Peter Dreier

Peter Dreier is professor of politics and director of the Urban & Environmental Policy program at Occidental College. He is co-author of The Next Los Angeles: The Struggle for a Livable City (University of California Press, 2005) and Place Matters: Metropolitics for the 21st Century (2nd edition, University Press of Kansas, 2005) and co-editor of Up Against the Sprawl.

GOP Mocks Public Service at its Peril

September 5, 2008

When GOP luminaries mock community organizers, they denigrate a tradition of collective self-help that has made America a more democratic and humane country.
Hall of Fame Shut-Out

July 22, 2008

A conspiracy of management cronies is blocking 91-year-old union pioneer Marvin Miller from the Baseball Hall of Fame.
The History of Hope

February 19, 2008

Voters drawn to Barack Obama are often criticized as naive. But appeals to our collective hope for a more decent society are core to the American experience.

2007

Progressive Jews Organize

September 13, 2007

A new wave of grassroots Jewish activism is emerging around issues like housing, healthcare and education.
Riot and Reunion: Forty Years Later

July 17, 2007

In the summer of 1967, Plainfield, New Jersey, and scores of other US cities exploded in racial violence. Forty years later, the impact is still palpable.
Living-Wage Victory in LA

February 5, 2007

Low-wage workers in hotels near Los Angeles International Airport are the latest to benefit from the city's living-wage law, riding a wave of considerable political momentum.

2006

Campus Breakthrough on Sweatshop Labor

June 1, 2006

The University of California has thrown its weight behind an antisweatshop initiative on campus logowear, proof that conscientious consumers can humanize the forces of global capitalism.
Why Mine Deaths Are Up

May 25, 2006

The May 20 mine disaster presents more evidence that the Bush Administration places miners in peril with budget cuts, regulatory rollbacks and industry-friendly appointees.

2005

Students Confront Sweatshops

November 9, 2005

With a new wave of activism against sweatshops sweeping college campuses, student interest in the morality of their clothing choices can set a standard for the rest of us.
Can a City Be Progressive?

June 15, 2005

An effective progressive movement must start in cities.

2004

A Moral Minimum Wage

December 6, 2004

The Democrats should start framing economic justice as a moral issue.
Union Makes Its Bed

October 7, 2004

The American labor movement recognizes that if it does not grow, it will wither away.
Poverty in the Suburbs

September 2, 2004
Letters

September 2, 2004
SweatX Closes Up Shop

July 1, 2004

There's a growing market for clothing and other goods made to satisfy consumers' social conscience.
Where Are the Jocks for Justice?

June 10, 2004

Cultural changes and lucrative endorsements may explain a drop in activism.

2003

A Watershed Strike

October 23, 2003

The retail food workers strike in California may be the first in a series of battles that could shape the future of labor-management relations throughout the US.
Lobbying for Peace

February 10, 2003

2002

The Rich Have Reason to Rejoice

December 23, 2002

This holiday season, the Bush Administration has put selfishness back in style.
Patriotism's Secret History

May 16, 2002

Our most cherished national symbols--from the Pledge of Allegiance to "America the Beautiful" to Lady Liberty's poetry--are rooted in liberal ideals.
Housing: An LA Story

March 28, 2002