Toby Higbie
@thigbie.bsky.social
I teach U.S. history & labor studies at a public university in California. First 40 years in the Midwest. Posting personal opinions about labor & migration history, worker organizing, higher ed policy, Midwest politics and regionalism. He/him.
Reposted by Toby Higbie
Minnesota organizations have been organizing for years to get to the place where they could pull off a general strike. We don’t have years, but we can learn from them and scale up quickly. We have no choice!
What happened in the Twin Cities that made it possible for organizations to pull off such a successful strike? And what can be done to make such actions succeed in other parts of the country? labornotes.org/2026/01/how-... 1/3
How to Spread the General Strike Beyond the Twin Cities
On January 23, Minnesota unions and community organizations seized the public imagination with “a Day of Truth and Freedom,” an economic blackout that drew perhaps 100,000 marchers to downtown Minneap...
labornotes.org
January 30, 2026 at 11:50 PM
Minnesota organizations have been organizing for years to get to the place where they could pull off a general strike. We don’t have years, but we can learn from them and scale up quickly. We have no choice!
Reposted by Toby Higbie
After making history as the first Southern autoworkers outside the Big Three to join the UAW, the 3,200 workers at VW Chattanooga have won a tentative agreement that provides 20 percent across-the-board wage increases, affordable health care, real job security, and more.
🔗 uaw.org/uaw-reaches-...
🔗 uaw.org/uaw-reaches-...
UAW Reaches Tentative Agreement with Volkswagen in Chattanooga, Marking Historic Breakthrough for Southern Autoworkers - UAW | United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of Americ...
Autoworkers at Volkswagen’s Chattanooga plant have won a historic tentative agreement with the company. After making history as the first Southern autoworkers outside the Big Three to join the UAW, th...
uaw.org
February 5, 2026 at 4:35 AM
After making history as the first Southern autoworkers outside the Big Three to join the UAW, the 3,200 workers at VW Chattanooga have won a tentative agreement that provides 20 percent across-the-board wage increases, affordable health care, real job security, and more.
🔗 uaw.org/uaw-reaches-...
🔗 uaw.org/uaw-reaches-...
From recovery to rebuilding, UCLA's Labor Occupational Safety and Health (LOSH) program trains workers how to stay safe on the job, supports advocacy organizations, and carries out research on the labor of wildfires and other climate disaster. @uclalosh.bsky.social!
In the aftermath of the Los Angeles wildfires, the Labor Occupational Safety and Health (LOSH) Program has dedicated significant resources to support the safety and wellbeing of workers involved in cleanup, recovery and rebuilding. @uclalosh.bsky.social
Learn more: irle.ucla.edu/2026/02/03/l...
Learn more: irle.ucla.edu/2026/02/03/l...
LOSH supports workers in the aftermath of the 2025 Los Angeles fires
The Labor Occupational Safety and Health (LOSH) Program leads education and research efforts for workers in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena
irle.ucla.edu
February 3, 2026 at 5:48 PM
From recovery to rebuilding, UCLA's Labor Occupational Safety and Health (LOSH) program trains workers how to stay safe on the job, supports advocacy organizations, and carries out research on the labor of wildfires and other climate disaster. @uclalosh.bsky.social!
Trying a new music streaming platform, Qobuz, based on @parismarx.com list of alternative platforms, and @bcmerchant.bsky.social’s recommendation that they pay artists more. So far, sound quality seems better than Spotify. Has most of my songs, altho I’m no power user.
February 2, 2026 at 12:55 AM
Trying a new music streaming platform, Qobuz, based on @parismarx.com list of alternative platforms, and @bcmerchant.bsky.social’s recommendation that they pay artists more. So far, sound quality seems better than Spotify. Has most of my songs, altho I’m no power user.
Reposted by Toby Higbie
Brief 🧵 with some readings related to the fact that these CBP agents are Latinos.
BREAKING: The two federal immigration agents who fired on Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti are identified in government records as Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez.
