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A shout out to @aaup.org, the URI Adjunct faculty union, and the URI Professional Staff Association (PSA), a bargaining unit affiliated with the National Education Association of Rhode Island (NEARI).

You are almost always better off in a union, so join one, start one, or support one!

Americans favor labor unions over big business now more than ever This piece was also published on Medium. For decades, Americans were evenly divided in their relative support of labor unions and big business, but that’s no longer the case. Now, Americans are more l...

Promoting labor rights reduces inequality, narrows the racial wealth gap, and serves as a popular policy platform for politicians seeking to win elections. If you expand this to all labor rights, you have a political agenda that motivates a majority of diverse voters and strengthens democracy.

About CIRIGHTS The goal of the CIRIGHTS data project is to create numerical measures for every internationally recognized human right for all countries of the world. Human rights scores are necessary for understa…

We use CIRIGHTS data, which codes US State Department and @amnesty.org human rights reports to assign numerical scores for two dozen human rights. For this piece, we examined the rights to unionize and engage in collective bargaining. We looked at both protection in law and in practice.

Unions promote racial equity By now it is well known that unions are a key institution enforcing more equal outcomes by income class in the U.S. economy and that the policy-driven shrinkage of unionization has played a key role i...

Unions have an incentive to recruit all workers. As a result, they often help to promote racial inequality faster than other parts of society (they tend to be less racist). Where collective labor rights are strong, minorities can also unionize for themselves when they are shut out of other unions

Unions help reduce disparities and strengthen our democracy Unions improve wages and benefits for all workers, not just union members. They help reduce income inequality by making sure all Americans, and not just the wealthy elite, share in the benefits of the...

Unions, protected by collective labor rights, negotiate for higher wages, limit corporate power, and lobby for better working conditions for all workers. This is how we got the 40-hour workday, overtime pay, & restrictions on child labor. They also strengthen democracy and act as a check on power.

Union Rights and Inequalities - Human Rights Review Competing arguments surrounding the relationships between inequalities and labor rights have persisted over time. This paper explores whether labor rights increase or decrease two types of wage inequa...

Building on our scholarly work, we argue that collective labor rights reduce inequality by empowering workers: they reduce the cost of organizing unions, reduce the cost of collective bargaining, create a credible threat for non-union workers to unionize, and protect the right to strike

Strengthening collective labor rights can help reduce economic inequality A research team’s findings suggest that when workers are free to advocate for better wages and benefits for themselves, it also benefits society as a whole.

New piece in the @us.theconversation.com with @stephenmbagwell.bsky.social The protection of collective labor rights (right to unionize, strike, and bargain collectively) reduces income inequality between individuals (poor vs. rich) and between ethnic/racial groups (white versus Black).

The Blogs: We are NYC rabbis who support Zohran Mamdani – Here’s why His platform reflects the Jewish call for justice and also offers a clear plan to address antisemitic violence. That's what real protection looks like

Glad to see this letter: blogs.timesofisrael.com/we-are-nyc-r...

Image of 5 people on Zoom: Amanda Murdie, K. Chad Clay, Daniel Hill, Jeffrey Berejikian, and Meridith LaVelle

I'm happy to present Dr. Meridith LaVelle! Dr. LaVelle successfully defended her dissertation this morning. She will be a Humboldt Research Fellow at the University of Mannheim this fall. A huge thanks to her other committee members, Amanda Murdie, Danny Hill, and Jeffrey Berejikian.

Tactics of survival: Strategies of Resistance Data Project update - Kathleen Gallagher Cunningham, Ted Ellsworth, Harriet Goers, Michael Cowan, Oja Pathak, Ellin Chung, 2025 This article presents an update on the Strategies of Resistance Data Project. It extends the original coding of organizations seeking greater self-determination...

This update took longer than I anticipated, but it's out now! New data on organizational use of violent and nonviolent tactics. Using a diversity of nonviolent tactics is linked to longer survival for orgs.

journals.sagepub.com/eprint/SXPRW...

🧵 To make this more concrete: don't assume Trump himself knows what he is going to do next in in the Israel-Iran conflict. He definitely doesn't want to get the US involved in a major war in the Middle East (that much he's been clear on). But he loves to bomb and look tough. 1/

In Providence & many cities protests stayed peaceful in large part because police did not engage in repression.

In LA police repressed a large number of peaceful protesters exercising their first amendment right to protest & it turned violent.

Before blaming protesters please consider the cause

Thousands of 'No Kings’ marchers in L.A. protest immigration raids, President Trump Protesters across Southern California and the country took to the streets for ‘No Kings’ demonstrations against President Trump and the $45-million celebration of the U.S. Army’s 250th birthday, which...

