Interviews and On-the-spot reports
US motorists express anger over skyrocketing gas prices
By a WSWS reporting team, 3 May 2011
A WSWS reporting team interviewed motorists at gas stations across the country.
Eyewitness reflections on the storms in Alabama
By Daniel Sharp, 2 May 2011
The devastation wrought by the April 27 tornadoes could have been substantially mitigated by decent housing and shelters, and a rational emergency plan.
The Fight for Socialism Today
Conference delegates speak with the WSWS
By Tom Eley and Tobin Reese, 12 April 2011
The World Socialist Web Site interviewed a number of delegates attending the conference “The Fight for Socialism Today” in Ann Arbor.
New Hampshire protest hits budget cuts, anti-worker measure
By Kate Randall, 1 April 2011
Several thousand workers protested Thursday against a New Hampshire budget proposal that would slash spending and strip public employees of their collective bargaining rights.
Spanish air traffic controller: “The unions, the political parties. No one supported us.”
By Paul Mitchell, 23 March 2011
Marcelino Victoria, a Spanish air traffic controller, contacted the World Socialist Web Site recently, thanking us for our support and agreed to talk to reporter Paul Mitchell.
Teachers and students speak on Wisconsin education cuts
By Andre Damon, 15 March 2011
In this video, Wisconsin teachers and students speak on Governor Scott Walker’s cuts to public schools, the effect of social inequality on education, and the role of education in a democracy.
Wisconsin state workers: “It’s the modern feudal society”
By Tobin Reese, 15 March 2011
The World Socialist Web Site recently spoke to two Wisconsin state employees about the implications of Governor Scott Walker’s attack on worker rights, and the response of the unions.
“This is just part of a bigger struggle that is happening on a global scale”
By our reporters, 15 March 2011
A reporting team from the World Socialist Web Site interviewed some of those who attended the protest outside the Liberal Democrats conference in Sheffield, England.
Musicians’ strike entering sixth month
A conversation with Detroit Symphony Orchestra violist Jim VanValkenburg
By Shannon Jones, 9 March 2011
Jim VanValkenburg, assistant principal violist for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, recently invited WSWS reporters into his home to discuss the lengthy strike by DSO musicians.
Wisconsin teachers denounce school cuts
By Jerry White, 2 March 2011
Teachers spoke out against Governor Walker’s new budget, which will slash nearly a billion dollars from public education.
Firefighters speak out on Wisconsin struggle
By Jerry White, 1 March 2011
Hundreds of firefighters came to join the demonstrations of Wisconsin workers at the state capitol on Monday.
Hundreds in Manchester protest closure of Sure Start
By our reporters, 1 March 2011
Hundreds of parents and their children demonstrated outside Manchester Town Hall on Saturday to protest plans to close or privatise all the city’s 36 Sure Start children’s centres.
Libyan protests outside BBC: “An amazing revolution is taking place in the Middle East”
By Robert Stevens and John Newham, 24 February 2011
Protesters are holding regular demonstrations outside the BBC’s HQ in Manchester city centre in north-west England against the Gaddafi regime.
Detroiters speak out on DTE’s phony “customer assistance”
By Debra Watson, 22 February 2011
In the weeks after DTE Energy’s December Customer Assistance Day, members of the Committee Against Utility Shutoffs spoke to several Detroiters who had sought assistance.
Western Wisconsin students, workers oppose cuts
By Ron Jorgenson, 19 February 2011
While workers and students have concentrated their forces at the state capitol in Madison, rallies have proliferated throughout outstate Wisconsin. WSWS supporters leafleted a boisterous crowd of well over 500 workers and students who packed the “Falcon Nest” auditorium located on the campus of the University of Wisconsin in River Falls. The WSWS also covered another noontime demonstration at the University of Wisconsin Stout campus in Menomonie that brought out students, faculty and city workers.
Protestors in Madison denounce attack on public employees
By Jerry White, 19 February 2011
The protests of workers and young people against Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s attack on public workers continued Friday, even as state Democrats and trade union officials worked feverishly to dissipate social opposition.