Two CBP Agents Identified in Alex Pretti Shooting
The two federal immigration agents who fired on Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti are identified in government records as Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raym...
www.propublica.org
February 1, 2026 at 11:27 PM
Brief 🧵 with some readings related to the fact that these CBP agents are Latinos.
Worst of the worst: “US law enforcement has never experienced a scandal as big, as far-reaching, destructive, and as far-lasting as the wave of corruption and criminality that has overtaken CBP and the Border Patrol since 2005.”
I testified Friday before Gov. Pritzker's commission studying abuses of ICE and CBP and tried to explain how the agencies went so far off track. It's actually way worse than I ever realized. Please read and share my testimony as Congress considers reform: www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/accountabi...
Accountability for ICE and CBP
However bad you think the corruption and misconduct at ICE and CBP is — the reality is far far worse.
www.doomsdayscenario.co
February 1, 2026 at 8:08 PM
Worst of the worst: “US law enforcement has never experienced a scandal as big, as far-reaching, destructive, and as far-lasting as the wave of corruption and criminality that has overtaken CBP and the Border Patrol since 2005.”
Reposted by Toby Higbie
Just saying if I ran the Organizing Department of a major union I'd be pouring resources into Minnesota right now. Tremendous energy, tremendous solidarity. Gotta be a lot of potentially winnable shops here.
January 31, 2026 at 8:05 PM
Just saying if I ran the Organizing Department of a major union I'd be pouring resources into Minnesota right now. Tremendous energy, tremendous solidarity. Gotta be a lot of potentially winnable shops here.
This is what democracy sounds like: three Minneapolis organizers chart the process that built an effective multiracial fight back against federal occupation. Moving beyond a brave and nimble minority to a "popular front" majority to beat back fascism and win democratic victories for all
New Dig: interview w/ organizers Emilia González Avalos, Greg Nammacher, and JaNaé Bates Imari on the Minneapolis fight back against ICE/Border Patrol occupation. Critical lessons on the importance of structure-based orgs/mass base plus flexibility amid crisis www.thedigradio.com/podcast/minn...
Minneapolis Fight Back w/ Emilia González Avalos, Greg Nammacher, JaNaé Bates Imari
Featuring Emilia González Avalos, Greg Nammacher, and JaNaé Bates Imari on how Minneapolis achieved its fight back against ICE/Border Patrol occupation. A decade building aligned mass movements has ma...
www.thedigradio.com
January 31, 2026 at 7:59 PM
This is what democracy sounds like: three Minneapolis organizers chart the process that built an effective multiracial fight back against federal occupation. Moving beyond a brave and nimble minority to a "popular front" majority to beat back fascism and win democratic victories for all
“Minneapolis has resembled a counterinsurgency campaign more than a law enforcement operation because that’s what it is — complete with tactics, equipment and legal authorities derived from the war on terror.”
To regain something like a democracy, we’ll need to dismantle DHS. Start planning now
To regain something like a democracy, we’ll need to dismantle DHS. Start planning now
"Since its founding in 2002, a combination of organizational flaws and mission creep has allowed D.H.S. to evolve into the out-of-control domestic security apparatus we have today, one that views the very people it is supposed to protect as threats, not humans."
Opinion | The Rot Goes Deeper Than ICE
www.nytimes.com
January 31, 2026 at 5:10 PM
“Minneapolis has resembled a counterinsurgency campaign more than a law enforcement operation because that’s what it is — complete with tactics, equipment and legal authorities derived from the war on terror.”
