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Will Jones

@willpjones.bsky.social

839 followers 1512 following 382 posts

Historian of race and class in U.S.; Author: The March on Washington & The Tribe of Black Ulysses; Professor, University of Minnesota; Past President @lawcha.bsky.social; "Up For Debate" Editor @laborlawchajournal.bsky.social

Will Jones's avatar Will Jones @willpjones.bsky.social
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The Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act was re-introduced to Congress in May, but doesn't have a chance under House leadership. It got farther in 2020 but was stalled by concerns about strengthening police unions. www.afscme.org/blog/new-leg...

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Will Jones's avatar Will Jones @willpjones.bsky.social
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This is great news, but its insane that public employees have to ask permission from other voters to exercise an essential human right. We need federal protections for collective bargaining in the public sector!

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Will Jones's avatar Will Jones @willpjones.bsky.social
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The Elroy-Sparta bike trail runs 100 miles between La Crosse and the Dells, but you can only load/unload bikes at La Crosse. I took the Empire Builder to La Crosse, rode half-way and went back to the train. It would be great to go all the way and catch a return train at the Dells.

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Will Jones's avatar Will Jones @willpjones.bsky.social
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The Empire Builder allows bikes, but only at staffed stations. It would be nice if we could load/unload bikes at unstaffed stations (like the WI Dells).

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Will Jones's avatar Will Jones @willpjones.bsky.social
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"So, read her books and take her trainings, but not to deify her — nothing could be further from her mission. Take them so that you can put into practice the same methods that Jane McAlevey spent a lifetime practicing, modelling, and instilling in others." - Ethan Earle

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Will Jones's avatar Will Jones @willpjones.bsky.social
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Harris-Whitmer 2024?

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Will Jones's avatar Will Jones @willpjones.bsky.social
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True. But his disability did not prevent him from being a an effective leader, which is the implication of the Economist cover.

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Will Jones's avatar Will Jones @willpjones.bsky.social
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The Way To Run A Country

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Will Jones's avatar Will Jones @willpjones.bsky.social
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Don't miss Kent Wong's powerful eulogy to Rev. James Lawson, who Martin Luther King, Jr. referred to as ​“the greatest teacher of nonviolence in America.”

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Will Jones's avatar Will Jones @willpjones.bsky.social
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Cool that Brooke Shields was elected president of Actor's Equity. She "won the vote by members, defeating two more-seasoned labor activists," but @nytimes.com still calls her "a Labor Boss." Bosses aren't elected - stop using that slur for labor leaders!

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Cheryl Rofer's avatar Cheryl Rofer @cherylrofer.bsky.social
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Philadelphia Inquirer: Vader should drop out.

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Will Jones's avatar Will Jones @willpjones.bsky.social
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Contact your representative to stop cuts to passenger rail.

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Minnesota Reformer's avatar Minnesota Reformer @mnreformer.bsky.social
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Commentary: MPD "coaching" purports to deal with misconduct with extra training or meeting with a supervisor. The city claims that this doesn’t amount to discipline, so no publicly available records are kept. You can imagine the problem.

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Will Jones's avatar Will Jones @willpjones.bsky.social
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A great overview of the problems with UMN President Ettinger's intervention in the hiring of Raz Segal - written before the Faculty Senate voted no confidence in Ettinger and Provost Rachel Croson (CLA faculty had already voted on this).

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Will Jones's avatar Will Jones @willpjones.bsky.social
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"The university is not a community center. Its independence must not be subverted by subjecting it to “community” control. It has a mission: to produce knowledge and advance scholarly inquiry, even when controversial — perhaps especially when controversial." Alexander Jabbari

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Will Jones's avatar Will Jones @willpjones.bsky.social
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The political climate makes it particularly important that faculty hold administrators accountable for defending academic freedom.

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Will Jones's avatar Will Jones @willpjones.bsky.social
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The University of Minnesota Faculty Senate just voted to "approve a vote of no confidence in the leadership of Interim President Ettinger and Provost Croson due to their unprecedented interventions into faculty hiring processes." @umn-tc-aaup.bsky.social

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Robin for Mpls's avatar Robin for Mpls @robin4mpls.bsky.social
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Thank you Minneapolis for a Better Police Contract for your presentation at our public hearing last night! We have so many amazing experts in our city and it's been a priority for me to put that community expertise front and center at City Hall. 🧵

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Robin for Mpls's avatar Robin for Mpls @robin4mpls.bsky.social
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In 2020, Mayor Frey described the MPD contract as a "nearly impenetrable barrier” to disciplining cops like Derek Chauvin. If Mayor Frey wants to move forward with a 21% raise for MPD, our communities need to see the robust reforms that we've been promised for years in return.

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Very Ryan 🏳️‍🌈's avatar Very Ryan 🏳️‍🌈 @pyry.lutefisk.online
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okay, actually saw a good tweet, this is rare and i wish greta kaul was on here

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Will Jones's avatar Will Jones @willpjones.bsky.social
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I missed my connection in Chicago but there was another train a few hours later, so I’m almost home!

