A longtime renter looked around Bedford-Stuyvesant for the best deal he could find, focusing on condos rather than co-ops, so he could have “more control over what I wanted to do to my place.” Here’s what he found.
In 2012, workers at a small moving company in New York City rose up against bad pay and dangerous work conditions. In the course of the struggle, much was revealed about how exploitation operates; how the enticements of 'self-expression' and a 'laid back' atmosphere serve to weaken consciousness and collective action. At the same time, this history reveals the opportunities and limits that workers face within self-organized struggles in a small business format. This is an updated version with a new 2013 afterward by the original author.