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James Dennis Hoff

James Dennis Hoff is a writer, educator, labor activist, and member of the Left Voice editorial board. He teaches at The City University of New York.

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The Big Three Are Using Layoffs to Punish the UAW and Undermine the Strike

The Big Three are retaliating against the UAW by laying off thousands of its members at plants across the country. Defeating these attacks will require the self organization and mobilization of all the workers.

James Dennis Hoff

September 28, 2023

The UAW Is Right: All Workers Deserve a Shorter Work Week AND Higher Wages

The current contract struggle at The Big Three and increasing automation in the auto industry raise an important question: How can we use technology to benefit the working class rather than feed the profits of the bosses? 

James Dennis Hoff

September 14, 2023

The Time Is Right for a Strike at the Big Three

A strike by UAW workers at the Big Three, if joined by actors, writers, and flight attendants, would radicalize hundreds of thousands of workers, revealing their power and raising their expectations in ways that could have an outsized positive influence on the future of labor in the United States.

James Dennis Hoff

September 6, 2023

Trump Indictments Are About Capitalist Stability, Not Justice

Behind the many damning charges against Trump lies a more fundamental attempt on behalf of a broad sector of capital to defend the stability and legitimacy of the U.S. regime in the midst of a series of ongoing military, economic, ecological, and political crises.

James Dennis Hoff

August 4, 2023

Rekindling the Militant Spirit of CUNY’s Past

Mayor Eric Adams has announced an austerity budget that includes significant cuts to the City University of New York among other city agencies. In order to defeat these cuts, students, faculty, and other workers across the city must unite our struggles and be prepared to shut the university down.

James Dennis Hoff

May 22, 2023

France: On the Frontlines of the War Against Austerity

The French masses have raised the banner of class struggle in what is becoming the first major battle against austerity after the pandemic. Working people across the world should pay attention.

James Dennis Hoff

March 25, 2023

Understanding the Global Context of the Ukrainian Conflict: A Response to Our Critics

The 2022 invasion of Ukraine and the massive rearmament of Europe that followed mark a new stage in a growing conflict that has become a proxy war between the imperialist states of the US and NATO on one side, and an emerging alliance between Russia and China on the other. While some on the Left see this new pole of Russia and China as a check against US imperialism, neither country is anti-imperialist, and neither has anything progressive to offer working people.

James Dennis Hoff

March 16, 2023

In Standoff Over Cop City, Police Are the Real Terrorists

For over two years, the protests and occupations against a police training center in Atlanta, Georgia flew under the radar of the mainstream press. Now, after the police murder of land defender Manuel Teran and the arrest of 19 protesters on charges of domestic terrorism, the standoff has gained national attention. But in the battle to defend the Weelaunee Forest and the people of Atlanta from the development of the massive “Cop City” training center, it is the Atlanta Police Department and the state that have been acting like terrorists.

James Dennis Hoff

January 27, 2023

Sorry Jacobin, But Crushing Rail Workers’ Right to Strike Is Not Progressive

Jacobin’s Branko Marcetic is applauding progressive Democrats like AOC and Jamaal Bowman for their vote to force rail workers to accept a contract they explicitly rejected on terms that are not even close to their original demands.

James Dennis Hoff

December 1, 2022

More Crisis on the Horizon as Republicans Rally to Take Back Congress

With just three days left before the midterm elections, the Republicans look increasingly likely to retake the House and perhaps even the Senate. This could have a profound impact on the next two years of Biden's presidency and the 2024 elections. But one thing is for sure: regardless of who wins on Tuesday, the result will be more polarization and more economic, environmental, and political crisis.

James Dennis Hoff

November 5, 2022

Now More than Ever, the Working Class Needs Independent, Democratic Unions

Recently, discussions about unionization have become a national conversation. New workplaces are unionizing and the question of how to ensure their democratic functioning is the order of the day.

James Dennis Hoff

September 14, 2022

Chipotle Closes First Unionized Store, but Organization Momentum Continues

Last month, workers at an Augusta, Maine Chipotle store formed the first ever Chipotle union in the United States. On Tuesday, the company closed the store and laid-off all of the workers.

James Dennis Hoff

July 20, 2022

The Unionization Wave Continues: Workers In Maine Have Organized the First Chipotle Store in the Country

Workers at an Augusta, Maine Chipotle have formed an independent union: Chipotle United. This is a clear indication that the unionization wave that started with Starbucks and Amazon is only growing stronger.

James Dennis Hoff

June 22, 2022

Children Deserve Dignified, Happy, Carefree Lives

Under this capitalist, racist, patriarchal system, children carry the heavy burdens of trauma. As workers and socialists, we must fight to ensure that they can live the dignified, happy, and carefree lives they deserve.

James Dennis Hoff

May 29, 2022

Fired Starbucks Workers Bring their Fight Directly to the CEO

Despite being illegally terminated, Starbucks workers from Memphis, Tennessee and other cities across the country are fighting to unionize and win back their jobs.

