Organizing in the 'New Normal'

Worker Centers • Electronic Solidarity • Open-Shop States

the magazine of the Democratic Socialists of America Vol. XLIII, No. 2, Labor Day/Fall 2015 www.dsausa.org Organizing in the ‘New Normal’ From the National Director Walking with Vision By Maria Svart

union is a group of indi- Governor Scott Walker’s successful rampage in viduals who get togeth- pro-union Wisconsin demonstrates that when big Aer with their co-workers money backs the most extreme version of capital- and approach their boss about ist ideology, we are unprepared. We have to fi nd conditions at work—together. new ways to fi ght back. These individuals are practic- How do we organize in the age of the “new nor- ing freedom of association. Yet mal”? In this issue of Democratic Left, you’ll read in the capitalist mind, they’re about glimmers of hope in very dark times. engaged in economic extortion. In the last issue, I talked about the need for That’s not a completely wrong analogy, because solidarity, about acknowledging and building on workers who form a strong union are capable of our differences in order to create a powerful and forcing the boss to share the results of their col- democratic movement. Even as we come together lective labor more equitably than are non-union- in solidarity, we need to walk with vision. Capi- ized workers. That’s one thing I learned in my talists have a vision of endless accumulation for years as a union organizer before joining the staff themselves. They either do not know or do not of DSA: it’s all about power. care that the end game is destruction of the plan- That’s why democratic socialists love unions: et and of “civilization” as we know it. we want to expand working-class power and re- To me, walking with vision means fi xing my strict capitalist-class power. Unions are where democratic socialist ideals in my sights despite the people learn to fi ght back and win. Strong unions diffi cult times. I fi ght every day in immediate bat- can fi ght for political reforms. Those political re- tles to protect Social Security, to defend workers forms can affect the structure of the economy, who are standing up for their union rights, to gain thus making it more democratic. This makes full civil and voting rights for everyone, to stop rac- unions dangerous to the capitalist class. ist police violence. This is how to build power. But Hence, the current attacks on labor. This Sep- I do so while also building a community around tember, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear argu- me that values cooperation and brings strategic, ments in Friedrichs v. California Teachers Associ- socialist thinking to the front lines. Our end game ation, a case that challenges the right of a public- is not a planet devastated by greed and ceaseless sector union to collect dues from everyone cov- war. Our end game, in the words of James Oppen- ered by its collective bargaining agreements. If heim’s famous poem, “is a sharing of life’s glories: the CTA loses, then the 26 states that still permit Bread and roses! Bread and roses!”  unions to collect such dues could become “open Maria Svart is the national director of DSA. shop” states, and public-sector unions could hem- orrhage funds. But the truth is, this is just the latest in decades of assaults on the gains of working people. David Duhalde Joins DSA Staff Because of the once-in-a-lifetime organizing opportunity provided by Bernie Contents Sanders’s high-pro le presidential cam- Worker Centers Expand the Labor Movement...... 3 paign, DSA will use a recent, unexpected Organizing in an Open-Shop State ...... 5 bequest to hire David Duhalde as deputy DSA Convention ...... 6 director of DSA. I have worked with Da- Electronic Global Labor Solidarity ...... 7 vid for nearly a decade, when we both Will Puerto Rico be the U.S. Greece? ...... 9 served on the National Political Commit- ‘Fast Track’ Opposition ...... 11 tee and when he was a very successful DSAers Show Solidarity ...... 12 YDS organizer in the mid-2000s. I am very Crisis in Care ...... 14 Labor Pioneers: Their Stories ...... 15 happy to be working with him again. He will be based in Washington, D.C.—MS Cover art by Frank Reynoso page 2 • Democratic Left • Labor Day/Fall 2015 Worker Centers Expand The Labor Movement By Kim Bobo employment barriers for formerly incarcerated workers (Chicago), and enact a bill of rights for re you discouraged this Labor Day? domestic workers (New York and California). There’s plenty of bleak news. Wages are Worker centers are building power and exercis- Astagnant; union representation is declin- ing that power to improve conditions for increas- ing; Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin have all ingly larger numbers of workers. passed right-to-work laws in the last three years; Offer worker rights education and out- the Supreme Court may soon gut public-sector reach. Most workers without unions have no unions, and Congress refuses to raise the mini- idea what their rights are in the workplace, let mum wage or establish earned sick days. alone what to do if their rights are being vio- Still, there is lated. Thus, worker hope. States and cit- centers educate work- ies are raising the ers about their rights minimum wage to and what they can do levels no one could to address workplace have imagined just problems. Worker a few years ago. Tens centers tend to use of thousands of low- popular education ap- wage workers are proaches that engage rallying for $15 an people based on their hour. Earned-sick- lived experiences. day laws are passing Organize to ad- in states and cities dress workplace across the nation at problems. Wage theft an unprecedented and health and safety rate. problems are the two A major source of most common prob- creativity and fresh lems addressed by thinking comes from worker centers. Cen- worker centers. Al- ters assist workers though as yet unco- in fi ling claims with ordinated nationally, government agencies, they have enormous potential to revive a labor connect workers with lawyers who can fi le suits movement under brutal attack. for back wages, refer them to unions if they want No one knows exactly how many worker cen- to organize a union in their workplace, and or- ters exist, but observers estimate that there are ganize direct action campaigns to get employers about 250 in the country. Fifteen years ago, there to pay workers their owed wages. One long-time were just a handful. Only about half of the cen- worker center organizer described worker centers ters are affi liated with one of the worker center as operating in the space between organizing and networks. Most operate on their own. enforcement. The centers demand enforcement of No two worker centers have the exact same the laws, but they also organize to change and programs and approach, although most do the improve the laws. following: Train leaders. Worker centers seek to devel- Build power and organize for social op a strong cadre of committed and experienced change. Worker centers have led and won cam- leaders who represent and are connected with paigns to get paid sick days for all workers (San the community. Some of these leaders are being Francisco), strengthen enforcement against wage hired by the labor movement. theft (many communities), require drinking wa- Develop democratic structures for par- ter for construction workers (Austin), remove ticipation. Many workers are already leaders,

