Essential Voice
an Essential Workers for Democracy newspaper to share with your coworkers!
Issue #7 - Summer 2026
What’s “$30 + COLA”?
If you’re asking this, you’re probably either in conversation with us already or saw one of our shirts (which we’ll have at the LaborNotes Conference)!
Most grocery workers , and many other essential workers, start at a few bucks over min wage, which we all know isn’t enough to afford rent anywhere…
Starbucks Workers’ National Bargaining Table
The recently-formed Starbucks Workers United union secured a BIG win by setting the stage for a national bargaining table rather than allowing the corporate employer to divvy up differing contracts store-by-store or even state-by-state. For workers…
Jacobin: No Union Democracy, No Union Revitalization
Not too long ago, Chris Bohner wrote about democracy in labor leading to more militant unions, but then the UFCW International President got into a conversation with him about it, leading to his next piece
Labor Notes: Strikes And A Boycott Win A Better Deal from Macy’s
When workers think of fun, engaging, creative ways to mobilize, it's usually successful. But beyond a surprise strike, the Local also advocates for reform.
Chris Bohner: "1 Member, 1 Vote" And Finance Unionism
What does it look like when your union amasses wealth, yet union membership continues to decline? Chris Bohner coined a new term for this: Finance Unionism. Here’s what it takes for unions to get back on the track.
Jacobin: Direct Elections for Labor Leaders Make for More Militant Unions
as the UAW demonstrates, when a union moves to direct elections of leadership, it is more apt to use its financial assets for strikes and growth.
IATSE Workers Establish Reform Caucus
Workers saw these unions win big gains for actors and workers and knew they needed a powerful revitalized union to do the same. In particular, CREW wants to end an “electoral-college style” system to ratify contracts that don’t respect the will of the majority.
TRUTHOUT: A Wave of Progressive Reform
We can reliably anticipate the most common answer: “I worked a summer job in a supermarket for three months. My check showed a deduction for an initiation fee and dues. I never saw the union and can’t remember its name.”
Wired: Sweden's Tesla Blockade is Spreading
The labor movement is growing not just in the US, but internationally. Swedish workers are standing up to Tesla, owned by Elon Musk, currently the wealthiest billionaire in the world.