Madison protesters denounce attacks on public workers, social spending
By Jerry White, 18 February 2011
Demonstrators opposing attacks on Wisconsin’s public sector workers spoke to the WSWS about high levels of unemployment, low wages and social inequality.
Teachers and students speak out against New York school closings
By a WSWS reporting team, 25 January 2011
The WSWS spoke to students and teachers attending demonstrations against New York City school closings.
WikiLeaks supporters protest threatened extradition of Julian Assange
By Robert Stevens, 13 January 2011
The World Socialist Web Site spoke to a number of protesters outside Woolwich Crown Court in London on Tuesday.
The ongoing attack on public education in the US
Detroit charter school teacher: “I feel horrible, nearly helpless, and completely unsupported by the administration.”
By Joanne Laurier, 4 January 2011
The Detroit public school system has come under sustained attack in recent years, in part through the creation of charter schools. Joanne Laurier of the WSWS recently spoke to a young charter school teacher.
Protesters denounce legal persecution of Assange
By our reporters, 17 December 2010
The World Socialist Web Site spoke to a number of those protesting at the High Court in London, supporting the release of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, including documentary filmmaker John Pilger.
Hollywood musicians express support for Detroit Symphony strikers
By Marc Wells, 12 November 2010
The WSWS recently spoke to a number of musicians in Hollywood, who expressed support for and solidarity with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra players.
Marine biologist denounces BP commission findings
By Andre Damon, 11 November 2010
The findings of the White House commission into the BP oil spill are a cover-up of BP’s culpability in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, according to Rick Steiner, a biologist specializing in oil spills.
Video: DSO musicians speak on strike
5 October 2010
Members of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra have gone on strike against demands by management that include a 33 percent cut in base pay. The World Socialist Web Site spoke to several musicians participating in a picket on October 4.
Sears Canada workers speak
By a WSWS reporting team, 16 September 2010
Workers at the Sears Distribution Center in Vaughn, Ontario who have been locked out for more than six months recently spoke with the WSWS.
EPA holds public meeting on Michigan oil spill
By a WSWS reporting team, 4 August 2010
World Socialist Web Site reporters attended a public meeting on the oil spill in Marshall, Michigan and spoke with residents affected by the accident.
“If you got hurt and took an ambulance, you would die”
Matewan, West Virginia, residents speak on dearth of services
By a WSWS reporting team, 30 July 2010
The small town of Matewan, situated in the steep mountains of Mingo County, West Virginia, earned a place in history for the struggles of the coal miners who called it home in the first part of the twentieth century.
Crowding, rising tuition at Michigan community colleges
By Dwight Stoll, 27 July 2010
The WSWS spoke to students at a Detroit community college about rising tuition prices and overcrowding.
“Massey has destroyed the wells and the water”
Williamson, West Virginia, residents speak to the WSWS
By a WSWS reporting team, 27 July 2010
Residents of Williamson spoke to the WSWS about declining conditions, environmental destruction, and corruption in Williamson.
“Everything is for the rich people, and the poor people are just hurting”
Harlan, Kentucky resident speaks to the WSWS
By a WSWS reporting team, 22 July 2010
Henrietta Inman, 64, spoke to World Socialist Web Site reporters at the Housing Authority of Harlan, a Housing and Urban Development-subsidized apartment building in downtown Harlan, Kentucky.
Video series: The Gulf oil spill
Part 3—The social impact
By C. W. Rogers and Andre Damon, 1 July 2010
This video, part three of a series, explores the social consequences of the BP oil spill.
Protests against Israel’s flotilla massacre held across US, Canada
By our reporters, 3 June 2010
Outrage over the Zionist assault on the “Freedom Flotilla” was expressed in demonstrations held across North America on Monday and Tuesday.
Economic crisis makes “very difficult” situation for Greek families worse
By Robert Stevens and Alex Lantier, 18 May 2010
WSWS reporters spoke to travelers at the Athens train station, who explained the impossible financial situations they face due to social cuts and the Greek debt crisis.