Democratic Left • Labor Day/Fall 2015 • page 3 and so the centers affi rm and encourage their Labor Center produced a report on how those leadership. Others have never seen themselves affi liations are going. Both documents can be as leaders, but become leaders as they organize downloaded from www.afl cio.org/workercenters. campaigns. Adding creativity, courage, and passion In addition to the core functions described to labor’s ranks. Worker centers take on Da- above, many worker centers also vid-and-Goliath-type fi ghts. They lead hunger Arrange for jobs at fair wages. Workers strikes, sit-ins, prayer vigils, and delegations (especially day laborers) create systems for nego- to employers. They are masters of direct action tiating with possible employers, setting and en- tactics. They shake up the “organizing as usual” forcing wage standards, and sharing the work in model of many unions. ways that seem equitable. Many worker centers Reaching unprotected workers. Worker promote their hiring halls in the community in centers have been organized by workers who are ways that produce more jobs for workers. not protected by unions. Mostly they are orga- Create worker cooperatives. Worker cen- nized by immigrants, but increasingly centers ters have created cleaning, cooking, and con- are formed by or working with African American struction co-ops and companies. Workers decide workers as well. Many of these workers would that they want to start and operate their own love to be in unions, but unions are not organiz- businesses so they can create better working con- ing in their communities or workplaces. These ditions and keep more of the profi ts of their labor. workers are potential union members and allies. Offer ESL classes and other special edu- Identifying and training future labor cational programs. Because so many centers leadership. The labor movement has always serve immigrant workers, many offer English as been built by strong rank-and-fi le activists. The a Second Language (ESL) classes. Casa de Mary- leaders who have been formed and trained in land offers fi nancial education classes. Centers worker centers will help shape the labor move- affi liated with the Restaurant Opportunities ment of the future. Center United offer training in how to work in Reaching and organizing young people of the fi ne-dining industry. Casa Latina in Seattle, color. Worker centers are mostly run by young which works primarily with day laborers, offers people and mostly led by people of color. Some training on how to stay safe on the job, basic are even reaching into high schools. Voces de la green gardening, safe cleaning and safe moving Frontera, with worker centers in Milwaukee and skills. Some centers partner with unions and of- Racine, attracts high school students through fer construction trades training. its civic engagement program. Voces worked on Advocate immigration reform and fi ght four school funding referenda. On Election Day attacks on immigrants. In many communi- in 2012, 500 student volunteers and adult men- ties, the worker center was started by immigrant tors knocked on 6,300 doors in Racine, Wisconsin. leaders or is deeply connected with the immi- Worker centers bring new vitality and vision grant community. Such worker centers tend to to the labor movement. They engage thousands be strong advocates for immigration reform and of workers in fi ghting for their workplace rights have led efforts to challenge public attacks on im- and training new leaders. Worker centers are not migrants. Some centers assist workers in fi ling a substitute for unions, but they are a part of the for special immigration programs. labor movement, one that offers great hope for Sponsor social and recreational activi- the future of labor. ties. Some centers sponsor soccer clubs, host So, this Labor Day, don’t be discouraged. Con- dances, and organize activities for youth. Worker nect with a worker center near you. Volunteer. centers become a hub of social and communal ac- Give money. Be inspired and fi lled with hope.  tivities. Kim Bobo is the founding Even as organized labor declines in member- director of Interfaith Worker ship, worker centers provide fresh energy. They Justice and a huge fan of can help reinvigorate the labor movement by worker centers. Parts of this Affi liating with central labor councils. As article are excerpted from a of June 2015, 25 worker centers had affi liated new book she has written with with central labor councils, and more are request- her colleague Marien Casillas ing affi liation. The AFL-CIO recently published a Pabellon, forthcoming in 2016. guide on how centers can affi liate, and the UCLA

