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.
Video of second part of three part interview with Denys Pilash. Transcript is below video. Part One of the interview is here. Part three will follow. John Reimann Here’s the second […]
If it wasn’t enough that a crooked, reality TV star could emerge from the pack and take down the anointed Republican presidential nominee (Jeb Bush) in 2016… If it wasn’t enough that […]
Video of interview with Denys Pilash of Ukraine’s Social Movement. Transcript of interview is below. John Reimann Oakland socialists had the opportunity to talk with Denys Pilash of Ukraine’s Sotsialny Rukh or […]
Ukrainian trade unions statement on Kakhovka HPP explosion and an environmental disaster in Ukraine (See original link here) The Independent Trade Union of Miners of Ukraine with other the Ukrainian affiliates of […]
Medea Benjamin and Nicholas Davies are at it again. They have jointly published an article in Commondreams calling for “negotiations” over Ukraine, by which they mean over the heads of the […]
I recently was sent a copy of an email about the war in Ukraine. It was from some South African trade unionists. In it they repeat all the same old falsehoods […]
The California Faculty Association at Sonoma State university has passed this resolution in support of Ukraine’s right to arm and defend itself. The resolution was developed by the Ukraine Socialist Solidarity Campaign. […]
There is a lesson we can learn from CNN’s “town hall” meeting with Trump On May 10th. The lesson involves how we deal with proven serial liars, of which Trump and the […]
The most recent polls must be very worrying to the Democrats. They show that 58% of “Democratic leaning” voters (an absolutely key demographic) want somebody other than Biden as the Democratic […]
Introduction by Oaklandsocialist: I recently talked with a worker in Arkansas. We were talking about all sorts of things – retirement, pension plans, unions… He had heard nothing about these enormous […]
