Anna Canning

Middle East war could be decided by who runs out of missiles or interceptors first, analysts say Stockpiles of the most advanced US-made weapons are limited – while few know how large Iran’s arsenal is

My god. The only limitation on killing people is how many weapons there are. What are we even doing.

75% of layoffs are at unionized stores - that certainly looks like retaliation from a company whose *profits* were $170 million last year.

The cover of the linked report. It says "The Human Cost of House Plants: Labor Conditions of Florida's Plant Nursery Workers" and lists the names of the co-publishing organizations, Demos, WeCount & Partners for Dignity and Rights. The text is overlayed on a picture of a woman tending some potted plants. Her eyes are looking down at the plants and she's surrounded by a blur of greenery

Graphic says: 86% reported accidents and illness on the job, including heat stress and pesticide exposure. Source: A survey of 300+ plant nursery workers in South Florida conducted by WeCount! in 2024. Below the text is an illustration of little sprouts rooted in the earth with the text "Sembrando Justicia," which translates from Spanish as Planting Justice, repeated

The labor conditions: bad.

Even worse: a state governor who has weaponized state power against workers at every turn.

But workers have developed innovative solutions to hold accountable the corporations who profit off their exploitation.

New report out today:

dignityandrights.org/resources/rr...

Screenshot from the article linked above. Text reads: "District of Minnesota Judge Paul A. Magnuson, in denying the habeas corpus petition, “has determined he agrees with what Trump’s government has decided, that all immigrants who arrive in the United States without inspection fall under mandatory detention, meaning they’re not even allowed a bond hearing,” Tillman explains. “In the decision, he even says that most of his fellow judges don’t agree with him on that point, and the majority of Minnesota judges are approving these petitions, at the very least ordering a bond hearing, and often ordering straight release.” Tillman says the judge’s decision is “discouraging,” because it means that Orozco Verdusco has to decide between fighting for his release back to his home from detention by, for example, trying for another habeas corpus petition in New Mexico, where he is currently detained, or leaving the country, which means he would no longer be locked up, but would potentially be unable to return to his family in the United States for 10 years."

Here's the petition mentioned in the story, although it seems like the judge is just going all in on detention.

actionnetwork.org/petitions/si...

Worker Organizer Abducted By Federal Agents in Minnesota - Workday Magazine This article is a joint publication of Workday Magazine and In These Times. Federal immigration agents have abducted Eustaquio Orozco Verdusco, a workers’ rights organizer well known in Minnesota for ...

As an organizer, he helped win back $6M+ in stolen wages for low-wage workers--it's clear who the real criminals are, & it's not who's getting detained.

Great coverage from @sarahlazare.bsky.social- & good to see the petition mentioned is now at 5k signatures

workdaymagazine.org/worker-organ...

Opinion | Ring is using lost dogs to make the surveillance state adorable The same technology the Amazon-owned company uses to find lost dogs could easily be turned against their owners.

“No matter how Ring and other surveillance tech companies may downplay it, there’s no world in which finding lost dogs is the final end-use for this technology.”

In my experience in non-profit comms, redundancy is def part of the editing process.
Also, I think the word "just" has a connotation of having to do w/ the justice system & ppl feel a need to explain that they intend something more comprehensively moral (not saying this is what the dictionary says!)

This whole "biogas" or "renewable natural gas" scheme is the apex of greenwashing false solutions - & a perfect example of how corporations team up to shift the risk & cost of destructive business models onto the rest of us.

Biodiversity collapse threatens UK security, intelligence chiefs warn Ecosystem destruction will increase food shortages, disorder and mass migration, with effects already being felt

You may’ve seen coverage of a new report on the threat to national security from environmental collapse.

A common response that’s got my goat is: “Look, it’s not just tree-hugging enviros saying this, it’s hard-nosed spooks!”

A short thread on why this framing is bad history & bad politics🧵😡😉

Does a “reform” further empower your enemies or take power and resources away from them? Some of you need to sit with this question.

🚨 Time to show your support! Washington State is about to vote on #SB6045 and #HB2409, which would create a process for farmworkers to organize and elect representatives, and require employers to bargain union contracts with workers! Follow @foodjusticec2c.bsky.social & @fujwashington on IG for more

How to Block ICE In Your City Minneapolis organizer Aru Shiney-Ajay on effective tactics to disrupt ICE—and the need to target corporate collaborators

"We had one hotel publicly refuse to house ICE, which became a big national news story when DHS went after them. That’s a hotel we were targeting, and it was mostly because of our pressure. We had two more hotels temporarily shut down to avoid housing ICE..."

www.laborpolitics.com/p/how-minnea...

EMERGENCY RENT FUND: Support Workers in Minnesota Rent is due FEBRUARY 1st. Support our Emergency Rent Fund for Minnesotan workers and families facing eviction due to ICE Raids. We are calling for a rent moratorium, but regardless of if that happens ...

ICE raids in Minneapolis is making it risky for people to go to work - & now rent is about to be due.

The team at CTUL does amazing work to defend low-wage & immigrant workers & has a long track record in the community: worthy of your support if you've got $ to share
chuffed.org/project/1671...

No Funding for ICE Surveillance Tech!

So the House is going to vote TOMORROW on the DHS funding bill that includes funding for ICE.