• Democratic Left • Labor Day/Fall 2015 Organizing in an Open-Shop State Not Easy, But Still Possible By Seth Hutchinson

cross the country, we’ve seen a wave of as- organizer, and it helps me through all the chal- saults on the ability of public employees lenges of organizing in this environment. Ato organize strong public-sector unions. In more practical terms, I believe our move- These attacks are an attempt to silence public ment must embrace four key principles if we employees and open up public services to priva- are to survive the current assault on labor tization and elimination. Even where these at- organizing: tacks are successful, we can and must continue Organizing is asking. People don’t act un- to organize and fi ght. My experiences organizing less asked. That means if we want to build a in the South show that this is possible. mass movement we must ask a massive amount I work in an open-shop state, for a non-col- of people to sign up, get involved, and take action. lective bargaining, non-majority, public-sector Don’t make assumptions about people or union with no right to strike. It’s not easy to orga- write anybody off. It’s easy to pre-judge peo- nize workers under such circumstances, but the ples’ political beliefs based on where they live, fact that my union has been in existence for more than three decades, winning victories, shows that it is possible. The key to organizing success in such an environment is focusing on short-term Private-Sector Success in goals and a long-term vision simultaneously. The academic term for this double vision is an Open-Shop State praxis. It means asking (1) What immediate A substantial pay hike won last year by tasks and short-term goals can improve the lives a minority union in North Carolina illus- of everyone around us? and (2) What is the long- trates how determined union organizing term vision of the world we wish to see? The an- can succeed in an open-shop state. swers to both questions must be in sync. In July 2014, production workers at the In my day-to-day work, I stay focused on the Cummins Rocky Mount Engine plant won immediate tasks necessary to grow and build a an 80 cent across-the-board hourly increase strong union. This includes asking state employ- for technicians and a 75 cent increase for ees to join the union, asking members to make skilled trades, even though they do not phone calls to legislators, and establishing orga- have a union contract or a certifi ed major- nizing committees. We also work toward short- ity union. term goals such as winning a pay raise, stopping The year-long struggle was led by the privatization, and stopping benefi t cuts. It’s easy non-majority UE union in the plant, the to get wrapped up in these immediate goals and CDC Workers Unity Committee, part of the tasks, but we must also keep a sense of the bigger manufacturing section of UE Local 150. picture. Tactics included a petition signed by 330 For me, democratic socialism is that bigger pic- workers, wearing protest stickers, and con- ture. This doesn’t mean talking about democratic fronting the Cummins CEO and the corpo- socialism to union members on a daily basis. It rate board of directors when they visited means helping my brothers and sisters connect the plant. the dots between a pay raise and the notion that The union has been active in the plant for every human being deserves a living wage. It 20 years, although it does not have majority means using the immediate threat of privatiza- membership among the 1,000 employees, tion in Texas to talk about the billionaire class who manufacture diesel engines. The local waging war on workers across the country. Most union organizes around workers’ issues and important, it means sharing an understanding won other victories prior to the 2014 wage that our union here in Texas is part of a global campaign. (Adapted by Paul Garver from movement of regular people struggling for a bet- the UE website.) ter world. I believe that praxis makes me a better

