Dérive

The following is an interview with John Reimann, a socialist activist (with roots in the union movement) and writer in Oakland, CA. I’ve known John for several years and wanted to learn more about his life. John touches on many topics, including his upbringing in New York, his participation in the civil rights movement and the anti-Vietnam War movement, his experiences as a union dissident, and his travels abroad. He concludes with a look at the present and future of capitalist society. Luke: I'm curious about your life as it relates to your politics and your organizing. Tell me about your upbringing and early years.  John: I was born into a non-religious Jewish family in New York in 1946. My father had been the economics page editor for the newspaper of the German Communist Party. Then he left the party over political differences. That was due to Stalin's takeover of the party. He was then involved in the anti-Nazi underground. (He told me that his group had a policy of worki...

I recently attended my first Labor Notes Conference in Chicago, IL. This year’s conference was far larger than the last one hosted in 2018, with more than 4,000 people in attendance. A friend of mine and veteran conference attendee attributed the increased number of participants to a buildup due to the COVID-induced pause, as well as the growth of unionized and/or union-curious education workers over the past four years. Demographics on conference attendees would be helpful. What unions were present at the event, and was there an increase in membership attendance from previous years? How many attendees were part of a union and how many were “unorganized” (like myself)? How many were gig, part-time, or otherwise precariously employed? Were the unemployed sections of the working class represented? The mood of the conference was lively and positive. There were many young people present, especially those involved in Starbucks and Amazon unionizing. There was a strong sense of community and...