Welcome to Green Social Thought’s collection of labor and economics articles. Take a deep dive into green economics and labor perspectives. As advocates for environmental responsibility and social justice, we bring you insights into a transformative economic approach that challenges the status quo, particularly degrowth and union and worker rights.
In a world grappling with the consequences of excessive consumption and environmental degradation, degrowth stands as a bold alternative. Our articles explore the the green vision of reshaping our economic landscape, with a particular focus on scaling down unnecessary and detrimental aspects, such as military expenditures and empowering workers through unionization.
Explore the economic implications of embracing degrowth policies, from redefining prosperity to creating resilient and inclusive communities. Exploration of economic alternatives that prioritize people and the planet.
Public Schools, Climate Disasters, Workers’ Control
Don Fitz
When teachers’ union president Ray Cummings told the superintendent that her plan could put students in danger, he brought together problems of excluding workers from critical decisions and schemes to use climate disasters to privatize public schools.
European Dockworkers Refuse to Load Weapons Aimed at Palestine
Rafeef Ziadeh and Katy Fox-Hodess
This shows growing solidarity among European dockworkers to stop weapons destined to be used on Palestinians.
By Disaster or Design: A Post-Growth World Is Coming
Matt Orsagh
Finance now makes up about 20 – 25% of the global economy and sits at the center of the economic model that calls for eternal growth on a planet with finite resources, and finite ways to deal with the waste that results from the use of those resources.
Finance must change if we are to move from an unsustainable economic model that is ultimately destroying our life support system, to a post-growth economy that operates within planetary boundaries.
French Dock Workers Block Arms Shipment to Israel
The Cradle
French dock workers refuse to load a military shipment to Israel.
“Artificial Intelligence”: Myth and Reality!
Ranganayakamma
AI is a computer program humans write to perform specific tasks. To be more precise, instead of saying “written by humans,” it would be more accurate to say “commissioned by capitalist employers.” Ultimately, AI is a software program that operates on computers. This program can help you understand human language and expression, gather extensive information from various fields, analyze multiple topics from different angles, and provide detailed insights. AI is another tool humans developed to enhance their “productive forces.” Enhancing productive forces means enabling workers (in this case, software employees) to complete more tasks with greater efficiency, less time, and fewer people. That’s all! (Of course, this does not mean their working hours will be reduced!)
Looking Ahead: US Unions Must Look Beyond Themselves to Save Themselves
Kim Scipes
This article argues that there has not been a labor movement in the US since 1949, but only a trade union movement; the latter only focuses on the betterment of union members instead of workers in general. Yet unions are important for all
Drawing off a forthcoming book based on years of on-the-ground experience combined with extensive archival experience, the author suggests that workers might find social justice unionism–uniting workers and communities–as a way to advance unions, overcome weaknesses of business unionism, strengthen and advance communities, and rebuild a labor movement to address issues facing workers in the US and around the world.
Labor Needs Debate, Not Dissolution
LEPAIO
LEPAIO claims that efforts to dissolve the Unite All Workers for Democracy (UAWD) caucus within the United Auto Workers (UAW) union is a mistake; that it’s better to honestly debate issues rather than dissolve the caucus and try to sweep issues under the rug.
AFL-CIO Foreign Policy Leaders Lie to Members, Refuse to Mobilize Members Against Trump
Kim Scipes
Article exposes legal document by the Executive Director of the AFL-CIO’s Solidarity Center, which details information never before shown members; almost all funding for its activities are through the US Government; also complains that AFL-CIO leadership is failing to mobilize union members against Trump’s rightward assault on the Constitution, civil rights, and established institutions.
Trainer, between Heinberg and Hudson: The rentier connection and the biosphere polycrisis
Wills Flowers
Despite several decades of critiques, analyses, and urgent calls for reform, there has been little progress in solving the multiple environmental crises, or in deflecting their negative effects. With some notable exceptions, previous efforts have largely ignored or soft-pedaled the role of the global economic system in driving environmental collapse. Economist Michael Hudson’s Killing the Host is a thorough exposé of the corruption and theoretical dysfunction of the world economic order, and it offers us a new and powerful line of attack against the economic theories driving the environmental polycrisis.Despite several decades of critiques, analyses, and urgent calls for reform, there has been little progress in solving the multiple environmental crises, or in deflecting their negative effects. With some notable exceptions, previous efforts have largely ignored or soft-pedaled the role of the global economic system in driving environmental collapse. Economist Michael Hudson’s Killing the Host is a thorough exposé of the corruption and theoretical dysfunction of the world economic order, and it offers us a new and powerful line of attack against the economic theories driving the environmental polycrisis.