: Get together, beat Trump, and fight for democracy—precious, fragile, worth keeping.
The signers of this letter were founders, officers, and activists in Students for a Democratic Society between 1960 and 1969. Interested persons may contact Robert Ross at [email protected] for further information.
Ira Arlook
Jane Adams
Michael Ansara
Ted Auerbach
Judith Bernstein-Baker
Steven Block
Barry Bluestone
Heather Booth
George Brosi
Connie Brown
Dorothy Burlage
Robb Burlage
Susan Chacin
Ken Cloke
Andy Cohen
Carl Davidson
Thorne Dreyer
Mark Dyen
Nick Egleson
John Ehrenreich
Alice Embree
Oliver Fein, MD
Marshall Ganz
Helen Garvy
David Gelber
Todd Gitlin
Carol Glassman
Steve Goldsmith
Ann Gordon
D. Gorton
Bob Guild
Alan Haber
Barbara Haber
Odile Hugonot Haber
Jill Hamberg
Bill Hartzog
Casey Hayden
Dick Howard
Harold Jacobs
Michael Gaylord James
Joan Goldsmith
Steve Johnson
Linda Kaboolian
Marilyn Katz
Paul Lauter
Sharon Jeffrey Lehrer
Mike Locker
Ken McEldowney
Don McKelvey
Dickie Magidoff
Steve Max
Paul Millman
Daniel Millstone
Sarah Murphy
Stan Nadel
Robert Pardun
Charlotte Phillips, MD
Alison Raphael
Miles Rapoport
Beth Rimanoczy
Jenny Roper
Don Rose
Robert J.S. Ross
Richard Rothstein
Vivian Rothstein
Mark Rudd
James W. Russell
Bruce Schmiechen
David Strauss
Martin Tandler
Gerry Tenney
Maria Varela
Monte Wasch
Lee Webb
Marilyn Webb
Doug Weiskopf
Leni Wildflower
Cathy Wilkerson
Honey Williams
Jim Williams
Bill Zimmerman


thenation--2020-04-16--Adjourn Trump—and the Imperial Presidency

Donald Trump proclaimed Monday , “ When somebody is the president of the United States , the authority is total and that ’ s the way it ’ s got to be .
It ’ s total.
” As usual , the president was wrong about the specific issue he was discussing—the process by which states might “ reopen ” following the Covid-19 lockdown—and about the broader issue of his authority .
Indeed , he was so wrong that , without acknowledging that his claim of power was inflated , he walked back some of the most aggressively authoritarian language @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has paid much attention to Trump will doubt that this delusional megalomaniac was expressing his deepest desire when he began the week by asserting , “ The president of the United States calls the shots.
” Indeed , he was back at it on Wednesday , telling a White House briefing that he might adjourn Congress and unilaterally appoint his nominees for judgeships and administrative positions .
He justified his proposal to override the confirmation process by declaring , “ I have a very strong power.
” That ’ s an abusive reading @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allows for adjournments when there are disagreements between the leaders of the House and Senate .
“ No President in history , ” notes historian Michael Beschloss , “ has ever used the constitutional power to adjourn Congress.
” Since assuming the presidency , Trump has regularly stretched the limits of the law—and of credulity .
Now , however , as this country struggles with a pandemic and the threat of an economic depression , the president ’ s power-grabbing seems more dangerous .
And more daunting .
A ‘ Jubilee ’ Cancellation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Coronavirus Wisconsin ’ s Pandemic Election Is a Red Alert for Democracy in America Trump , as has been well established , is temperamentally and practically unfit for office .
He should have been removed from his position on February 5 , when the constitutionally mandated impeachment process concluded .
Unfortunately , Republican senators chose partisan allegiance over their sworn oaths to protect the republic .
That decision by Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell and the members of his caucus—which came after the first coronavirus case had been confirmed in the United States—allowed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and misdemeanors to continue to commit them and put Trump in a position to endanger the health and safety of the American people in a pandemic .
The United States would , of course , be better off today without Donald Trump in the White House .
He is making a public health crisis , and the economic crisis associated with it , worse than it need be .
But no one should imagine that this is just about Trump .
The crisis of ever-expanding presidential power was already evident almost 50 years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jr. wrote his 1973 book The Imperial Presidency .
The great scholar of the accumulation and abuses of executive authority warned then that the American political system , and the country itself , was threatened by “ a conception of presidential power so spacious and peremptory as to imply a radical transformation of the traditional polity.
” His counsel was not heeded .
Even after the target of Schlesinger ’ s immediate concern , President Richard Nixon , was forced from office under threat of impeachment and removal following the Watergate meltdown , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ went far beyond the narrowly enumerated powers of the office as they were outlined in the Constitution .