There's a real chance we can get Dems to vote NO on any bill with ICE funding to sink it.

Once it goes to the Senate we likely lose this chance.

24 hours. Go.

www.fightforthefuture.org/actions/no-f...

It's such a predictable playbook.

That's really nice to hear! That was my first foray into the wild world of dairy so it's really good to hear it landed well for someone who's worked in the industry for a long time.

Oh this looks really interesting! I was just lamenting that it felt like I wasn't seeing new interesting podcasts enter the scene, I'm excited to listen to something that takes on both food and climate

Absolutely pro-zine over here. I'm not going to say *only,* but been thinking a lot about how we share things in this world.

"We can't delude our way out of climate change & the effects of using land to feed large amounts of cattle...-though some people are certainly trying."

Timely piece for this moment, & if we're going to do old school steakhouse nostalgia, I vote for the 🍸🍸 lunch.

If we have to do nostalgia, can we just bring back the two martini lunch instead?

California's child farmworkers: Exhausted, underpaid and toiling in toxic fields State officials are failing to protect the health and safety of thousands of young field laborers, an investigation has found.

Fruit & veg growing is a multi-billion $ industry. There's a lack of enforcement of worker protections-& those caught abusing get less than a slap on the wrist.

The only thing missing from this excellent investigation is naming the brands & supermarkets that profit.

www.latimes.com/california/s...

The Private Equity Playbook: Joann Fabrics | Art of Citizenry Joann Fabrics didn’t just fail, it was hollowed out by private equity. Join Manpreet Kalra and Anna Canning as they unpack the leveraged buyout, debt, layoffs, and ripple effects that led to the craft...

New! Earlier this year, it made headlines when private equity drove JoAnn Fabrics to bankruptcy.
@manpreetkalra.bsky.social & I discuss how it happened & talk about fast fashion, sewing, & women's work in society.
Also: Elvis, billionaire budgeting tips, & more
www.artofcitizenry.com/podcast/priv...

How To Ditch Spotify and Support Music in the Age of AI Slop There’s no shortage of reasons to quit Spotify in 2025. Artists and fans have been departing the platform in droves because they’re fed up with the company paying artists virtually nothing, using algo...

Looking to ditch Spotify? @janus.bsky.social wrote this up for @fightforthefuture.org and it's an easy step-by-step guide for how to do it in the least painless way possible

touchgrass.fightforthefuture.org/how-to-ditch...

Nearly 1,900 affordable Portland apartments sit empty while thousands need homes “Even affordable rents are too high,” one affordable housing provider told The Oregonian/OregonLive.

Nearly 2k affordable apartment units sit empty in Portland, according to data crunched by the O.

A chief reason: Rising rents have closed the gap between market rate & so-called "affordable" housing, keeping subsidized units out of reach for low-income renters.

The Private Equity Playbook: Philz Coffee | Art of Citizenry Dive into the Philz Coffee private equity deal with Manpreet Kaur Kalra and Anna Canning as they unpack the cancellation of worker common stock and dig into the financial and political origins of Phil...

Coffee, Silicon Valley & George W. Bush’s former roommate? Philz Coffee made headlines when it was bought by a private equity firm & cancelled all employee stock — @manpreetkalra.bsky.social & @annacanning.bsky.social unpack what really went down!

🎙️Tune in: www.artofcitizenry.com/podcast/priv...

The Private Equity Playbook: Philz Coffee | Art of Citizenry Dive into the Philz Coffee private equity deal with Manpreet Kaur Kalra and Anna Canning as they unpack the cancellation of worker common stock and dig into the financial and political origins of Phil...

Remember a few months ago when a private equity firm bought Philz Coffee & wiped out workers' stock?

In a new project with @manpreetkalra.bsky.social, we delve into that & how it's a symptom of a larger system built to siphon $ at every step.

www.artofcitizenry.com/podcast/priv...

This is probably true, but generally, if you're going to work in a field, it's good to understand the vocabulary of the field & use it accurately.
Or at least hire a comms person who can help with that.

For all the Gap does to talk about "Empowering Women," they won't even do the bare minimum: stop the illegal firing of women union leaders & pregnant workers.

It's not like corporate hypocrisy is surprising, but the demand is so basic.
dignityandrights.org/2025/11/gap-...

What’s really going on with AI and jobs? Record-breaking layoff reports, Amazon's mass firings, and a slump in entry level employment. Is AI behind it all?

How is AI *really* impacting jobs?

Henley Chiu, the CTO of Revealera, a jobs data analysis firm, analyzed 180 million jobs listings in 2024 and 2025, in an effort to find out. Chiu found an:

-8% drop in all jobs postings
-~30% drop in art, photography, writing jobs
-22% drop in journalism jobs

Join the webinar: Together We Win: Research, Organizing, & Solidarity for Real Corporate Accountability. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar. Corporate power is on the rise. But a recent win with garment workers in Guatemala shows that when we organize and act in solidarity across borders, we can win. Join us for a webinar conversation wi...

Join me for this starting at noon ET!
We'll hear from leaders in the Guatemalan workers' union as well as advocates in the US about how we took on an opaque, private equity-backed fashion brand - & won!
Consider it your dose of good news for the day.
us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...