Democratic Left • Labor Day/Fall 2015 • page 5 what they do for a living, their accent, or anything else. We must believe that everyone has the Talking about DL capacity to be organized into our movement. If you would like to participate in a Meet people where they are. To build a telephone discussion group about this mass movement, we must convince a lot of folks issue of Democratic Left, please r.s.v.p. who don’t currently agree with us to join us. To at dsausa.org/calendar. We ask that you do that, we must ﬁ nd common ground and incre- read the issue before calling in. Call in mentally pull them further in our direction. to 605-475-6333, access code 796617#, Connect bread-and-butter issues to the Monday, October 1, 5 p.m. Paci c/ 8 bigger picture. We must struggle with our- p.m. Eastern. selves and each other to see that the immediate problems we face as individuals connect to broad- er structural problems: capitalism, white supremacy, homophobia, and patriarchy. We must help each other overcome our culture’s hyper- individualism by seeing that we share our problems with others, and only by banding together for collective action can we overcome them.  For the last 10 years, Seth Hutchinson has worked organizing public employees in Texas. He is currently the organizing coordinator of his union.

2015 DSA CONVENTION

EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION ENDS OCTOBER 21ST!

• Democratic Left • Labor Day/Fall 2015 Electronic Global Labor Solidarity By Eric Lee

n 1848, when Marx and Engels issued their only a matter of time until employers would be ringing call for workers of all countries to compelled to bargain collectively and directly Iunite, it fell on deaf ears. However, by the with global union federations. 1890s, trade unions had begun to operate across At the core of Levinson’s vision were “com- borders, creating permanent institutions that are pany councils,” which consisted of worker repre- today known as “global union federations,” which sentatives from transnational corporations who unite transport workers, food and agriculture would meet to share ideas and experiences, and workers, journalists, teachers, and others. to plan strategy. The idea was only a limited suc- These federations, which have lasted for more cess, as the costs of fl ying in representatives of than a century, are at unions from all over the heart of the global the world proved to labor movement. They be prohibitive. Levin- represent the promise With the advent of son’s counterpart in of working-class in- the International ternationalism. the“ Internet in the 1990s, Union of Food Work- But the global union ers (IUF), Dan Gal- federations have never unions were  nally able lin, was also a strong had the resources to advocate of powerful, play the role envisaged to overcome the high independent global for them by such pio- unions to counter neers as Edo Fimmen, costs of communication the growing power of who headed up the transnational corpo- International Trans- and transportation rations. portworkers Federa- It was not until the tion (ITF) in the inter- and begin to challenge advent of the Inter- war years. Fimmen net in the 1990s that saw these industrial corporate power across unions were fi nally federations, and not able to overcome the the organization now borders. very high costs of known as the Inter- communication and national Trade Union ” transportation and Confederation (ITUC), as the heart of a true global begin to truly challenge corporate power across working-class movement. borders. The global union federations, including The global union federations include as mem- the ITF, IUF and IndustriALL, were quick to em- bers individual national unions, not national brace the Net, and were among the fi rst avid us- trade union centers. So, while the ITF will have ers of email back in the 1980s. the Teamsters as one of its U.S affi liates—and For a recent example of how global unions thus be only one step removed from actual work- work in this new environment, we need only look ers on the shop fl oor—the ITUC has as its U.S. at the reaction to the Rana Plaza disaster in Ban- affi liate the AFL-CIO, which is somewhat more gladesh in April 2013 in which more than 1,000 distant from the shop fl oor. workers, mainly in the garment industry, were It was only in the 1970s, with the rise of what killed in a building collapse. IndustriALL was is now called “globalization,” that serious thought able to campaign online and off with consider- was given to turning these incipient global unions able success, eventually forcing most of the global into what Charles Levinson, general secretary of clothing brands to contribute to a relief fund. the International Chemical, Energy and General In addition to the traditional, formal struc- Workers’ Federation (now part of IndustriALL), tures using the new technology, entirely new would call a “countervailing power” to the multi- formations exploited the developing technol- national corporations. In Levinson’s view, it was ogy in order to realize a very old vision of

