edicaid Expansion” has unfortunately become a bit of a buzzword, especially in red states like Alabama, but that hasn’t stopped activists from keeping the pressure on our lawmakers. The fact is, expanding medicaid is a critical first step to helping people who have been virtually strangled by a merciless system, even more so since the…
Author: Joe Harrison
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Jobs to Move America’s New Report on Manufacturing Job Quality in Alabama and Mississippi
obs To Move America, a “strategic policy center that works to transform public spending and corporate behavior” (according to their website), recently put out an in-depth report on job quality at manufacturing facilities in Alabama and Mississippi. And not only did this report find that job quality is poor, but work-life balance is also virtually…
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“I haven’t seen much of it:” Executive Director of Alabama Arise Skeptical of School Privatization Passing
here has been a lot of talk about “school privatization” in recent years as certain politicians seem to be amping up attempts to push U.S. education in that direction, but it is a wildly unpopular concept, as far as teachers and student-parents are concerned. This resistance, however, has not stopped or even slowed down attempts…
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Can Alabama cut grocery tax without replacing lost revenue?
labama’s grocery tax has been the subject of discussion and debate quite a bit, especially since the start of the Pandemic. Year-after-year growing inflation has been strangling the working class, not least of all here in the Yellowhammer State, and so proposals to cut grocery tax have been put forth in an effort to bring…
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North Alabama Unions to Meet for Food and Drink this Friday
The North Alabama Area Labor Council (AFL-CIO) will be holding a special social event this Friday, March 24, at 5:00 PM. The event, called “Thirsty Friday,” will see northern Alabama union members coming together in a “meet-and-greet,” with an eye towards building relationships, making connections, and underlining the importance of worker solidarity. The event is…
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“The Nuclear Option of Union Busting:” Paper Mill Announces Closure in Canton, NC
paper mill in Canton, North Carolina is closing after 120 years, and this closure — which will result in massive amounts of working people losing their jobs — is unexpected, resulting from mismanagement, abuse, and other issues going on behind the scenes. Given that Canton is her hometown and her father was a worker at…
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“I’d give it an A-” Executive Director of Alabama Arise Grades Second Round of ARPA Funding
would give us a solid A-,” was the response given by Robyn Hyden, executive director of Alabama Arise, when asked by TVLR host Jacob Morrison on last week’s show how she would grade Alabama’s expenditure of the ARPA funding. “Especially for [the second] round of funding.” Her take may come as a surprise given the…
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Parents face jail when their children work illegally, but not the bosses
e tend to think of child labor as a thing of the past, a peculiarity of the early days of the Industrial Age. We call to mind black and white photographs of kids laboring in factories and warehouses, blanketed in grime and soot. The reality is that child labor is still “alive and well,” even…
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How Politicians are making construction jobs lower paying and less safe
ear the beginning of the year on The Valley Labor Report, Jacob Morrison had the opportunity to sit down with representative of the NorCal Construction Industry Compliance (NCIC) organization Dr. Larissa Petrucci to discuss ‘prevailing wage,’ a topic which is often not considered too deeply by most folks but, as Dr. Petrucci made clear in…
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Madison City to transition to Council-Manager form of government
n the latest broadcast of The Valley Labor Report, Jacob Morrison and Adam Keller had another chance to sit down with Madison City Council watcher Tryston Gilbert. Gilbert has become a regular guest on the show as TVLR’s own “reporter” of sorts, keeping us apprised of all of the “exciting things” taking place at the…
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Conservative talk show host violates Federal Law on the air
he Valley Labor Report (TVLR) shares the WVNN airwaves in North Alabama with Conservative talk radio host Dale Jackson (The Dale Jackson Show). And from time to time, Jackson — an employer — will go on power trips and tirades against the working class while on the air. One such recent “power trip” could end up…