To regain something like a democracy, we’ll need to dismantle DHS. Start planning now
To regain something like a democracy, we’ll need to dismantle DHS. Start planning now
Chilling account. An indication federal occupation of MN remains the same, or is getting more brazen. But taking these tactics into the countryside didn’t work. Instead, local police intervened in the arrest of citizen-observer. And it’s all recorded on video. Assume we’ll soon see it all
"MPR News has learned that the police chief in the small southern Minnesota city of St. Peter intervened Thursday afternoon to prevent federal immigration agents from arresting a local resident" who had been observing federal agents. www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
St. Peter police chief intervenes, prevents federal agents from arresting resident
The police chief of St. Peter intervened to prevent federal agents from taking a local resident who was observing ICE enforcement actions into custody. It is believed to the first time local police in...
www.mprnews.org
January 31, 2026 at 4:47 PM
Chilling account. An indication federal occupation of MN remains the same, or is getting more brazen. But taking these tactics into the countryside didn’t work. Instead, local police intervened in the arrest of citizen-observer. And it’s all recorded on video. Assume we’ll soon see it all
Reposted by Toby Higbie
Holy crap. Minnesota police chief tracks down ICE agents in his car and de-arrests a woman who lives in his town.
"MPR News has learned that the police chief in the small southern Minnesota city of St. Peter intervened Thursday afternoon to prevent federal immigration agents from arresting a local resident" who had been observing federal agents. www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
St. Peter police chief intervenes, prevents federal agents from arresting resident
The police chief of St. Peter intervened to prevent federal agents from taking a local resident who was observing ICE enforcement actions into custody. It is believed to the first time local police in...
www.mprnews.org
January 31, 2026 at 4:00 PM
Holy crap. Minnesota police chief tracks down ICE agents in his car and de-arrests a woman who lives in his town.
“For every human being that has been hunted based on their skin color, their form of labor, their language and their existence, we claim belonging to the land that we call the U.S.”
Kudos to the organizers who pulled off yesterday's UCLA rally and march, a demonstration of students' potential power
Kudos to the organizers who pulled off yesterday's UCLA rally and march, a demonstration of students' potential power
Over 1,000 demonstrators join on-campus walkout to protest ICE crackdowns - Daily Bruin
This post was updated Jan. 28 at 6:53 p.m. More than 1,000 people marched across campus Wednesday afternoon to protest the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign.
dailybruin.com
January 29, 2026 at 4:29 PM
“For every human being that has been hunted based on their skin color, their form of labor, their language and their existence, we claim belonging to the land that we call the U.S.”
Kudos to the organizers who pulled off yesterday's UCLA rally and march, a demonstration of students' potential power
Kudos to the organizers who pulled off yesterday's UCLA rally and march, a demonstration of students' potential power
Big anti-ICE rally at UCLA today. Students, staff, faculty in solidarity with the Minnesota fight back, connecting the dots btw many causes
January 28, 2026 at 10:26 PM
Big anti-ICE rally at UCLA today. Students, staff, faculty in solidarity with the Minnesota fight back, connecting the dots btw many causes
Reposted by Toby Higbie
The testing ground for Bovino’s Operation At Large was Los Angeles. A California judge initially prohibited ICE/CBP’s most flagrant constitutional violations. SCOTUS overruled her 6–3, handing Bovino a blank check to inflict unspeakable brutality on Chicago and Minneapolis. The 6 bear so much blame.
BREAKING Greg Bovino has been removed as Border Patrol "commander at large" and will return to El Centro Calif, where he is expected to retire soon. A stunning turnaround after Pretti killing. Bovino's traveling blue city crackdown is over www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
Gregory Bovino Gets Demoted
The Border Patrol chief was the public face of a traveling immigration crackdown on cities governed by Democrats.
www.theatlantic.com
January 27, 2026 at 1:18 AM
The testing ground for Bovino’s Operation At Large was Los Angeles. A California judge initially prohibited ICE/CBP’s most flagrant constitutional violations. SCOTUS overruled her 6–3, handing Bovino a blank check to inflict unspeakable brutality on Chicago and Minneapolis. The 6 bear so much blame.
