2000s

Precarious and pissed off: Lessons from the Montpelier Downtown Workers' Union, 2003-2005

An account and analysis of the Vermont Workers' Center's innovative but ultimately failed attempt to set up a geographically-based union in the state's capital.

By Sean West

Beginnings and Endings

This is what recuperation looks like: the rebellion in Oaxaca and the APPO - Kellen Kass

A detailed, critical look at the events in Oaxaca, Mexico, from an anarchist perspective.

On May 22, 2006, teachers in the state of Oaxaca, Section 22 of the National Education Worker’s Union (SNTE), went on strike. Section 22 has yearly strikes in Oaxaca to demand a variety of concessions from the state, and this year’s strike included calls for higher wages, the construction of more schools throughout the state of Oaxaca, as well as free lunches and supplies for students.

Defying the rule of law: Lessons learned from the BC teachers strike, 2005

A short account and comment on the two week illegal strike of teachers in British Columbia which won gains on wages and class size reductions.

by Chris, Northwest Anarchist Federation

Post mortem on the San Francisco fare strike, 2005 - Tom Wetzel

Tom Wetzel analyses the fare strike of San Francisco public transport riders in 2005. He examines what ways of organising can be used to win struggles and form the basis of a new society.

In September, 2005 several thousand riders of Muni - San Francisco's city-owned transit system - participated in a mass fare strike, to fight service cuts, layoffs, and the second fare hike in two years. More than five dozen people were actively involved in the organizing. The last action connected with the fare strike was a November 10th protest march, initiated by the organized day laborers.

Solidarity with the firefighters! AYN leaflet, 2003

A leaflet written and distributed by some people in the Anarchist Youth Network in the UK in 2003 during the strikes of firefighters for a pay increase to £30,000 and an end to "modernisation" or working practices.

Cologne: occupation of the Barmer Block housing estate, 2006 - Wildcat

Text published in Wildcat in summer 2006 reporting on the internal dynamics of a major housing estate occupation in Cologne in Spring 2006.

Cologne: 'Barmer Block' occupied. The feeling of great potential...
For over three months in the 'Barmer Block' housing estate an unusual squatting experiment took place.

A lovely spring in France - CPE report by Mouvement Communiste

A report on the unrest and struggle agains the CPE employment law by Mouvement Communiste, a Paris based collective.

The struggle against the CPE has mobilised youth in the education system, starting in higher education and then followed by the high schools, with the principal objective of forcing the withdrawal of Article 8 of the 'Equal Opportunities Law'. This article introduced a new punitive employment contract reserved for young workers. The objective of the struggle has been fully achieved.

American defeat: an anti-state communist perspective on the war in Iraq, 2003

An analysis of the US-UK war on Iraq which was written just before it began in 2003. Some of the predictions made subsequently proved to be mistaken and some of the basic assumptions wildly incorrect, but we reproduce it here for reference.

American defeat: an anti-state communist perspective on the Iraq war

The 2005 Northwest Airlines strike

A short history, account and analysis of the 2005 strike of mechanics and cleaners at Northwest Airlines against cuts in jobs, wages and benefits, and the lessons it holds for workers in future.

Our perspective... was simple: “What will it take to win this strike?”

Migration, industry and struggles in Poland, 1956-2005

An analysis of Poland, its economy, its social and political history and how it has been shaped by workers' struggles past and present.

Behind the Border
It is only a one hour journey from Berlin to the German-Polish border, the supermarkets in Berlin offer Polish food, immigrants from Poland are part of daily life in the German capital - nevertheless there are not many direct contacts (apart from perhaps the punk scene). The ‘iron curtain’ is slow to dissolve, due to languages and the geographical location.