Bullying, conflict, and divisions weaken us. The more united our worksites are, the easier it is to solve problems. In this interactive workshop we'll talk about how discrimination shows up in our workplaces and our unions, and how we can find opportunities to increase respect among co-workers, build unity, and respond collecively to workplace problems.
This session will open with a brief song by: Elise Bryant, Joe Whitesell, and Elizabeth Rosenberg, DC Labor Chorus
Strikes can demand a lot more than a raise. Minnesota unions and community organizations held a mass strike in January, demanding to kick out ICE, deny it further funding, and hold officers accountable for killings. The Chicago Teachers Union won a demand to make May 1 a day of civic action, allowing educators and students to participate in the national day of no, work, no school, no shopping. Hear from organizers who were on the front lines, pushing boundaries of what a fighting labor movement can win.
Three thousand Boeing Machinists in St. Louis, who build F-15 and F-18 fighter jets, struck last summer. Four thousand meatpacking workers in Greeley, Colorado, walked out in March on the industry’s first major strike in 40 years. And in 2023, nurses with the 80,000-member FIQ in Quebec struck after rejecting a contract offer. Hear how taking militant action has strengthened their unions.
Ready to declare you’ve had enough? A collective march on the boss can shift the balance of power. Hear from workers who've done it, and learn how you and your co-workers can prepare to do the same.
Meet fellow members of the United Food and Commercial Workers and the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union to talk about issues in our industries, how we can coordinate campaigns at common employers, and how we can transform our union into a fighting force. All grocery, retail, and meatpacking workers are welcome, union or no union.
The organizer's creed is: it's always possible to do something. But in truth, it doesn't always feel that way. Getting exhausted, being overwhelmed, dealing with conflicts among co-workers... these obstacles are real, and hard. The wisdom we can cultivate as organizers is how to keep going at these moments. We'll learn from one another.
Rebuilding the U.S. labor movement will require serious advances in the South, long the area where unions have been weakest. Hear from leaders on the front lines of organizing at Amazon warehouses, auto plants, and universities.
