A Hotter Labor Summer

Announcements 📜

All EWOC Summer Call

Tuesday, June 4, 2024 at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT

Please join us for our All EWOC Summer Call! We’ll be sharing a few of the amazing milestones that we’ve accomplished this year, including our EWOC operations at the Labor Notes conference in Chicago, the launch of a new Environmental Fellows Cohort, and the publication of “Unite and Win,” our new EWOC organizing handbook. Hamilton Nolan will join us to talk about new organizing and his new book, “The Hammer: Power, Inequality, and the Struggle for the Soul of Labor.” We’ll also be joined by Zak Costello, one of the leaders at Volkswagen Chattanooga to hear about their historic campaign and the UAW’s fight to win over the South. Don’t miss out! Register here! 

Environmental Fellows Cohort

EWOC has launched our first-ever Environmental Fellows Cohort focused on workers tackling the climate crisis on the shop floor. The training is facilitated by Umme Hoque and Yana Kalmyka, organizers with experience helping workers win in their workplaces and communities on issues related to health, safety, climate, and environmental justice. Climate activists and unionizing workers share a common enemy as workers’ lungs are often the first line of defense to harmful pollutants. This fellows program helps workers expand their definition of what can be a “climate justice issue” and see themselves as stewards of the climate justice movement.

2024 Labor Notes Conference in Chicago! ✊

Labor Notes 2024 was such a successful weekend for EWOC! We facilitated four panels, three meet-ups, a fabulous party, and four workshops. We launched our new EWOC handbook, “Unite and Win” (also available as an e-book, in print, and with a bulk order discount), and we sold out of all of our amazing merchandise. Special thanks to Ian O’Hara, Zander Krakowiak, and S. Pincock for the incredible designs! So many of us met each other in person for the first time, and we signed up 21 new EWOC volunteers! None of this could have happened without all of your support. Thank you for being a part of EWOC!

EWOC’s Eric Dirnbach captured the camaraderie and uplifting energy of the 2024 Labor Notes conference in his latest piece in the Indypendent. You’ll find highlights of the main events, a bit of Labor Notes history, and of course, a great summary of EWOC’s presence at the conference. Shoutout to Terry Davis who spoke at EWOC-facilitated workshop, “Our Movement is Multi-Generational.” 

Reflections from EWOC volunteers who attended Labor Notes

• “There was a powerful shared feeling of hope, many stories of rank-and-file democracy, and references to the EWOC model. It was a great feeling to be in space where everyone ‘gets it.’” 
• “Our in-person trainings translated well from online/virtual spaces, and most of our EWOC panels/sessions were standing-room only.”
• “Many people at the conference recognized or knew about EWOC and often commented on how much they admired our work.”
• “It was powerful seeing EWOC volunteers leading discussions/panels/workshops and seeing EWOC within the militant wing of the broader labor movement.”
• “Watching the votes come in for the Volkswagen Chattanooga plant election and then celebrating the historic results together!” 
• “As a seasoned veteran, I enjoyed seeing Labor Notes’ growth over time and enjoyed hearing from EWOC organizers on the multigenerational panel. I loved seeing new faces, building skills, and building connections.”

We’re working to obtain more shirts with this exclusive design. Stay tuned! We’ll announce how to get your hands on them in the EWOC newsletter.

Instagram handles of our talented artists who designed our shirts, totes, stickers, and hats.

• Ian O’Hara: @reliablespice 
• Zander Krakowiak: @_zaniizia_
• S. Pincock: @artmuseum.edu_

Upcoming Events 📆

New Trends in Organizing 

Wednesday, June 5, 2024 at 7–8:30 p.m. ET / 4–5:30 p.m. PT via Zoom

The New York History Labor Association presents a discussion of the roots of the new wave of worker-to-worker organizing and its resurgence among a new generation of workers. Panelists include Prof. Eric Blanc, Ellen Cassedy, and Patrick Cate. 

Email [email protected] to register!

NYC-EWOC Hot Labor Spring Workplace Organizing Trainings

Saturdays, June 8 and 15, 2024 at 10 a.m.–1:30 p.m. ET, in person

The People’s Forum, 320 W 37th St, New York

This two part in-person training will cover all aspects of organizing a union at work. Bring your co-workers, friends, and anyone you know who might benefit from learning to think like an organizer. Register here! 

EWOC in the News! 📰

Here’s where we celebrate EWOC campaign wins and EWOC mentions in the press.

