The power of cross-union solidarity

Announcements 📜

Join the EWOC Media Team!

EWOC’s Media Team provides critical support to workers in campaigns that need publicity, including helping campaigns develop a social media strategy, reaching out to press, writing about the campaign for our website and newsletter, and offering spokesperson trainings to workers and more.

In 2024, the team has been working to develop EWOC’s voice and vision within the labor movement beyond our social media presence in order to build our volunteer capacity and help us reach more workers and labor organizers. The team collaborates with all EWOC teams and meets every other week to discuss media needs across the organizing and training teams.

In particular, we’re looking for folks with some experience working with press, either as labor journalists themselves, or working in a communications role at another job. We also welcome anyone with an interest in doing this work; there will be opportunities to shadow more experienced volunteers. Please email [email protected] to apply or ask any questions!

Unite and Win!

Our brand new EWOC guide, “Unite and Win: the Workplace Organizers Handbook” is now available for purchase. This has been a labor of love brought about by the work of dozens of EWOC organizers and volunteers. The handbook will include all of our training sessions with topics ranging from the organizing committee, the organizing conversation, how to inoculate, how to build united multiracial campaigns, and more. 

“This guide lays out all of the most important steps of organizing, winning, and building up a strong union, and is written in clear, concise, and accessible language. There’s something in here for every union-curious worker, seasoned organizer, and spitfire revolutionary out there. Grab a copy for yourself or your favorite coworker, and get to work!” —Kim Kelly, author of “Fight Like Hell: The Untold History of American Labor”

Pre-order your copy NOW, or download the ebook here! 

Job Posting: UAW Region 6 Full-Time Paid Internships 

The “Our Labor, Our Movement” program sponsored by UAW Region 6 is a three-month, full-time, paid internship to hone organizing skills. The program brings together a cohort of new organizers who are placed on a variety of organizing campaigns across UAW Region 6,  covering California, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, and Alaska.

Participants will gain significant organizing experience during the three-month program through a combination of structured training, support, and connections across the cohort; hands-on practice on their campaign; and mentorship from experienced organizers. Applications are due March 22. For more information about the program and how to apply, check out the job posting.

Upcoming Events 🗓

Inclusive Revolution: Confronting Racial Disparities in the Labor Movement 

March 26, 7:30–9:30 p.m. ET / 4:30–6:30 p.m. PT  

Join us as we delve deep into the roots of systemic racism within the labor movement. Dr. Tamara Lee of Rutgers University will be leading a panel of union leaders, activists, and workers of color. Together, we’ll dissect the past, confront the present, and carve out a path towards a more inclusive future. Following the panel discussion, we’ll dive into breakout sessions where participants can roll up their sleeves and strategize tangible steps to dismantle barriers and forge an equitable labor landscape. This is an opportunity to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with fellow organizers, challenge the status quo, and redefine what solidarity truly means. Register for the event!

First Ever Foundational Training Series Featuring Climate Justice at Work!

May 9–June 6, 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT

Wondering how to start your own workplace organizing? Or want to support others? Curious to know what climate has to do with it? Join our Foundational Training this coming May! 

In five 90-minute weekly sessions learn how to approach co-workers, build a team of organizers among them, develop a plan to win, and bring co-workers into action. You will meet other workers who are organizing and learn helpful tools, practices, and principles for winning workplace improvements and getting a democratic voice over your working conditions. 

This series will also feature for the first time ever, a fifth optional session on June 6 on climate demands in workplace campaigns! Come find out how climate demands can be a part of any workplace campaign! Thursdays, May 9–June 6, 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT

Space is limited to 100 participants, so register here today!

The 2024 Labor Notes Conference is next month! If you’ve secured your registration, we’re looking forward to seeing you there. Be sure to fill out this form if you would like to be a part of the EWOC cohort at Labor Notes. If you’re not able to attend this year, Labor Notes will be livestreaming the main plenary and other large sessions. Stay tuned for more details by joining their mailing list.  

EWOC in the News! 📰

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

• Workers at Nitehawk Cinema Prospect Park won their union election in a 51–41 vote, supported by EWOC organizer Alex Dinndorf. Check out our recent blog post about Alex and his work with Barboncino and Nitehawk: From Barboncino to Barbenheimer.
• Ascension Seton nurses in Austin voted 96% in favor to ratify an historic first contract, the first for nurses in Austin and the largest nurses’ union in Texas. Congrats to EWOC’s Lisa Landry and Kellen Gildersleeve on this hard fought campaign. 
• The graduate workers at Saint Louis University Union, GWSLU Union-UAW, officially dropped cards and went fully public! Shout out to EWOC’s Cody Burleson who has supported them since May 2023. 
• Smith College Libraries Workers Union announce unionization with OPEIU Local 153 in a letter to the College President and Board of Trustees. Credit to a super sharp organizing committee and EWOC volunteer organizer, Colin Green. Find them on Instagram: @sclworkersunion. 

• We’re hearing more from Starbucks Workers United about constructive steps that the megacorporation is making towards resolving the harm caused by over two years of union-busting. EWOC’s Eric Blanc shares key lessons we can learn from this crucial union victory: Seven Lessons from Starbucks Workers’ Historic Victory.
• EWOC campaign, Good Vibes Union, will represent 36 employees who work at eight locations in Northern California owned by sex-toy chain, Good Vibes. Sam Pollack’s team communicates their exciting updates on Instagram: @goodvibesunion. 
• Pre-school teachers at Early Learning Educators Collective in Denver are facing an upward battle of union busting as they seek voluntary recognition from their employer. Let’s bolster their public support by following them on Instagram: @elecdenver!
• Sign! Jewish Family Services Workers United, CWA Local 6400, in St. Louis have gone public with the help of EWOC volunteer organizer Jake MacLennan. After weeks of firings and increasing retaliation, workers delivered their petition for voluntary recognition. Please share this Instagram post or sign this letter of support. 