James Dennis Hoff

April 30, 2022

Round Two for the ALU: the Fight to Organize Amazon Continues

On Monday, 1,600 warehouse workers in Staten Island will vote on whether or not to form the second-ever Amazon union in the United States. In response, the company is using every dirty trick in the book to intimidate workers and undermine the vote.

James Dennis Hoff

April 24, 2022

The War in Ukraine Is Strengthening NATO and U.S. Imperialism

As Germany increases its military budget and Sweden and Finland ponder joining NATO, it’s clear that the war in Ukraine has been a boon for European and U.S. imperialism.

James Dennis Hoff

April 16, 2022

Grassroots Unionism: Lessons from the Victory at Amazon

Amazon workers in Staten Island defeated one of the wealthiest and most anti-union corporations in the world. Their victory is a repudiation of the failed strategy of the labor bureaucracy and shows the power of real rank and file organizing.

James Dennis Hoff

April 10, 2022

Socialists Should Not Support Imperialist Weapons Shipments to the Ukrainian Government

As war rages in Ukraine, NATO countries are sending billions of dollars’ worth of weapons to the Zelenskyy government. These weapons shipments are incredibly popular in Western countries — even among a sector of the Left.

James Dennis Hoff

April 2, 2022

Neither NATO nor Putin: How the U.S. Left is Getting Ukraine Wrong

With the Russian invasion of Ukraine, sectors on the Left are either repeating imperialist propaganda by calling for sanctions or minimizing Russia’s actions under the guise of anti-imperialism. To be anti-imperialist means to organize the international working class against U.S. imperialism and oppressive regimes everywhere.

James Dennis Hoff

March 5, 2022

Texas Cops Who Brutalized Protesters in 2020 Finally Brought Up on Charges

Almost two years later, 19 Police officers are being brought up on charges of misconduct and aggravated assault against peaceful protesters in 2020. This is far too little, too late.

James Dennis Hoff

February 18, 2022

From Puerto Rico to Minnesota, Teachers are Rising Up Again

With inflation continuing to rise, contract struggles, particularly among public sector unions, could become increasingly militant as workers look to regain lost wages. Already, teachers in Puerto Rico and Minnesota are leading the way with strikes, strike votes, and demonstrations.

James Dennis Hoff

February 15, 2022

Corporate Profits Soar Even amid Rising Inflation

As inflation chips away at our paychecks, the bosses are making more than ever.

James Dennis Hoff

February 11, 2022

One Year Later: Biden Is Still No Friend of Labor

Joe Biden claims to be one of the most pro-labor presidents to ever hold office, but while he has talked a good game, he has conspicuously failed to deliver for working people and unions. Worse, Biden’s embrace of labor was and remains a cynical, and so far highly successful, attempt to co-opt and further tie unions to the Democratic Party.

James Dennis Hoff

January 21, 2022

The Great Resignation Continues: 4.5 Million U.S. Workers Walked Off the Job in November

Low pay, lack of childcare, and dangerous working conditions are causing millions of people to quit their jobs. While this mass resignation may give labor some leverage to fight for higher wages and better benefits, it’s also a sign of the difficult choices working people continue to face as the pandemic rages on.

James Dennis Hoff

January 7, 2022

The Rittenhouse Verdict Is Green Light for Right-Wing Vigilantism. The Left Must Respond

The jury’s verdict in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial is a devastating injustice, and a dangerous precedent that will open the door for more right-wing reactionary violence against the Left. To defeat the Right, we must unite our struggles.

James Dennis Hoff

November 20, 2021

Student Workers at Columbia Are on Strike Again — What Will It Take to Win?

Yesterday, more than 3,000 student workers at Columbia walked off the job to demand a living wage and healthcare. In order to win these demands, however, the rank and file will have to unite with faculty and students, and be willing to shut down the university by taking their strike all the way to the end of the semester.

James Dennis Hoff

November 4, 2021

Shortages and Supply Chain Disruptions Are about Capitalism, Not Covid

Amid all the talk of global supply chain disruptions, the real cause — production for profit — has been largely ignored.

James Dennis Hoff

October 19, 2021

Don’t Call it a Comeback: U.S. Labor Finds Its Groove after a Dismal Summer

After a summer of relative labor peace, the United States has seen four major work stoppages in just the last three weeks. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of workers are primed to walk out in healthcare and film/TV production if their demands are not met. It’s militancy at a level unseen for years. Could it be the beginning of something bigger for U.S. labor?

James Dennis Hoff

October 9, 2021

Thursday’s Catastrophic Supreme Court Decision Puts Millions at Risk

The Supreme Court’s decision to end the limited eviction moratorium on Thursday reveals once again that the institution does not serve the interests of working people.

James Dennis Hoff

August 27, 2021