Paul Blest

Jan 8, 2025 | substack.perfectunion.us | Paul Blest |Jordan Zakarin

by Paul Blest and Jordan Zakarin, More Perfect UnionAs Donald Trump prepares to assume office for the second time and his corporate allies prepare to wield much more power on issues of worker power, pay, and safety, lawmakers in some Democratic trifecta states say that their party should lead the way in enshrining Biden-era employee protections and beyond.

Jan 6, 2025 | substack.perfectunion.us | Paul Blest |Judy Cai

By Paul Blest and Judy Cai, More Perfect UnionEveryone knows that retirement in America is in crisis. The National Council on Aging found earlier this year that nearly half of all adults over the age of 60 had an income below the standard needed to afford basic needs, and tens of millions of households with older adults are financially struggling. So who’s to blame?

Nov 27, 2024 | substack.perfectunion.us | Paul Blest |Jordan Zakarin

By Paul Blest and Jordan Zakarin, More Perfect UnionThere’s an uprising happening across the U.S., and it involves worsening job conditions, opaque backroom negotiations, and hundreds of thousands of letter carriers in American cities and suburbs who want a better deal. Despite the promise of a historic contract, more than 225,000 workers in the National Association of Letter Carriers have been working without one since May 2023 — more than 500 days.

Nov 22, 2024 | substack.perfectunion.us | Paul Blest

by Paul Blest, More Perfect UnionIn 1914, Arkansas voters passed a ballot initiative banning child labor, becoming one of the first states to do so. As local papers reported at the time, the amendment passed with the largest majority of any measure on the ballot that year, and by December the state had started sending “employment certificates” to schools.  Last year, more than a century after that landmark victory, Gov.

Nov 15, 2024 | substack.perfectunion.us | Paul Blest

by Paul Blest, More Perfect UnionOne of the most stunning results to come out of last Tuesday was the news that a ballot referendum in California that would have banned the use of slave labor in prisons narrowly failed. In a state where incarcerated people can still be forced to work against their will for pitiful wages, some pointed to the news of Proposition 6’s failure as evidence that Californians are much more conservative than how they’ve voted in recent elections.