Building the Labor Movement Inside and Outside Your Workplace: A Guide for Getting Involved
Social movements of the past knew the unmatched power that organized workforces have to transform both the lives of workers and our society as a whole, even with regard to issues that may not directly relate to the workplace. The rise of McCarthyism and, later, neoliberalism, seriously weakened the labor movement and led many to lose sight of its importance (making the idea of our own engagement in labor struggles harder to envision). The history of labor, too, has been deprioritized, and histories of racial justice struggles have become "untethered from their focus on labor" and building multiracial working class coalitions.
Yet today, in a time of the highest level of economic inequality in US history, in a world on the brink of climate collapse, and in a society where the powers that be are rapidly reversing past victories for racial and reproductive justice, we have an incredible need for a revived labor movement. We need to once again turn the masses of everyday people into a collective force with the power to stop production until their needs and society’s needs are met. The good thing is, there are a few concrete ways you can support the labor movement from the outside, and ways you can work to unionize your own workplace regardless of the sector you are in.
First of all, if you are already a part of a union, start reading Labor Notes, a publication supporting workers to 1. Create truly democratic, worker-led unions and 2. Harness the full power of their unions to fight for economic, racial, environmental and gender justice.
If your workplace is not unionized, a clear first step for those interested is to reach out to a union in your sector of work to discuss the possibility of them guiding you as you begin organizing (with the ultimate goal of becoming a chapter, called a "local," within that union). If the union you reach out to is not a good fit, they may be able to connect you with another that is a better one. A google search can be a good starting place to find a union to reach out to.
Unionization should also not be limited to public sector jobs or those jobs we might commonly think of as “working class professions.” Those who work at nonprofits (including private schools and universities), and even those with low and mid-level roles in corporate offices can all personally benefit from and further contribute to society via unionization. Check out Sarah Jaffe’s Work Won’t Love You Back to learn about the hidden exploitation and need for organizing within professions like these. Forming a union in these spheres: 1. Acts as a bulwark against increasing precarity in salaried jobs; 2. Can be an act of solidarity alongside more working class segments of a company (i.e. Google staff forming a union that included contractors and cafeteria workers); 3. Is a way to seek just treatment, pay equity, and give legitimate power to marginalized groups within professional workplaces that goes much further than a diversity training; and 4. Can act as a political force in broader social movements. One union that works with nonprofits (as well as some other sectors) and often guides workers to organize their workplaces is the OPEIU. The Tech Workers Union also offers support to those seeking to organize in the tech sector.
If you want to support the labor movement outside the context of your own workplace, there are many political organizations that do this. Many chapters of the Democratic Socialists of America and Our Revolution have labor committees that offer direct support to worker struggles. As an example, local chapters of these two organizations worked to build community support in Bessemer, Alabama for the well-known unionization campaign of Amazon workers there a few years ago. People’s Action and the Poor People’s Campaign are other organizations with chapters that often work in support of unions.
Political organizations like these are also good places to connect with other knowledgeable activists who may have helpful insights and connections for any organizing you are seeking to do in your own workplace. Read this article for more advice on getting involved in an activist organization. Additionally, if you are part of a spiritual/faith community, many have local or national committees that work in solidarity with unions and worker-based struggles.
Another good place to start is the Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee. Contact them and an experienced labor organizer will reach out to you within a few days to talk about the needs of your workplace and strategies to begin organizing.
Lastly, here are a few other resources on the importance of labor in building the society we need:
Nothing More Powerful than a Strike (clip), Organizing to Win a Green New Deal (article), and A Collective Bargain (book) by Jane McAlevey
Class Struggle Unionism (book) by Joe Burns
Why the Working Class (article) by Vivek Chibber
King and The Other America (book) by Sylvie Laurent
Photo Credit: Ron Cogswell