Articles by Mike Elk



GOP Moves to Rollback West, Texas Chemical Safety Reforms

Since 2015, chemical safety activists had warned officials in the Obama Administration that if they didn’t quickly finish rulemaking on the EPA’s Inherently Safer Technology workplace-safety standard that an incoming Republican administration could block the rule from taking effect. Now, it seems their worst nightmare is coming true.




Tom Perez’s Long Track Record of Winning Over Progressive Critics

“You need a combination of all the grassroots and the grasstops moving in unison. The truth is that leaders don’t lead, they follow,” says Geevarghese. “With Ellison as the deputy chair, he will get into the streets. He will help harness grassroots anger, and Perez will help move that within the Democratic Party.”


Ten-Month Honeywell Lockout Ends in South Bend

Treder says that he did not see Honeywell making significantly more concessions after Honeywell and Teamsters Local 1185, which represents 976 Honeywell workers in Minneapolis, settled on the contract in early February.




Exclusive Boeing Defeat Details – Bernie to March in Miss. Against Nissan – W.V. Public Broadcasting Cuts Could Harm Mountain Stage

“People here seem to always want to be on the popular side and very afraid to go against the grain. It’s sad,” says one worker who wished to remain anonymous out of fear of retaliation from Boeing. “It is the typical thing that happens down here in the low country, a lot of rumor riders who don’t know anything about the subject matter want to jump in on the bandwagon, and then create new and imaginative rumors in order to gain some kind of belonging to the narrative that is ensuing.”


Goodyear Fined $1.75 Million For 4 Deaths, But Will It Change Workplace Culture?

“In the past, there has been a general understanding that there are production pressures to make tires and get things out. We need to make certain moving forward that health and safety take precedent over [production]” says Frederick. “The union has got a role in this, and we need to earn back the faith of the community inside that fence.”