Democratic Left • Labor Day/Fall 2015 • page 7 working-class internationalism. creasing sums on interpretation and translation. LabourStart, founded in 1998, is an example. Another is division over how to relate to the LabourStart was born as a news aggregator, a largest group of workers in the world, those in website where several hundred volunteers reg- China. Some (particularly in the top leadership ularly post links to news stories about workers of the ITUC) urge a form of constructive engage- and unions in more than 30 languages. They post ment with the existing state-controlled “unions,” on average 250 such stories a day, or more than while others hold fast to the traditional Western 90,000 every year, making LabourStart the best union stance of working only with independent— source of online news for trade unionists. That which they see as genuine—unions (which re- news is widely syndicated to hundreds of other main illegal in China). trade union websites. And China is not the only government that Within the past decade or more, LabourStart represses trade unions. The ITUC’s annual re- has become known as a key platform for interna- port on trade union rights around the globe al- tional campaigns, a place where unions can mobi- ways makes headlines with its chilling statistics lize thousands of activists to challenge corporate regarding how many trade unionists were mur- power and to defend workers’ rights where they dered in the previous year. are under attack. Activists involved in campaigns In addition, there remains the problem of and the news service come together every year what used to be called the lack of “class con- or so in “global solidarity conferences,” which are sciousness”—working people who do not yet fully open to all trade unionists to attend. understand that what unites us as a class is far As I write in the summer of 2015, LabourStart more important than the things that divide us, is working with global unions on a half dozen such as nationality, ethnicity, religion, race, and online campaigns, including a demand for the gender. release of a jailed Iranian teacher, a call for a for- We see this, for example, in the unfortunate estry company in Malaysia to stop union busting, call by Gordon Brown, the former British Labour and a campaign to pressure the Chinese govern- prime minister, for “British Jobs for British Work- ment to stop targeting pro-labor non-governmen- ers” and the use of “Buy American” as a synonym tal organizations. for “Buy Union” among some trade unionists in Now grown into a network of more than the United States. 130,000 trade unionists, LabourStart can mo- It’s not about defending our jobs against other bilize within hours in a way that was unimagi- workers who are competing for them; it’s about nable even two decades ago. Using that network, building solidarity across borders and cultures those campaigns have resulted in a number of and languages. That means support for migrant signifi cant wins, including getting trade union- workers, solidarity with those in countries like ists released from jail, forcing employers back to Greece fi ghting against austerity, and a strategy the bargaining table, ending lockouts, and help- toward China that focusses on building genuine ing unions win strikes. Online platforms such as independent trade unions from the ground up. Change.org, Avaaz, SumOfUs, and Coworker.org Even with those challenges, I’m convinced have also taken advantage of the Internet to run that the combination of trade union solidarity campaigns. with the technologies that make such solidarity But the new technology is double-edged. Com- possible can bring about the vision of Marx and panies have access to the same technologies, only Engels, Fimmen, and Levinson. The workers of with much more money. When we fl ood their in- the world will unite, and they’ll be using their boxes with messages of protest, we also give them tablets and smartphones to do it.  the opportunity to write back to thousands of our Eric Lee served on the national supporters, giving their point of view. Unions board of the Democratic are not always prepared to answer effectively in Socialist Organizing these cases. Committee (one of the Even when unions and global union federa- predecessor organizations tions get it right, there remain challenges. One of DSA) and is the founding is surely language. With more than 6,000 spoken editor of LabourStart languages in the world, and machine translation (labourstart.org). still not perfect, unions that are serious about global solidarity are obliged to spend ever-in-