Greek debt crisis hits small businesses in Athens
By Alex Lantier, 18 May 2010
WSWS reporters talked with residents of Peristeri, a suburb of Athens with many small businesses, about how the Greek debt crisis is affecting them and the city’s industry.
Louisiana residents and fishermen denounce oil spill response
15 May 2010
The WSWS spoke to fishermen in southern Louisiana who will be devastated by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which threatens to shut down fishing, shrimping, and oyster farming for years.
Greek workers speak out against Papandreou’s cuts
By Alex Lantier, 15 May 2010
WSWS reporters interviewed workers in Perama, a working-class port city in the Athens suburbs, on the impact and political significance of the social cuts carried out by Prime Minister George Papandreou.
Mid-South flood survivors speak to WSWS
By our correspondents, 15 May 2010
Flood survivors in Nashville, Tennessee, and eastern Kentucky spoke to the WSWS about their experiences.
DTE Energy holds another public relations stunt in Taylor, Michigan
By a reporting team, 13 May 2010
Supporters of the Committee Against Utility Shutoffs distributed the “Findings of the Citizens Inquiry into the Dexter Avenue Fire: Utility Shutoffs and the Social Crisis in Detroit” to people attending a local community event in hopes of getting help with their DTE utility bills.
BP oil spill to devastate Gulf fishing industry
By Andre Damon and CW Rogers in Louisiana, 8 May 2010
The World Socialist Web Site spoke to fishermen and workers in the Gulf region who will be affected by the destruction of fisheries and the broader economic effects of the oil spill.
New York City: thousands line up for a handful of jobs
By Sandy English, 29 April 2010
On a rainy weekend, an estimated two thousand workers lined up, many of them overnight, for about 100 elevator mechanics’ apprentice jobs in Queens.
Four more miners found dead in West Virginia explosion
Miners speak to WSWS on unsafe conditions
By Andre Damon and Samuel Davidson, 10 April 2010
The bodies of the four missing miners who had been trapped underground following Monday’s explosion at the Upper Big Branch mine in southern West Virginia were found by rescue teams early Saturday morning.
Video: Director of Detroit free medical clinic denounces utility shutoffs
23 March 2010
Sister Mary Ellen Howard is the Executive Director of Detroit’s Cabrini Clinic, the oldest free medical facility in the US. She discusses the impact of utility shutoffs on patients at the clinic.
Detroit firefighters discuss impact of utility shut-offs and budget cuts
By Jerry White, 17 March 2010
At a dinner for Sylvia Young—who lost three children in a March 2 house fire hours after DTE cut power and gas to her Detroit home—firefighters spoke with the WSWS about the deadly consequences of utility shut-offs.
Video report
Dexter Avenue Fire Inquiry: Sister of victims speaks on utility shutoffs
2 March 2010
The Citizens Inquiry into the Dexter Avenue fire of January 5 has begun interviews with relatives, neighbors and Detroit residents. We begin with an interview with Charlotte Nash, the sister of two of the victims.
NUMMI auto workers denounce UAW intimidation
2 March 2010
The WSWS attended a United Auto Workers union meeting in Fremont, California, on February 28. Workers opposed the closure of the NUMMI auto plant and denounced the role of the UAW in working with the company and seeking to intimidate workers.
Workers and youth at Athens protest speak to the World Socialist Web Site
By our reporters, 25 February 2010
A number of workers and youth who participated in Wednesday’s Greek general strike and mass demonstrations in Athens spoke to a World Socialist Web Site reporting team about their understanding of the economic crisis and its impact.
Boron, California mine workers denounce company lock-out
20 February 2010
The WSWS spoke to some of the 570 Rio Tinto Borax workers in Boron, California who have been locked out by the company since January 31.
New York students and teachers speak out on school closings
By a WSWS reporting team, 30 January 2010
The World Socialist Web Site interviewed parents, students and teachers who attended Tuesday night’s Panel for Educational Policy vote at Brooklyn Tech on the closing of 20 public schools.
Family members denounce deaths in Detroit fire
7 January 2010
Following a week of bitter cold weather, three people living in a home without gas or electrical service died in a tragic house fire in Detroit early Tuesday morning. Relatives of the victims spoke to the WSWS.