• In April, EWOC hosted a wildly successful “Ask Me Anything” (AMA) segment on Reddit with EWOC organizers, Sam Keaser and Alex Dinndorf. See all the questions, answers, comments, and upvotes. Overall, it was an exceptionally informed and lively conversation. We were the seventh most popular AMA from the last month on Reddit!
• Our EWOC TikTok is BACK! We relaunched with an incredible new video, created by video editing and documentarian experts, Taylor Fitzgerald, on how U.S. labor is connected to college campus pro-Palestine protests and Peter Behling explaining developments with the UAW 4811 union. We’re planning on turning handbook content into short instructional videos in the coming weeks.
• To Win Big, Labor Has to Lose More (Labor Politics): A new article by EWOC’s Eric Blanc reflecting on the UAW’s Mercedes loss and how these losses can strengthen the larger labor movement strategy. 
• University of Maryland Medical Center doctors push to unionize (The Baltimore Banner): University of Maryland Resident and Fellow Alliance in Baltimore have petitioned to form an historic union. EWOC’s Dino Nguyen and William Burstein worked with this campaign to the point of 60% support when they affiliated with American Federation of Teachers (AFT). Let’s show our solidarity and boost their social media! Instagram: @umresidentsandfellows
• The Truth about Blue Bottle Coffee (More Perfect Union): EWOC support campaign, Blue Bottle Independent Union in Boston have won their election 38–4!!! They are prepared to begin the bargaining process. Twitter: @BBIUnion
• Rose Brooks Union holds rally for better working conditions (The Pitch): This is not an EWOC campaign, but we’re following closely in support of EWOC’s Andrew Hutchinson, who is the lead organizer.
• Owners’ Rep Told Workers To ‘Burn in Hell’, UES Game Cafe Says (NY Patch): Sign! Newly formed Tabletop Workers United, an EWOC campaign, reports incidents of verbally abusive and threatening behavior from lawyers during bargaining sessions. Customers of Hex & Co. can sign this letter demanding respectful negotiations in support of workers.
• Sign! Join the efforts of our local EWOC chapter in Denver and demand accountability and fair hiring practices in the Denver UniServ Unit by signing this letter.
• The social media accounts for Graduate Workers of St. Louis University have officially gone live! You can now digitally cheer on this EWOC-sponsored campaign. Congrats to lead organizer, Cody Burleson! Social: @gwsluu (Twitter), @gwsluu_uaw (Instagram)
• Boulder County Employees Union, with lead organizer Larson Ross, is going public! They have filed for an election to join the Communication Workers of America (CWA). Twitter: @BoCoUnion
• The Alliance of Anti-violence Advocates in Denver, an anti-violence nonprofit of about 20 workers, won voluntary recognition! They marched on the boss with 100% -1 on cards and demanded to be recognized. Kudos to EWOC’s Andrew Guttman who led this campaign. 

World of Work 🌍

• Tennessee Volkswagen Workers Vote Union (Labor Notes): In a groundbreaking victory for Southern organizers and the UAW, a super majority of workers at the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga Tennessee voted to unionize. The final vote count was 2,628 in favor and 985 against. Check out this incredible new video from the UAW documenting their win. 
• NLRB’s rare injunction could end the Pittsburgh news workers strike (Pittsburgh Union Progress) A breakthrough in the historic 18-month strike between workers at the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh and their employers at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette due to relentless unfair labor practices. Donate to the CWA Pittsburgh Striker Fund. 
• University of California academic workers strike in solidarity with protestors (AP News): UAW Local 4811, which represents 48,000 academic workers within the 10-campus UC system, has initiated rolling strikes beginning with UC Santa Cruz. This is the first of a system-wide protest against a public university who has violated the speech rights of their members. 
• No Tech For Apartheid: Impacted workers hosted a press conference to discuss their experiences and answer questions in response to being fired and arrested for their protest against Project Nimbus.
• Petco workers in Portage, Michigan (by Kalamazoo) have filed for an election with United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW)! Support them on X/Twitter: @PetcoUnionMI
• Lauren Kaori Gurley on X/Twitter: 3,700 University of Pennsylvania grad students have unionized with the UAW in a landslide 1807 to 97 vote. It’s the largest new private sector union in Philadelphia in over 50 years!
• Video: The Graduate Organized Laborers of Dartmouth, GOLD-UE union, UE Local 261, representing graduate student workers at Dartmouth University are on strike! 
• Disneyland Workers Form Union In Landslide Election Win (HuffPost): Cast members who dress up as Disney characters voted 953–258 in favor of forming the Magic United union. 
• Why the Alabama Mercedes Union Campaign Faltered (Labor Notes): An honest and thorough postmortem about the recent UAW campaign loss from our partners at Labor Notes.
• A Farewell to Berlin (Chicago Reader): An LGBTQ-friendly bar and nightclub, central to the queer scene in Chicago, has closed its doors after 40 years. The owners blame Berlin Union who orchestrated a four-week boycott in protest of bad faith bargaining during contract negotiations, while the union points to management and their unwillingness to come to the table.

New on our Blog and Other Labor Resources 💻📚

• Labor Law as a Shield by Will Altera: It can be a mistake to treat organizing as a fundamentally legal struggle. Here’s how to use labor law as a smart organizer.
• Blue Bottle Coffee Workers’ Message for Baristas Everywhere: Organize by Alex Pyne: A resonating piece, detailing the importance of laying the foundation for a strong union by focusing on building relationships with one another.
• EWOC’s Climate Justice at Work video training is now live on YouTube!
• Study Guide: The Bob Travis Tapes Give Instructive Guide To Organizing: Robert (Bob) Travis was the key strategist of the 1936-37 sit down strikes at General Motors in Flint, Michigan which launched the UAW. This study guide allows us to hear Bob Travis, in his own words, describe the turning point of the sit-down strike. 
• Organizing Power in Numbers, formerly Unemployed Workers United, has opened up their Organizing Worker Protection Fund for workers who have been wrongfully terminated for organizing. If you know someone in this situation, fill out application.

Solidarity,

Team EWOC