Trump deserves the condemnation that even some congressional conservatives have uttered with regard to his recent rhetorical excesses .
But mild rebukes from those who have allowed successive presidents to make their position ever more domineering and distasteful does nothing to maintain a proper separation of powers .
Congress has allowed president after president to accumulate outsize and outlandish powers—to wage wars of whim , to politicize federal policy , to declare emergencies and rework @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agendas and allies .
A pattern of failures to check and balance the executive branch of the federal government , which began long ago , created a presidency that was ripe for exploitation by an ill-formed son of privilege .
Congress continues to fail , even now , to assert its own constitutional authority to rein in a power-hungry narcissist whose ignorance and self-absorption have prevented the nation from responding with even minimal efficacy to a deadly threat .
McConnell , the husband of a Trump cabinet member , has turned the Senate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president ’ s madness .
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi objects more vociferously , but fails to take the necessary steps to keep the House in session by using readily available technology to organize virtual hearings , debates , and votes , thus sidelining the legislative branch at the most critical moment in modern American history .
Pelosi ’ s choice cedes the spotlight to Trump , as his daily press conferences spread misinformation , create confusion , and divide rather than unite the country .
The presidency has always been a bully pulpit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a communication platform that dominates the 24/7 news cycle with little interruption .
Yes , there may be days when the coverage is critical , but it is still Trump , Trump , Trump .
Political and media elites are disinclined in moments when the United States is wrestling with overwhelming issues as we are now to ask or answer structural questions .
What we are seeing now is a reminder of our folly .
We allowed the presidency to become so powerful , so domineering that in the hands of a Donald @ @ @ @ @ @ @ harm than good .
This president does not just lie to the American people .
He plays favorites , provokes fights , and cuts the United States off from global partners—as he did this week when he announced a 60-day freeze on US funding of the World Health Organization .
Trump ’ s words and deeds make the case for his removal .
That ’ s what should have happened February 5 , and we can not forget the names of those like Maine Senator Susan Collins and Colorado Senator Cory Gardner who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ refused to perform the most essential of their senatorial duties .
Mitch McConnell Is the Crooked Guardian of an Imperial Presidency Because of their failure , the task of removing Trump falls to the voters on November 3 .
But November 3 should not merely be understood as a presidential election day but also as the day when we must elect leaders who are prepared to restore a proper balance to the governance of this country .
That balance should favor the Congress , not the White House , as the great constitutional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ me last year .
“ We are not a coequal branch of government , ” Representative Jamie Raskin says of the Congress .
“ We are the primary and predominant branch of government , and my colleagues need to understand that.
” “ The whole Revolution was conceived as an insurgency against monarchy .
We wanted to overthrow the rule of the kings and queens and nobles , ” explains Raskin , who reminds us that the Constitution envisioned an executive “ with very strict limits.
” If this harrowing moment should teach @ @ @ @ @ @ @ must reassert the limits that protect us not just from Donald Trump but also from an imperial presidency .

Donald Trump proclaimed Monday, “When somebody is the president of the United States, the authority is total and that’s the way it’s got to be. It’s total.”
As usual, the president was wrong about the specific issue he was discussing—the process by which states might “reopen” following the Covid-19 lockdown—and about the broader issue of his authority. Indeed, he was so wrong that, without acknowledging that his claim of power was inflated, he walked back some of the most aggressively authoritarian language on Tuesday.
But no one who has paid much attention to Trump will doubt that this delusional megalomaniac was expressing his deepest desire when he began the week by asserting, “The president of the United States calls the shots.” Indeed, he was back at it on Wednesday, telling a White House briefing that he might adjourn Congress and unilaterally appoint his nominees for judgeships and administrative positions. He justified his proposal to override the confirmation process by declaring, “I have a very strong power.”