Reposted by Toby Higbie
“Just yesterday, tens of thousands of Minnesotans peacefully exercised our right to free speech without incident. When ICE is involved, nonviolent protesters and legal observers are gassed, assaulted, and shot." aflcio.mn/4abNrfk
#iceoutmn #iceout
#iceoutmn #iceout
Statement on ICE’s killing of AFGE member Alex Jeffrey Pretti
Minnesota AFL-CIO President Bernie Burnham made the following statement on ICE’s killing of Alex Jeffrey Pretti this morning in Minneapolis:“For the second time in less than three weeks, a Minnesotan…
aflcio.mn
January 24, 2026 at 11:14 PM
“Just yesterday, tens of thousands of Minnesotans peacefully exercised our right to free speech without incident. When ICE is involved, nonviolent protesters and legal observers are gassed, assaulted, and shot." aflcio.mn/4abNrfk
#iceoutmn #iceout
#iceoutmn #iceout
Minnesota workers and unions drawing on a long history of fighting for a better world—taking on pro-Nazi paramilitaries, organizing immigrant miners, demanding relief for the unemployed, and many other episodes.
workdaymagazine.org/three-times-...
workdaymagazine.org/three-times-...
Three Times Workers Resisted Fascism in Minnesota History - Workday Magazine
Historical examples of workers resisting the oligarchical forces of fascism and authoritarianism.
workdaymagazine.org
January 24, 2026 at 11:18 PM
Minnesota workers and unions drawing on a long history of fighting for a better world—taking on pro-Nazi paramilitaries, organizing immigrant miners, demanding relief for the unemployed, and many other episodes.
workdaymagazine.org/three-times-...
workdaymagazine.org/three-times-...
Reposted by Toby Higbie
If only we as a country, as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of our independence, had some historical events from our founding era that might help us understand why agents of a distant government shouldn’t murder protesters on the streets of the city where they live.
January 24, 2026 at 5:09 PM
If only we as a country, as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of our independence, had some historical events from our founding era that might help us understand why agents of a distant government shouldn’t murder protesters on the streets of the city where they live.
Notable that ICE agents tried to keep local police from the scene of their latest shooting, according to @startribune.com. Didn’t work. Minneapolis PD and state troopers gathering evidence while outraged neighbors block the streets
January 24, 2026 at 4:47 PM
Notable that ICE agents tried to keep local police from the scene of their latest shooting, according to @startribune.com. Didn’t work. Minneapolis PD and state troopers gathering evidence while outraged neighbors block the streets
This is how it works: “People here have been practicing going on strike and beating the boss. They’ve been practicing coalition work that helps them beat the boss, they’ve been maintaining their structures that they’ve had since George Floyd.“ — Stacy Davis Gates of CTU on ICE Out of MN
“Everybody Showed Up”: Stunning Crowds at Minnesota Day of Strike and Shutdown Against ICE
Extreme cold didn't stop the shutdown on Friday as some 100 faith leaders were arrested, residents stayed home from work, and an estimated 50,000 or more marched through downtown Minneapolis.
inthesetimes.com
January 24, 2026 at 4:02 PM
This is how it works: “People here have been practicing going on strike and beating the boss. They’ve been practicing coalition work that helps them beat the boss, they’ve been maintaining their structures that they’ve had since George Floyd.“ — Stacy Davis Gates of CTU on ICE Out of MN
Big day in Minneapolis yesterday! Complete report from @inthesetimes.com and @workdaymagazine.bsky.social
Extreme cold didn’t stop the shutdown on Friday as some 100 faith leaders were arrested, residents stayed out of work, & an estimated 50,000+ marched through downtown Minneapolis.
@sarahlazare.bsky.social with @workdaymagazine.bsky.social reporting.
#ICEOUT
inthesetimes.com/article/minn...
@sarahlazare.bsky.social with @workdaymagazine.bsky.social reporting.
#ICEOUT
inthesetimes.com/article/minn...