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Will Jones's avatar Will Jones @willpjones.bsky.social
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The bus reminded me how much nicer trains are - spacious seats, large windows, decent bathrooms, food and water. But the bus was packed. We have demand for affordable long distance public transit. We can make it much more reliable and enjoyable.

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Will Jones's avatar Will Jones @willpjones.bsky.social
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A bridge fire cancelled my Pittsburgh to Chicago train. I chose a bus to Chicago over waiting 24 hours for the next train. I could have taken a shorter bus to Cleveland but worried I’d miss the train and have to wait there. 2nd daily trains would have given me much better choices.

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Will Jones's avatar Will Jones @willpjones.bsky.social
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Thoughts on the return trip: Train from Philly to Pittsburgh went 80-90 most of the way but got caught behind a freight train and arrived 2 hours late. Amtrak needs its own lines and passenger priority needs enforcement.

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Bill Lindeke's avatar Bill Lindeke @blindeke.bsky.social
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"A disconnect has long existed between even progressive states’ climate goals and the status quo of highway construction. The new law attempts to integrate climate action into state & local transportation planning." www.minnpost.com/other-nonpro...

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Will Jones's avatar Will Jones @willpjones.bsky.social
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Nice to see Ethelene Whitmire’s important work acknowledged here.

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Will Jones's avatar Will Jones @willpjones.bsky.social
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“You gotta party for your right to fight!”

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Will Jones's avatar Will Jones @willpjones.bsky.social
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I'm tempted to learn Pennsylvania Dutch - but its not on Duolingo!

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Will Jones's avatar Will Jones @willpjones.bsky.social
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But the bottom line is that we need to invest in this system. It's a great way to travel and can be much more efficient, more safe, and more pleasant than driving or flying. We need to make it more accessible for people who don't have the flexibility that I do, and more reliable for all of us.

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Will Jones's avatar Will Jones @willpjones.bsky.social
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There is one train daily from Chicago to DC, one from Chicago to NYC, and one that takes a long route through DC and up to NYC. Adding frequency to these, or even to segments along them (Chicago to Cleveland and/or Pittsburgh and the same cities to DC and NYC) would benefit both short and long trips

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Will Jones's avatar Will Jones @willpjones.bsky.social
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I nearly made my connection but a fire stopped all train traffic in Chicago. Instead of taking the Capitol Limited to Pittsburgh and transfering to Philly I took a longer route through NYC. Frequent trains on the NE Corridor make this possible - other times I've gone to DC and then up to Philly.

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Will Jones's avatar Will Jones @willpjones.bsky.social
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The Borealis arrives too late for my connection in Chicago, so I took the Empire Builder. It arrived late in St Paul, but I would have made my connection if we did have to slow for several pinch points (one created by the St Paul bound Borealis) along the way. I understand these are being addressed

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Will Jones's avatar Will Jones @willpjones.bsky.social
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I like the talk of adding new routes to the Amtrak system, but I think its better to focus on increasing speed, frequency and reliability on existing routes. The new Borealis from St Paul to Chicago is a great example - its hard to rely on a train that runs once a day and starts in Seattle.

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Will Jones's avatar Will Jones @willpjones.bsky.social
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I just spent 2 days on Amtrak between St Paul and Philly. I do this when I have the time. I'm a history professor, so my summers are unstructured and I need time to write. I ride coach, which lacks privacy but is comfortable even overnight. I like the views and the people. But I have a few thoughts/

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Will Jones's avatar Will Jones @willpjones.bsky.social
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Once on that train there was a group of 10 or so Amish young people singing hymns in the cafe car. Some other passengers were annoyed and left in a huff, but I think most (myself included) were so startled by the public expression that we didn't know what to do. And it was beautiful!

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Charlotte Garden's avatar Charlotte Garden @charlottegarden.bsky.social
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Train update - someone a few rows up is playing a harmonica. It’s such an unusual way to make noise in public that I’m not even annoyed about it.

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Will Jones's avatar Will Jones @willpjones.bsky.social
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Perfect for Juneteenth: “I’ll tell you now, Amazon is definitely the new-day slavery,” responded Smalls on his short-lived YouTube show Issa Small World. “Just think of the job title [we do], it’s picker.”

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Will Jones's avatar Will Jones @willpjones.bsky.social
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In between trains I walked around Midtown and the contrast between the honking, stinking car-packed streets and the peaceful atmosphere inside Moynihan train hall makes me amazed that anyone wouldn’t want to replace cars with more transit. #waroncars

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Will Jones's avatar Will Jones @willpjones.bsky.social
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“It’s a very scary feeling,” Segal said, “that the leadership of universities in the academic world, with very, very, very, very, very few exceptions, are legitimizing this brutal assault on academic freedom, on free speech.”

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Will Jones's avatar Will Jones @willpjones.bsky.social
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It's hard to be hopeful about U.S. immigration policy, but seeing hundreds of people lined up for the naturalization ceremony at Saint Paul Union Depot sure lifts my spirits.

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Will Jones's avatar Will Jones @willpjones.bsky.social
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The UW flag is probably the most controversial.

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