News That Matters: Julius Jones Sentence Commuted + John Deere Workers Win New Contract

Julius Jones, who had been convicted of killing a businessman in the late 1990s, has just had his death sentence commuted by the Oklahoma Governor.

Jones, who’s maintained his innocence on the murder (the alleged co-conspirator worked with authorities in pinning the blame on Jones and in turn, did not receive jail time), had been hours away from execution. However, as pressure grew on the governor from the public, and also from the parole board which did in a 3–1 vote support Jones’ sentence be reduced to at least life in prison, the Oklahoma Governor did finally respond.

This should be seen as not just proof that our “justice” system is horribly biased but is one that very much unjust. While Jones sat in a cell, and had been denied a final hug with his mother, Kyle Rittenhouse was being showered with support from the segments of the population, including one could argue, from the judge presiding over his case.

Another important news is that the strikes continue, mainly among union workers in critical industries, such as nursing. Recently, the workers on strike at John Deere finally earned a new contract through their efforts that would raise their pay by 10 percent. That is a huge bump. Having been in union fights myself, a ten percent increase is usually unheard of. In fact, the initial offer by the John Deere company, who have seen record profits this year, had been only 1–2 percent.

This is proof that strikes matter, especially when they’re organized in a union.

But something to also think about is how the class struggle has to also be about demands beyond the workplace. That said, one can’t build a Left without institutions like unions who can apply consistent pressure on employers and others who support the repression of working peoples’ objective interests.

Finally, Indian forces continue to occupy and terrorize the Kashmir region. This includes a recent raid in a shopping center there, leading to four people dead. There is a level of impunity for Indian security forces that leads to such violence and harm.