In 1999, some 2,000 union carpenters went on a wildcat strike against their own union leadership, who had signed a poor contract that the members didn’t even have the right to vote […]
oaklandsocialist
The administrator of this blog site, I am a lifelong socialist and a retired carpenter and the former recording secretary and an expelled member of Carpenters Local 713. I was expelled for my leading role in the 1999 SF Bay Area carpenters wildcat strike as well as for his opposition to the union bureaucracy in general. I was one of the founding members of a small group called Labor Militant, which was the forerunner to Socialist Alternative. Along with a small group of others, I was expelled when that group started to adapt to the union bureaucracy. I have also visited the workers' movement internationally, including in Pakistan, Egypt (during the Arab Spring), Britain, Mexico and Chile (during the uprising there in 2020). Unless otherwise specified, I am the author of the articles that appear here. Although I am the main author, Oaklandsocialist welcomes articles on any issue that relates to the working class. Contact us at Oaklandsocialist@gmail.com.
The Future International
THE FUTURE INTERNATIONAL Socialists and the movement against capitalism by Roger Silverman This discussion document is an attempt to suggest how socialists should best approach the current worldwide movement against capitalism. It […]
Oaklandsocialist debates Brexit
On Aug. 6, the Peace and Freedom Party held a debate about the EU and Brexit. Oaklandsocialist was one of the panelists. A key moment in the debate was in the discussion […]
Facts don’t matter… Or do they?
Many sociologists have conducted studies which show that factual accuracy doesn’t matter to most people, that facts themselves don’t really matter in determining people’s social/political views. What matters is images. That is […]
Oaklandsocialist on the radio
I was asked to be on WEFT’s “World Labor Hour” last Saturday morning to talk about what I saw in Philadelphia at the DNC and about the Sanders campaign. In part the […]
Notice something about Trump?
Have you ever noticed how Trump repeats himself? “I like Paul, but these are horrible times for our country. We need very strong leadership. We need very, very strong leadership. And I’m […]
Ferment in Britain
Once again, the US corporate propaganda machine – also known as the “media” – is trying to shape the mood in the US… by what it doesn’t report on. This time, it’s […]
Philadelphia DNC: A Report
Who are the Bernie Sanders supporters? Where are they coming from and where are they headed? And what should the role of socialists be in this phenomenon? I went to the DNC […]
Check Facebook
For the latest Oaklandsocialist updates from Philadelphia, please check out our Facebook page, or chech the FB page of John Reimann. Thanks.
Democratic Party Convention: “Giving them their space riiiiiight now”
Ferment and turmoil is rocking both the parties of big business in the United States. First we had the Republican Party convention, with the mainstay of the religious right wing – Ted […]