WADE RATHKE is the founder of ACORN, Chief Organizer at ACORN International, and Author of "Nuts & Bolts", "Citizen Wealth", "Global Grassroots", and "The Battle for the 9th Ward".
New Orleans Five weeks after Hurricane Ida hit the city on the anniversary of Katrina’s arrival, August 29th, we are still in recovery, though we have made progress. Elections were postponed, but they are coming in another month or so. Garbage is starting to be picked up. Branches and other trash may …
Little Rock For ninety minutes I participated in a fascinating call, organized by Organizing Upgrade, about the obstacles that workers face in trying to protect themselves, secure their rights, and, if possible, organize collectively at Amazon. The participants included activists, veteran union organizers, writers, and current Amazon workers. The organizing climate is such that …
Pearl River In 2005, I left the SEIU International board to run an organizing project directed at establishing whether we could successfully organize Wal-Mart workers on a number of fronts. This was a joint project involving ACORN, SEIU, AFL-CIO, and UFCW. SEIU was developing the Wal-Mart Watch effort based in Washington, DC, and our effort …