Teachers speak to WSWS on concessions contract
By a WSWS reporting team, 8 December 2009
The WSWS interviewed teachers before and after a mass meeting in Detroit on December 6.
Parents, pupils speak out over Abbeydale Grange closure
By our reporters, 24 November 2009
A World Socialist Web Site reporting team spoke to a number of those on the demonstration to oppose the closure of Abbeydale Grange school in Sheffield on November 21.
Michigan job seekers speak to WSWS
By Naomi Spencer, 20 November 2009
Several hundred Detroit area residents attended a jobs fair Wednesday in nearby Livonia, Michigan, the latest of several similar events held in the area that have drawn unemployed residents seeking any kind of work.
Video: Ford workers speak out against concessions contract
31 October 2009
The WSWS spoke to Ford workers in Michigan as they prepared to vote on contract revisions agreed by the company and the United Auto Workers.
Video: Tens of thousands line up for housing assistance in Detroit
8 October 2009
Tens of thousands of Detroit residents lined up at the city's Cobo complex for a chance to get financial assistance against evictions and utility shutoffs.
Interview with striking Vale Inco workers
By David Walsh and Joanne Laurier, 10 September 2009
The WSWS interviewed striking Vale Inco workers in Port Colborne, Ontario, on Tuesday.
Michigan’s Oakland University faculty strike in seventh day
10 September 2009
WSWS reporters conducted video interviews with students and striking faculty members at Oakland University, in suburban Detroit.
Detroit teachers denounce pay cuts
27 August 2009
WSWS Reporter Jerry White Spoke to teachers at a rally in Detroit against wage and benefit cuts. The teachers denounced concessions demanded by the school system's financial czar Robert Bobb.
Interviews at Los Angeles health care clinic
18 August 2009
The World Socialist Web Site spoke to workers seeking free health care at a clinic in Los Angeles, California.
“The union is not being responsible to its members”
Interviews with striking Toronto municipal workers
By a WSWS reporting team, 27 July 2009
As the strike has progressed, more and more workers have rejected their leadership’s gag order and spoken out, sometimes quite bitterly, about their experiences on the picket line.
Workers continue Vestas occupation on Isle of Wight
27 July 2009
Workers are continuing their occupation of the Vestas Blades wind turbine factory in Newport on the Isle of Wight, England. Some 25 workers began the sit-in on July 20 to oppose the closure of the plant, which is scheduled for July 31 with the loss of over 500 jobs.supplies and force them out.
Social services applicants talk to the WSWS
California: the human toll of the economic crisis
By Kim Saito and D. Lencho, 15 July 2009
In the midst of the state’s economic crisis, Southern California social service clients tell of their difficulties.
Thousands of Peruvian workers join protests against Garcia’s policies
By our correspondent in Lima, 15 July 2009
Thousands of workers marched in Lima, Peru on July 8 in opposition to the free-market economic policies of President Alan Garcia.
Stella D’Oro workers: “It is not right if they close down—the fight should continue”
By our reporter, 14 July 2009
The WSWS spoke to Stella D’Oro workers following their return to work at the Bronx, New York cookie factory after an 11-month strike. The owners now say they will close the plant in 90 days.
A conversation with Windsor municipal workers
26 June 2009
As they enter their 11th week on strike, two strikers talk to Jerry White of the World Socialist Web Site.
New York City workers speak against cuts in healthcare and social services
22 June 2009
The World Socialist Web Site spoke to workers in New York City on drastic cuts in health care and social services.
LDV workers: “80 percent of the lads here think the union is a waste of time”
By Robert Stevens, 16 June 2009
World Socialist Web Site reporters spoke to redundant LDV workers attending advice sessions.
Striking city workers hold rally in Windsor, Ontario
By Joe Kishore, 15 June 2009
Striking city workers in Windsor, Ontario held a rally last week. D’Artagnan Collier, SEP candidate for mayor in nearby Detroit, Michigan, visited the strikers, calling for the unity of the Canadian and American working class.
