Cosh's blog

HAPPY MAY DAY!

Submitted by Cosh on Thu, 05/01/2008 - 3:04pm.
Our May Day demos are a bit stodgy. See what the Anarchists in London are doing today: www.spacehijackers.org

Labor unrest in Venezuela

Submitted by Cosh on Mon, 03/17/2008 - 4:15pm.
Not noted in the US media: http://venezuelanalysis.com/news/3726 covers the arrest of 50 workers involved in the strike at a steel factory in Bolivar. There are also articles of other labor-related issues on the site. Check it out.

Do You Know About EFCA?

Submitted by Cosh on Fri, 03/07/2008 - 6:50pm.
EFCA, the Employee Free Choice Act passed the House, is stalled in the Senate, may not have enough votes for cloture, may not pass. This Act would make organizing much easier. Workers would only need to sign cards. No lengthy certification elections. The first contract would have to be signed within 120 days or arbitration would begin. No more killing the union by stalling. Increased fines for employers who violate labor laws. It is the most pro-labor legislation in years.

Origin of the word, hobo

Submitted by Cosh on Wed, 12/05/2007 - 5:39am.
This was possibly a corruption of HOe BOy, a migrant farmworker whose possession of a hoe helped him get work. He carried his bindle slung on his hoe. This has given rise to the fanciful image of the hobo carrying a stick with a bag on the end. It was actually a hoe and the bindle containing everything he owned.