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MBTA Outsourcing is Not Paying Off

Craig Hughes Commonwealth Magazine
The 18.6 million dollar repair contract for the 32-bus fleet, which was bid in 2013, was the only bid the T received and came in nearly 18 percent below estimate.

Local Progressives Continue Working Toward 'Political Revolution'

Richie Davis The Recorder
FCCPR, a grass-roots effort that morphed out of the Pioneer Valley for Bernie (Sanders) organization last summer, turned its emphasis from "get out the vote" to long-range issues. "We said, 'We'll stick together and work on issues long-term,'" said Cohen. Seven task forces have been meeting every couple of weeks to actively advance their seven areas of concern, including civil rights, education, electoral politics and workers' rights.

books

Beware the Blue State Model: How the Democrats Created a "Liberalism of the Rich"

Thomas Frank Tom Dispatch
Reading Thomas Frank's new book, Listen, Liberal, or What Ever Happened to the Party of the People?, I was reminded of the snapshot that Oxfam offered us early this year: 62 billionaires now have more wealth than the bottom 50% of the global population, while the richest 1% own more than the other 99% combined...In 2010, it took 388 of the super-rich to equal the holdings of that bottom 50%. At this rate...by 2030, just the top 10 billionaires might do the trick. [*]

No More Backroom Deals

Dan Clawson Jacobin
A draconian proposal threatened Massachusetts teachers. Here’s how they defeated it.

labor

Hospitality Union Recruits African-American workers

Katie Johnston Boston Globe
A training program is the central component of an effort by Unite Here Local 26, the hospitality workers’ union, to reach out to the African-American community to fill jobs that offer good wages and benefits. The initiative aims to expand the diversity of hotel workforces, increasingly dominated by immigrants, and meet the growing demand in the industry for employees who are fluent in English.
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