• Democratic Left • Labor Day/Fall 2015 Will Puerto Rico be the Greece of the United States? José Gutiérrez interviews José La Luz

n late June, the governor of Puerto Rico, Ale- land’s gross domestic product, has been adverse- jandro Garcia Padilla, announced that Puerto ly affected by U.S. trade policy and by the deci- IRico would not incur any more indebtedness sion by Congress to phase out tax incentives that and would not be able to meet its current debt ob- applied to Puerto Rico until December 2005. Like ligations. The crisis has been compared to that of New York City in the 1970s and Detroit today, a Greece, but the analogy is not decline in the manufacturing correct. For background and sector has led to lower reve- ideas about how activists can nues, a loss of jobs, and resi- become involved, I spoke with dents leaving the island. This José La Luz, a DSA vice chair decline in the economy has and veteran trade unionist, increased the need for social worker educator, and human spending at the same time rights activist. The interview that revenues are decreas- has been condensed and ed- ing. The increased debt has ited for clarity. As Democratic led to a decline in the credit Left goes to press, the situa- rating of Puerto Rico, which tion remains ﬂ uid. before the crisis was positive. Gutiérrez: The current This has limited the ability of situation of Puerto Rico has Puerto Rico to borrow money been compared to that of to counteract the decline in Greece by some people; by oth- the private sector. It’s a vi- ers it has been compared to cious cycle that had started “This crisis is so imminent that Detroit’s. What can you tell just before the recession. us about how you perceive all progressive forces in the Two more factors have ad- the current economic crisis in United States and in Puerto Rico versely affected the Puerto Puerto Rico? have to work together to address Rican economy. Under the La Luz: Nobel Prize- this emergency.” Merchant Marine Act of 1920, winning economist Joseph Puerto Rico has to ship goods Stiglitz has said that Puerto using the U.S. merchant ma- Rico is the Greece of the Caribbean. The only rine, which increases the cost of importing and problem with that is that Puerto Rico is not exporting goods to the island. This bill affects the a sovereign country. Puerto Rico is in fact the cost of living in Puerto Rico and should be phased Greece of the United States, and that is what I out. Second, the cost of energy is high because want to get across to progressives in the United most of the island’s electricity comes from petro- States. Puerto Rico being its largest territory, the leum. The island passed Law 82 in 2010 mandat- United States bears some responsibility for this ing increased use of renewable energy, but it can’t debt that has grown to more than $70 billion. It is spend or borrow enough money to implement the one of the highest per-capita debts in the world, mandate. even higher per capita than Greece’s. This debt has a direct impact on social spending, resulting in massive cuts in public services. Gutiérrez: Could you say something about The administration of Governor Luis Fortuño how it got this way? The United States has a big laid off more than 15,000 workers. In terms of the debt, what does Puerto Rico’s debt relate to? politics of austerity, it compares to Detroit. Yes, La Luz: The increase in the debt of Puerto there are comparisons with Greece and Detroit. Rico is a result of the decline of the Puerto Ri- But Greece is a sovereign country and as such can economy. The manufacturing sector of Puerto has some tools that it can use, including restruc- Rico, which to this day is around 46% of the is- turing of the debt, which is not an option that