Employees speak on Chrysler dealership closure
By our reporting team, 11 June 2009
Tuesday was the last business day for the 789 Chrysler dealers slated for shutdown in the automakers bankruptcy plan. WSWS reporters spoke to employees of a closing dealership in Livonia, Michigan.
Detroit Public Schools financial manager dismisses pleas at public meeting
By our reporters, 6 June 2009
Students, parents and community members urged Robert Bobb, the emergency financial manager of the Detroit Public Schools, to reverse the decision to remove the principal at Western International High School in southwest Detroit.
Michigan auto workers and families speak on plant closures
4 June 2009
General Motors workers from Pontiac and Lake Orion, Michigan, two northern suburbs of Detroit, spoke to reporters from the World Socialist Web Site about the impact on their families and communities of the bankruptcy of General Motors and the decades of decline in the auto industry.
GM bankruptcy will devastate communities
By Tom Eley, 2 June 2009
Cities and towns across the US will be devastated by the GM “rescue plan” orchestrated by the Obama administration. At least 18,000 workers will lose their jobs and 2,100 auto dealers will lose their GM franchises.
GM workers speak out on concessions contract
28 May 2009
The WSWS interviewed GM workers at the Michigan Poletown plant on a new concessions contract agreed by the UAW and GM, with the backing of the Obama administration.
UK Visteon workers speak on occupation
18 April 2009
WSWS reporters spoke to laid off workers who have occupied a parts factory in the UK that supplies Ford Motor Company.
GM and Chrysler workers oppose more concessions
17 April 2009
The WSWS interviewed auto workers in Detroit, Michigan, who spoke out again wage cuts and the threat of bankuptcy.
Ford workers: “Now the fight is with our own union.”
6 March 2009
A WSWS reporting team speaks to Ford workers during the vote on the concessionary contract amendment supported by the union. The vote, under conditions of an historic crisis in the auto industry, is a direct repudiation of the pro-company policies of the union.
Australian bush fire survivors speak with the World Socialist Web Site
28 February 2009
World Socialist Web Site reporters visited Whittlesea, just north of Melbourne on February 14, to speak with survivors of massive bushfires that swept through Victorian towns and settlements on February 7.
Video: Chrysler workers oppose pay cuts, concession demands
19 February 2009
Speaking to the WSWS, Chrysler workers at the Dodge Truck complex in Warren, Michigan opposed concessions demanded by the Obama administration and Wall Street.
Funeral for Michigan man frozen following utility shut-off
29 January 2009
On Wednesday, January 28, a funeral was held for Marvin Schur, the 93-year-old man who froze to death in his home in Bay City Michigan, after the municipal power company cut off electricity without telling him.
Video: London demonstrators protest Israeli assault on Gaza
5 January 2009
Tens of thousands protested in London on Saturday against the Israeli attack on Gaza which has claimed the lives of hundreds, including many children. The World Socialist Web Site spoke to participants on the demonstration.
Thousands march through New York City as Israel invades Gaza
By a reporting team, 5 January 2009
Thousands marched Saturday through New York City, rallying outside the Israeli consulate just as the ground assault on Gaza began.
Video: Michigan Chrysler workers denounce pay cuts
18 December 2008
The World Socialist Web Site spoke to workers at a Chrysler assembly plant about the pay cuts and plant closings that are being discussed in Washington and by the Big Three auto companies.
Republic Windows and Door workers speak on their struggle
By Tom Eley, 10 December 2008
A team of World Socialist Web Site reporters spoke with workers at Republic Windows and Doors.
The rise and fall of Highland Park, Michigan
6 December 2008
The WSWS interviews Kurt Metzger, Director of the Detroit Area Community Indicators System, about the rise and decline of Highland Park, Michigan.
Video: Kandy O'Neill speaks to the WSWS
27 November 2008
Video: Kandy O'Neill speaks to the WSWS
Thousands mourn Detroit Firefighter
25 November 2008
Thousands of firefighters from across the United States and Canada joined family members and many concerned residents of Detroit last Friday, November 21, to mourn the death of Walter Harris a much-loved and admired 17-year member of the Detroit Fire Department. The World Socialist Web Site sent reporters to attend the funeral and speak to some of those who were there.
