ASU Center for Work and Democracy

Life Inside China’s Gig Machine An interview with Hu Anyan, author of I Deliver Parcels in Beijing

Read more about Ben Fong’s interview with Hu Anyan in On the Seams!
ontheseams.substack.com/p/life-insid...

Life Inside China’s Gig Machine Hu Anyan’s I Deliver Parcels in Beijing describes life working in China’s logistics and service trades. Anyan’s account reveals differences in context between Chinese and US workers that indicate the ...

New from the CWD’s Ben Fong: an interview with Hu Anyan, author of “I Deliver Parcels in Beijing.” Check out the interview on logistics, labor, and conditions working in China’s warehouses here in Jacobin.
jacobin.com/2025/10/chin...

We’re still not over this historic win! 💜

32,000 Michigan home care workers just got their union back — proving what’s possible when workers stand united.

This is democracy. This is solidarity. This is power. ✊🏽💪

Check out the latest from the CWD Activist in Residence, Jonathan Rosenblum, as he and Tom Vickers talk about a global strategy to take on Amazon 👇👇

Making Federal Semiconductor Billions Work For Everyone Billions in government support is spurring semiconductor investments, which a conference at Arizona State says need worker, environmental, and community benefits.

Rick McGahey cites “The Dark Side of the Chip” event from @chipscommunities.bsky.social for Forbes in his new piece, “Making Federal Semiconductor Billions Work For Everyone.” Read it here:
www.forbes.com/sites/richar...

“Rigorous and democratic oversight through unionization, strong and enforceable community benefits agreements, and governmental environmental and labor oversight, should be central to these investments, not an afterthought.” –J. Barish

Indigenous Peoples’ Day | AFL-CIO

Indigenous Peoples’ Day is a time to reflect on the powerful contributions that indigenous communities have made in our country and labor movement. We honor their fight for civil and worker rights after facing centuries of injustice, and stand with them for a better tomorrow.

All Latina workers earn $0.54 for every dollar a white, non-Hispanic man makes.

Working 10 extra months to make what others did last year is unacceptable. America’s unions are fighting for a more just economy, and a union contract is how we close the wage gap.

CWD Director McQuarrie and Associate Director Fong spoke at “The Dark Side of the Chip” today, exploring ways in which expanded chip production in the Valley can improve to best support workers rights and safety.

Organizing Amazon Should Be a Priority for Labor Globally Whether workers can organize Amazon will be pivotal for the fate of the labor movement worldwide. Initial victories in Coventry, England, and elsewhere show that when unions put serious resources into...

In their new piece for @jacobinmag.bsky.social , Tom Vickers and the CWD’s Jonathan Rosenblum highlight organizing wins for Amazon workers and talk about why we need to organize the corporate giant on an international scale.
Learn more: jacobin.com/2025/10/amaz...

“Daunting as it may be, organizing Amazon is a task that unions must take on: Without a strong, organized worker counterweight at Amazon, the company’s abusive practices will mushroom out, driving down standards for workers everywhere, in all industries”

“The Semiconductor Con: The Dark Side of the Chip,” a community-led event hosted by @ChipCommunities , takes place this Wednesday in downtown Phoenix from 9:30am-4:25pm.

YouTube video by ASU Center for Work and Democracy "How Unions Affect Workers' Wealth, Health, and Retirement Security by Gender, Race, and Class"

Missed Teresa’s talk on the union advantage? You can catch it here:
youtu.be/FNQfEOZjA14?...

The background image is of the landscape view of the city of Phoenix with a cactus in the foreground. Text says: The Dark Side of the Chip 2 Days Left to register.

2️⃣ DAYS LEFT to register for Dark Side of the Chip Conference in #Phoenix!

It’s also the 1st conf ever (that we know of) to address the impact of the #semiconductor industry on US workers, communities, and the environment.

Registration closes this Friday, so don’t wait.
➡ bit.ly/DarkSideofth...

The top 10% now hold 67.4% of all the wealth in the US.

The bottom 50% hold 2.5%.

Location Change!

The “Dark Side of the Chip,” a one-day conference hosted by @chipscommunities.bsky.social , will now be hosted at 435 S 3rd Ave.

“Starbucks Is on the Ropes,” Says SBWU President Lynne Fox, Who Is Eyeing a Strike "Investors should know that if Starbucks continues to stonewall and fight with union baristas, they aren’t afraid to do what it takes to win the fair contract that they’ve earned," Fox writes. "This i...

The next three months will determine the future of Starbucks, according to @sbworkersunited.org.

Union baristas are demanding more hours, higher pay, and resolution of hundreds of unfair labor practice cases—warning a strike is on the table.

A heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone who came out yesterday to hear Teresa's talk on the union advantage! We hope that you had as good a time as we did listening to our Visiting Scholar.

(For those who missed the event, we will be posting a recording on our YouTube channel soon!)

Starting now! Make your way over to West Hall room 135 to catch the program.

Join us this Wednesday to hear from Teresa Ghilarducci in West Hall!
Register here: bit.ly/GhilarducciT...

Labor’s Crisis Is Not a PR Problem Union approval is at historic highs, yet density keeps falling. The problem isn’t messaging but the lack of strategy that can turn popularity into power.

Fong and Jenkins for @jacobinmag.bsky.social :
“In a situation where no one has a strategy for a realistic reversal of the union density trend… it makes sense that there would be a noticeable gap between leadership and (potential) rank and file.”
More here:
jacobin.com/2025/09/labo...

ONE WEEK until you all get to hear from our new Visiting Scholar, Teresa Ghilarducci!

Join us on September 24th in West Hall room 135 for her public talk on wealth, retirement, and the union advantage. RSVP here: bit.ly/GhilarducciT...

A living wage is for everyone—janitors, teachers, nurses, delivery drivers, rideshare drivers. 

If you love your job, unionize and fight to protect it. ✊

If you don’t, unionize and fight to improve it. ✊

Thank you to everyone who popped by for our first Open House Luncheon of the semester! It’s always a great time getting together to talk about the Center and our work.
See you all in October!

@chipscommunities.bsky.social presents: the DARK SIDE OF THE CHIP, a one-day conference surrounding the semiconductor industry's impact on workers and the environment and how folks can organize so it benefits all of us. Learn more about the event and RSVP here: bit.ly/DarkSideofth...

Where Are Amazon Imports Coming From and Going To? The big question: Why are all these imports being consigned to ONT8 and SBD3? Could there be such a thing as a Pre-IXD?

Want to dive deeper into Amazon’s shipping and logistics patterns? Ben Fong and On the Seams have you covered:
ontheseams.substack.com/p/where-are-...

“Legal and political constraints… limit broad-based organizing and deter unions from innovating at scale. Yet the demand for worker power to counter corporate dominance will not disappear... expect more experimentation in how organized labor grows…”
-Teresa Ghilarducci

This weekend, Michael, Maria, and Jonathan attended the annual Leadership Assembly hosted by SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West. Thank you for having us, UHW!

Labor Day 2025: Who Owns The Economy? After nationwide repression of unions, wages fell more in markets where unions had previously delivered larger gains. When unions are weakened, pay falls.

❗️New from CWD Visiting Scholar Teresa Ghilarducci for @forbes.com : “Labor Day 2025: Who Owns The Economy?”

Read it here: www.forbes.com/sites/teresa...

Labor Day was born in struggle. Workers striking, marching, and demanding dignity. Black, brown, white, immigrant, shoulder to shoulder, we built this holiday.

In 2025, we carry that legacy forward. We’re rising to say loud and clear: Families First, Not Billionaires.