That’s an abusive reading of a narrowly defined constitutional provision that allows for adjournments when there are disagreements between the leaders of the House and Senate. “No President in history,” notes historian Michael Beschloss, “has ever used the constitutional power to adjourn Congress.” Since assuming the presidency, Trump has regularly stretched the limits of the law—and of credulity. Now, however, as this country struggles with a pandemic and the threat of an economic depression, the president’s power-grabbing seems more dangerous. And more daunting. More From John Nichols A GOP Debate Without Trump Is the Definition of Pointlessness August 11, 2023 A Win for Abortion Rights, a Win for Democracy: Ohio Voters Reject Issue 1 August 9, 2023 The Biggest Threat to Donald Trump Could Be the Constitution Itself August 4, 2023
Trump, as has been well established, is temperamentally and practically unfit for office. He should have been removed from his position on February 5, when the constitutionally mandated impeachment process concluded. Unfortunately, Republican senators chose partisan allegiance over their sworn oaths to protect the republic. That decision by Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell and the members of his caucus—which came after the first coronavirus case had been confirmed in the United States—allowed a president who had committed high crimes and misdemeanors to continue to commit them and put Trump in a position to endanger the health and safety of the American people in a pandemic. Popular "swipe left below to view more authors"Swipe → The Evisceration of a Public University The Evisceration of a Public University Lisa M. Corrigan The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks Chris Lehmann “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash Dave Zirin How the “Brooks Brothers Riot” Set the Stage for Insurrection How the “Brooks Brothers Riot” Set the Stage for Insurrection Chris Lehmann Popular "swipe left below to view more authors"Swipe → The Evisceration of a Public University The Evisceration of a Public University Lisa M. Corrigan The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks Chris Lehmann “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash Dave Zirin How the “Brooks Brothers Riot” Set the Stage for Insurrection How the “Brooks Brothers Riot” Set the Stage for Insurrection Chris Lehmann
The United States would, of course, be better off today without Donald Trump in the White House. He is making a public health crisis, and the economic crisis associated with it, worse than it need be.
But no one should imagine that this is just about Trump. The crisis of ever-expanding presidential power was already evident almost 50 years ago when historian Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. wrote his 1973 book The Imperial Presidency. The great scholar of the accumulation and abuses of executive authority warned then that the American political system, and the country itself, was threatened by “a conception of presidential power so spacious and peremptory as to imply a radical transformation of the traditional polity.” Current Issue View our current issue
His counsel was not heeded. Even after the target of Schlesinger’s immediate concern, President Richard Nixon, was forced from office under threat of impeachment and removal following the Watergate meltdown, ensuing presidents continued to exercise authority that went far beyond the narrowly enumerated powers of the office as they were outlined in the Constitution.
Trump deserves the condemnation that even some congressional conservatives have uttered with regard to his recent rhetorical excesses. But mild rebukes from those who have allowed successive presidents to make their position ever more domineering and distasteful does nothing to maintain a proper separation of powers.
Congress has allowed president after president to accumulate outsize and outlandish powers—to wage wars of whim, to politicize federal policy, to declare emergencies and rework budgets to the benefit of their political agendas and allies. A pattern of failures to check and balance the executive branch of the federal government, which began long ago, created a presidency that was ripe for exploitation by an ill-formed son of privilege.
Congress continues to fail, even now, to assert its own constitutional authority to rein in a power-hungry narcissist whose ignorance and self-absorption have prevented the nation from responding with even minimal efficacy to a deadly threat. McConnell, the husband of a Trump cabinet member, has turned the Senate into a mumbling amen corner for the president’s madness. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi objects more vociferously, but fails to take the necessary steps to keep the House in session by using readily available technology to organize virtual hearings, debates, and votes, thus sidelining the legislative branch at the most critical moment in modern American history.
Pelosi’s choice cedes the spotlight to Trump, as his daily press conferences spread misinformation, create confusion, and divide rather than unite the country.
The presidency has always been a bully pulpit. But Trump has turned it into a communication platform that dominates the 24/7 news cycle with little interruption. Yes, there may be days when the coverage is critical, but it is still Trump, Trump, Trump.
Political and media elites are disinclined in moments when the United States is wrestling with overwhelming issues as we are now to ask or answer structural questions. What we are seeing now is a reminder of our folly. We allowed the presidency to become so powerful, so domineering that in the hands of a Donald Trump, it does the country more harm than good. This president does not just lie to the American people. He plays favorites, provokes fights, and cuts the United States off from global partners—as he did this week when he announced a 60-day freeze on US funding of the World Health Organization.
Trump’s words and deeds make the case for his removal. That’s what should have happened February 5, and we cannot forget the names of those like Maine Senator Susan Collins and Colorado Senator Cory Gardner who, for reasons of blind partisanship, refused to perform the most essential of their senatorial duties. Imperial Presidency Mitch McConnell Is the Crooked Guardian of an Imperial Presidency John Nichols
Because of their failure, the task of removing Trump falls to the voters on November 3.
But November 3 should not merely be understood as a presidential election day but also as the day when we must elect leaders who are prepared to restore a proper balance to the governance of this country. That balance should favor the Congress, not the White House, as the great constitutional scholar of the current Congress explained to me last year. “We are not a coequal branch of government,” Representative Jamie Raskin says of the Congress. “We are the primary and predominant branch of government, and my colleagues need to understand that.”
“The whole Revolution was conceived as an insurgency against monarchy. We wanted to overthrow the rule of the kings and queens and nobles,” explains Raskin, who reminds us that the Constitution envisioned an executive “with very strict limits.”
If this harrowing moment should teach us anything, it is that we must reassert the limits that protect us not just from Donald Trump but also from an imperial presidency.