WSWS interviews Wilmington, Ohio residents on DHL job cuts
21 November 2008
WSWS interviews Wilmington, Ohio residents on DHL job cuts
WSWS interviews workers at Detroit “poverty summit”
17 November 2008
On Thursday, November 13, the World Socialist Web Site sent reporters to Cobo Center in downtown Detroit to interview young workers and social workers attending the Detroit Poverty Summit about the dire conditions that are rapidly worsening in that city and across Michigan.
WSWS speaks with family members of Michigan fire victims
By the, 1 November 2008
WSWS reporter D'Artagnan Collier spoke to family members and a teacher of one of the victims of the fire in Highland Park, Michigan which killed four people on Wednesday, October 22.
Detroit residents denounce social decay in fire deaths
30 October 2008
The following video is part of a series by the World Socialist Web Site reporters on the dire social conditions prevailing former auto production centers in Detroit.
Highland Park, Michigan residents speak on deadly fire
24 October 2008
The World Socialist Web Site sent a reporting team to Highland Park, Michigan, where a house fire killed four people in the early morning hours of Wednesday, October 22, 2008. Residents spoke to the WSWS about the terrible social conditions in the city.
WSWS: New York workers denounce Wall Street bailout
5 October 2008
While congress debated the $700 billion bailout of the Wall Street banks, the World Socialist Web Site spoke on the streets of New York to workers and young people who denounced the bailout of the banks and expressed a growing anger about the housing crisis, the loss of jobs and rising tuition for college.
SEP presidential candidate speaks with workers in Detroit
28 September 2008
Socialist Equality Party presidential candidate Jerry White went with a team of supporters to speak with workers at a crowded farmers market in downtown Detroit on Saturday, September 27. Many spoke with the World Socialist Web Site and contributed to the campaign.
WSWS interviews director of homeless shelter in LA
10 September 2008
The World Socialist Web Site interviewed Dwight Smith, director of Isaiah House, an emergency shelter in Santa Ana, California, about the rise in the number of homeless people, especially among the working poor.
High fuel prices impoverish New York City taxi drivers
3 September 2008
On September 4, 2008, the World Socialist Web Site published, "High fuel prices impoverish New York City taxi drivers," a report featuring interviews on the difficulties facing cabbies working in the city. Taxi drivers in the US have been among those hit hardest by the steep rise of gasoline prices over the last year. Along with other workers and small business owners in the transportation industry around the world, taxi drivers are now facing a precipitous fall in their standard of living.
Darwin resident explains impact of Northern Territory intervention
26 June 2008
June Mills, a worker for the Long Grass Association which provides care for homeless indigenous people in Darwin, spoke with the WSWS on the impact of the Northern Territory intervention.
Northern Territory intervention: Life for Aborigines in Tenant Creek
25 June 2008
Rodney Barnes was interviewed by the World Socialist Web Site in the Northern Territory town of Tenant Creek.
Northern Territory intervention: Comments from an Aboriginal town camp
24 June 2008
Kenny Laughton speaks with the World Socialist Web Site on the conditions facing Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory.
Aboriginal people denounce Northern Territory intervention
19 June 2008
Residents of Aboriginal townships speak to the World Socialist Web Site about the impact of the state intervention in the Northern Territory.
Social crisis in Detroit: Food banks struggle to meet need
18 June 2008
The World Socialist Web Site interviewed workers and professionals in Detroit about the worsening social conditions as gas prices and food prices soar. Larry Porter speaks with Wayne Wells, the president of the Gleaners Food Bank, the largest food distribution organization in the city, about the sharp rise in the need for emergency food aid.
Social crisis in Detroit: "I'm 67, and it's impossible"
15 June 2008
For several weeks, the World Socialist Web Site has interviewed working people in Detroit about the worsening social conditions as gas prices and food prices skyrocket. In this segment, our reporters spoke with Ola Horne, 67.
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