UAW’s organizing drive

Since their historic Stand Up Strike and momentous wins last summer, organizers at United Auto Workers (UAW) have been moving at a rapid rate in their expansion campaign towards reaching 13 non-union automakers across the U.S. AND unionizing for a general strike in May 2028. At a key Toyota plant in Troy, Missouri, 30% of factory workers have signed union authorization cards. Additionally, workers at the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, have filed for union election with UAW, securing support from a supermajority of the plant’s more than 4,000 workers in 100 days. The Vote Yes campaign has begun!

UAW president Shawn Fain has also been an influential presence in Washington D.C. this month. He was a guest at the State of the Union address where the White House rhetorically commended the significance of unions for building the middle class. Senator Bernie Sanders invited Shawn Fain to testify before Congress in an effort to introduce a bill that standardizes a 32-hour work week. During those hearings, Fain noted that a 40-hour work week was passed into law in 1940 and has remained the status quo for the past 84 years, while worker productivity has increased 400%. 

Shawn Fain’s call for a general strike in 2028 is not beyond reach. We saw a test run of how this might play out in Minnesota this month. Several unions from different industries representing 15,000 janitors, nurses, transit workers, public works employees, and teachers voted to authorize strikes within the same week, winning substantial wage increases across the board. These victories were the culmination of over a decade of cross-sector organizing, demonstrating the power of cross-union solidarity and shrewd strategizing. Imagine the strength in our numbers when all working class activists stand together!

World of Work 🌍

Update! Historic Chicago union mural to be saved from wrecking ball on Near West Side. Thanks to the efforts of CPAG and hundreds of individual donations, the UE Research and Education Fund has raised $200,000. That’s enough to save about 75 percent of the mural, but additional donations will still go a long way. The mural is believed to be one of the oldest pieces of public art in the city. If you are able to make a donation to help with this complex preservation project, you can do so here: Save the UE union hall solidarity murals!

Donate! What happened at YouTube Music with union workers, Austin testimony, Google and staffing firm (Fortune). An entire team of CWA workers from YouTube Music were laid off while seeking support at a city council meeting on a resolution to get parent company Google to come to the bargaining table. This is a devastating blow to new organizing in Austin. You can support efforts to fight this blatant unfair labor practice through their GoFundMe page.

• NYC Retirees Stand Strong with Ousted DC 37 Officers (Work Bites): More than 100 public-sector worker retirees are fighting back against their union’s decision to suspend their chapter, claiming this was an act of retaliation for rejecting the city’s attempts to privatize public-sector employees’ healthcare.
• The Medieval Times Union Campaign Is Over (Huffpost): Although workers at two of the chain’s castles voted in 2022 to join the American Guild of Variety Artists (AGVA), an affiliate of the AFL-CIO, neither group managed to secure a collective bargaining agreement with Medieval Times. A reminder of the strength of aggressive employer counter-campaigns and limits of the NLRB.
• Sign! Support Striking Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Workers (CWA): Workers for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette have not had a pay raise in over 15 years and instead saw unilateral cuts to their healthcare.
• Dartmouth men’s basketball team votes to unionize (AP News): The first labor union for college athletes voted to join Service Employees International Union Local 560 in a 13–2 vote election, a giant step towards building protections for student athletes.
• O’Brien, the Teamsters, TDU, and the Labor Left: A Controversy (New Politics): This article delves into the role of Teamsters for a Democratic Union (TDU) within the administration of President Sean O’Brien amid criticism of the direction that the national union is headed. A separate event hosted by TDU during the Labor Notes conference may shed light on some of these issues: TDU & Labor’s “Movement Moment” – Teamsters for a Democratic Union.
• There is a deep historical relationship between Labor Notes and TDU going back to the International Socialist (IS) organizers who were involved in starting both projects.
  • The Rank and File’s Paper of Record (Jacobin)
  • To the Working Class, 1969-1980 (Against the Current)

New From Our Blog 💻

• From Barboncino to Barbenheimer by Christina Shon: Alex Dinndorf is a career food-service worker and EWOC volunteer who organized his workplace and sparked a vision to revolutionize the restaurant industry in NYC.
• Alphabet Workers Union exemplifies the vibrancy and power of pre-majority union organizing by Ike McCreery: A founding member of Tech Workers Coalition Seattle breaks down the challenges and opportunities involved in forming a wall-to-wall pre-majority union. 

Labor Resources 📚

A list of resources shared by our volunteer organizers this month: 

• 100 Guide Launch: Several free guides for those who use EveryAction and/or NGP/VAN for work or organizing.
• Organize Your Organization!: A new guide/initiative to unionizing your nonprofit workplace spearheaded by CWA organizers. Here is a PDF Link: OYO_Handbook
• Information for Workers | UE: UE’s comprehensive resources for stewards, officers, and workers, also available in Spanish! 
• Union dues explained: A straightforward one-pager that simplifies questions around paying dues. 
• DMs Open – Collective Action in Tech: This zine is a great resource for remote work organizing.  
• Women’s History Month: A Reading List: The AFL-CIO shares a remarkable list of books on women in the labor movement.

Solidarity,

Team EWOC