January 24, 2026 at 3:57 PM
Big day in Minneapolis yesterday! Complete report from @inthesetimes.com and @workdaymagazine.bsky.social
Reposted by Toby Higbie
I'm not one for false optimism. But what I witnessed today in Minneapolis was tremendous, both in scale and exuberance. It was a stunning answer to the federal assault on Minnesota, a show of solidarity that gives us something to hold on to during times that are unforgiving.
“Everybody Showed Up”: Stunning Crowds at Minnesota Day of Strike and Shutdown Against ICE
Extreme cold didn't stop the shutdown on Friday as some 100 faith leaders were arrested, residents stayed home from work, and an estimated 50,000 or more marched through downtown Minneapolis.
inthesetimes.com
January 24, 2026 at 12:42 AM
I'm not one for false optimism. But what I witnessed today in Minneapolis was tremendous, both in scale and exuberance. It was a stunning answer to the federal assault on Minnesota, a show of solidarity that gives us something to hold on to during times that are unforgiving.
Reposted by Toby Higbie
I was there and had no idea it was so massive. Ice Out!
January 23, 2026 at 11:47 PM
I was there and had no idea it was so massive. Ice Out!
Big week for labor and community organizing in Minnesota and beyond. Catch up on the news you missed while you were out organizing and marching with the weekly news round up from @uclairle.bsky.social
📰 IRLE's Weekly Labor Reads delivers a round up of labor news to your inbox every Friday.
Our top story covers today's general strike in MN: jacobin.com/2026/01/stri...
Catch up on more labor news here: conta.cc/4bf4Tk2
Subscribe at: bit.ly/IRLE_LaborReads
Our top story covers today's general strike in MN: jacobin.com/2026/01/stri...
Catch up on more labor news here: conta.cc/4bf4Tk2
Subscribe at: bit.ly/IRLE_LaborReads
A Mass Strike in Minneapolis Against ICE?
General strikes don’t happen very often in the United States. But in the face of widespread anger at ICE abuses and the murder of Renee Good, the Twin Cities’ labor movement is moving toward organizin...
jacobin.com
January 23, 2026 at 11:36 PM
Big week for labor and community organizing in Minnesota and beyond. Catch up on the news you missed while you were out organizing and marching with the weekly news round up from @uclairle.bsky.social
"Every single one of our unions have a story about a member, whether they were at work or not, who have been illegally detained."
@mplsunions.bsky.social President Chelsie Glaubitz Gabiou is right: ICE is disrupting our workplaces and putting innocent working people in danger.
The labor movement’s guiding principle is solidarity. We’ll never be divided by this administration’s strategy of fear.
The labor movement’s guiding principle is solidarity. We’ll never be divided by this administration’s strategy of fear.
January 23, 2026 at 11:32 PM
"Every single one of our unions have a story about a member, whether they were at work or not, who have been illegally detained."
Reposted by Toby Higbie
Many Minnesotans are self-consciously organizing as a broad united front against fascism with the humility, compromises, and solidarity that requires.
Labor, community orgs, faith communities, small businesses, school and child care social networks, nonprofits... are the base.
Labor, community orgs, faith communities, small businesses, school and child care social networks, nonprofits... are the base.
📢 FRIDAY, JANUARY 23 - Meet at The Commons in Downtown Minneapolis at 2 pm for a peaceful march in community. ❌🧊
💌 Minnesotans have shown the world how much we care for our neighbors. The world has shown us support back. Our solidarity is our strength. Our joyful resistance is rooted in love ✊
💌 Minnesotans have shown the world how much we care for our neighbors. The world has shown us support back. Our solidarity is our strength. Our joyful resistance is rooted in love ✊
January 23, 2026 at 4:21 PM
Many Minnesotans are self-consciously organizing as a broad united front against fascism with the humility, compromises, and solidarity that requires.
Labor, community orgs, faith communities, small businesses, school and child care social networks, nonprofits... are the base.
Labor, community orgs, faith communities, small businesses, school and child care social networks, nonprofits... are the base.