About a dozen workers at a coffee shop in Brattleboro are on strike. Mocha Joe's is closed due to the strike. The strike began on October 24. “We are not making a livable wage,” Lu Racine told the Valley Post in an in-person interview on the picket line. Racine has worked at Mocha Joe's for about 18 months.

Nel McNeill has worked at Mocha Joe's for about a year. “One of our co-workers was fired over something small,” McNeill said.

The workers can be reached at mj.coworkers@gmail.com. They are asking the public to sign their petition at:

www.change.org/p/help-the-employees-of-mocha-joe-s-cafe-receive-a-livabl...

In essence, a union is workers going on strike. Unions reduce inequality and increase democracy.

The below photo shows some of the striking workers. To enlarge the photo, click on it, then scroll down and click “see full size image.” photo by Eesha Williams

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In Northampton on October 24, about 15 people attended a rally calling on politicians to pass the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Earlier this year, the Virginia legislature passed the Equal Rights Amendment. If enough states do this, the amendment will take effect. Congress passed it in 1972. It would allow women to achieve pay equality, among other advantages. In the USA on average bosses pay women 18 percent less than men.

The organizers of the Northampton rally have a web page at:

www.facebook.com/Generation-Ratify-Amherst-MA-100296615142057