Labor Union Blog

A Supreme Court ruling regarding age bias could be overturned by Democrats in Congress. Jesse Russell has more.

In a 5-4 decision the high court ruled that workers must show age was the determining factor in a layoff or demotion. A bill being introduced by Sen. Tom Harkin would return the ruling to the previous standard where age only needed to be shown as one factor.

By Doug Cunningham

In a snapshot of how the economic calamity caused by Wall Street and the big banks has devastated working people, New York City’s Fiscal Policy Institute is out with its State of Working New York report. The institute’s Dr. James Parrot says real unemployment in New York is 14.1 percent. For black men there it’s 27 percent. For those still working, wages are down by record amounts in New York – dropping 4.8 percent in 2009. Dr. Parrot says
with joblessness expected to continue to increase for several months it’s critical that the social safety net be maintained.

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By Doug Cunningham

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Powerful corporate interests like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce are spending millions to block real change in health care, climate change policies and workers’ rights. They are aided by the corporate-controlled media and its budget slashing for reporting and investigative staff.

Workers are fighting back against the lack of real news by looking for ways to preserve investigative journalism and get the truth out to the public. Recently, the Huffington Post launched its Investigative Fund to hire seasoned journalists who have been laid off or forced into early retirement. Bloggers and citizen journalists also are valiantly trying to fill the media vacuum.

Now, the Institute for Southern Studies (ISS) is launching the Freedom Journalism School—a pioneering program to train an army of 50 new media muckrakers across the South.

Modeled on the Freedom Schools of the civil rights movement, a team of award-winning reporters will train 50 bloggers and citizen journalists in hands-on investigative reporting skills and give them the tools they need to shine light on the power brokers and hold our leaders accountable.

You can help create a new wave of real investigative journalism by donating to the Freedom School here. ISS plans to hold two on-site weekend schools—one in Durham, N.C., and another in New Orleans. The Freedom Journalism School also will draw on new technology, hosting a series of online webinars focused on the basics of investigative reporting, as well as useful hands-on advice for reporting on issues like money in politics, energy companies, government contracts and banking and finance. For more information on the Freedom Journalism School, click here.

The classes will be about more than information and technique. By leading interactive discussions about history, trends and issues in the South and the world, ISS aims to foster a community of new media journalists who can bring critical thinking and thoughtful analysis to their reporting—and keep their eyes on the prize of a more just and democratic future.