In LA today police used flash bangs, rubber bullets, tear gas, pepper balls, and kettled protesters. This happened before the curfew.

This was repression & is illegal.

Protesters threw tear gas canisters and rocks in return and this a prime example of how police turned a peaceful protest violent.

Rhode Islanders join nationwide 'No Kings' protest | ABC6 PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Thousands made their way to the Rhode Island State House for a “No Kings” rally to protest the Trump Administration. The demonstration was one of nearly 2,000 held around the...

In Providence there was little police presence. It was mostly used to direct traffic. Police were not armored with riot gear.

Police stood away from protests and did not behave aggressively.

These actions reduce violence.

Let peaceful protests be and they usually stay peaceful

What about LA?

When police use repression against peaceful protesters it has a few consequences:

It can attract more violent members to the movement

It can lead some people to believe violence is the only thing that will cause change

It can provoke violence as an emotional response or attempt at revenge

Police beating, or pepper spraying peaceful protesters understandably causes anger.

If your friend or family member is the victim of repression, you may get angry enough to fight back.

Violence here is caused by police and entirely preventable. Some violent protests are caused by police action

LA protester stomped by police on horseback as clashes escalate: video The video has gone viral online amid escalating violence during protests against Trump's immigration crackdown.

violent repression of peaceful protesters and journalists includes:

arrests, firing tear gas, firing rubber bullets, beating protesters with batons, kneeling on their neck, or trampling them with horses

When protests are large and people are very angry this often provokes a violent response…

Heavy Police Presence at Protests Shapes Public Perceptions of Violence, New Study Finds - Uprise RI A new study reveals that police behavior at Black Lives Matter protests significantly influenced how the public perceived these demonstrations. The research suggests that a heavy police presence, even...

Threats of repression increase the risk of protests turning violent

A heavy police present increases opportunities for confrontations and often leads the public to view protests as violent. Why else would so many police be there?

peaceful protests can end in violence because of these threats

Trump threatens military parade protesters, says dissenters will face 'very heavy force' Ahead of his military parade, Donald Trump said those who dared to express their First Amendment rights should expect to face "very heavy force."

Alternatively police can repress or threaten to repress protesters

Threats of repression include:

Trump threatening to “crush protesters”

Bringing in the national guard and marines to police protests

Police showing up in riot gear and acting aggressively

www.msnbc.com/msnbc/amp/sh...

YouTube video by Steve Ahlquist NoKingsRI: United States Senator Jack Reed (Democrat; Rhode Island)

Policymakers can ignore protesters, hope they get tired and give up.

Or they can listen and talk with protesters.

Some policymakers join protests, make speeches, & show support

RI Senator Jack Reed, State Representative David Morales, & City Councilman John Goncalves joined RI protests today

In Providence there were two protests today.

One by the state capital and one by India Point Park

There were thousands of protesters in the street demanding change related to:

Immigrant rights
ICE
Trump
Taxing billionaires
Trans rights
Healthcare
Democracy
Women’s rights
Inequality
Elon Musk

Protest is a core part of accountability in democracy. It is a way for citizens to signal they are unhappy with elected officials & policy.

Giving up your day to protest is costly. You could spend that time with family & friends, or relaxing.

Protesting is a powerful signal of collective anger…

Why do peaceful protest turn violent?

Today’s #NoKings protests are a case study of why we need to think about both how protesters behave AND how the government and police respond to protest.

Millions of people protested peacefully, LA erupted in violence

This is an analysis of why

A thread

About a thousand people came out to protest at India Point Park in Providence, RI for the No Kings movement. Speeches by Senator Jack Reed and Representative David Morales. People turned out in large numbers despite the rain.

Thousands protest in Providence, RI at the capital for the No Kings movement

Sorry, but this stuff drives me absolutely crazy. I’m sorry economists & journalists are just discovering the field of international political economy. But we’ve been studying & publishing about this stuff for 50 years now. There’s no new age of anything & “geoeconomics” has been around forever.

Congratulations to all participants and winners in today's 501 Poster Session!

I keep seeing people saying things like, "It is difficult to be a conservative at a University." If you think this is true, I beg you to spend some time at a public university in a red or purple state. Stop making generalizations based on private and/or elitist schools in the Northeast. 1/3

The problem with America in 1 graph

Black Farmers Index

The Black Farmers Index is a collective of Black farmers who are fueling the small business farm revolution. They sell everything from food to soap. Please click on the regions to find farms near you or shop online and share with your friends.
blackfarmersindex.com