Democratic Left • Labor Day/Fall 2015 • page 9 Puerto Rico has, by virtue of being a territory of Obama winning Florida in 2012. If that happens the United States. Neither does it have the tools again and that votes supports a Democratic that Detroit has to declare bankruptcy. nominee, it could decide the election. But that There is a broad coalition of nongovernmen- vote shouldn’t be given for free. It should be part tal organizations and unions and even the busi- of a commitment to fi nd solutions to the fi scal ness community that hopes to persuade the and economic crisis in the island. federal government that Puerto Rico should Gutiérrez: I understand that the Fortuño ad- have the ability to renegotiate its debt with the ministration, the previous administration, had Wall Street banks and the hedge funds. Former suspended several collective bargaining agree- Governor Anibal Acevedo Vila; Professor José ments, but then at the end of his term many of Nicolás Medina, a well-known constitutional at- those agreements were restored. torney; and labor leader Roberto Pagán, one of La Luz: I was intimately involved. I was the top leaders of one of the Service Employees dispatched to organize the campaign to restore International Union affi liates in the island, ar- collective bargaining. In effect, what happened gue that the federal government has a legal and is that Law #7, signed in March of 2009, abol- constitutional obligation to resolve this crisis. ished collective bargaining. So we had to get a The Obama administration has said that it will law enacted to restore bargaining rights and not intervene. Progressives in the United States allow us to renegotiate the contracts that had must be involved in fi guring out what can be been frozen. Once again, a coalition effort led done to fi nd a solution to this crisis. by unions and allies in the religious community A group led by the SEIU in New York City and community organizations fought to restore and other parts of the mainland in the Puerto bargaining rights, and that’s why the contracts Rican communities is rallying some support to were renegotiated. But most likely what’s going pressure the Obama administration. My view is to happen now will be massive layoffs and freez- that the administration doesn’t have the politi- ing the contracts because the government has cal will and certainly not the political capital to no capacity to pay, and that will be disastrous. engage in this fi ght. This has to become an issue for the presidential election. It’s far more impor- Gutiérrez: Would you say that the Garcia tant at this point than thinking about solutions Padilla administration has been better on labor to the whole question of the relationship of the rights than the Fortuño administration? island to the United States, which as you know, La Luz: They all have to operate within the is a perennial debate in Puerto Rico. confi nes of the government’s ability to pay. The Garcia Padilla administration, despite the fi s- Gutiérrez: In the long term, though, isn’t cal and economic constraints, has abided by the some resolution of the relationship between the terms of the collective bargaining agreements. United States and Puerto Rico part of the an- Even though it hasn’t paid the full wage in- swer to the problems of Puerto Rico? Puerto Rico, creases that have been negotiated, it has tried with a population of 3.5 million people, has the for the most part to do so. It has complied with same federal representation as the District of Co- contractual obligations. That may not be an op- lumbia, which is to say, none. Puerto Rico, as you tion now, if the fi nances of the government col- mentioned, is not a sovereign country, it’s subject lapse totally. to federal law, which limits what it can do. This crisis is so imminent that all progressive La Luz: No question about it. It would be ir- forces in the United States and in Puerto Rico responsible if I didn’t say that. It is something have to work together to address this emergen- that has taken and will take a long time to re- cy. The Obama administration needs to take ac- solve one way or the other. tion now and it has to become an issue on which Meanwhile, Puerto Ricans no longer migrate candidates for the nomination of the Democratic to the northeast and Chicago as in the past. Party take a position.  The explosive growth of the Puerto Rican vote in central Florida could be the decisive vote in José Gutiérrez is a member of DSA’s national terms of who becomes the next president of the political committee, and a member of Metro United States. That was certainly the case in DC DSA. Like José La Luz, he is from Puerto 2012 where the percentage of Puerto Ricans in Rico. The DSA National Political Committee’s Florida who voted for Obama was 73%. Argu- statement on the crisis in Puerto Rico is on the ably, it was one of the main factors that led to DSA website.

• Democratic Left • Labor Day/Fall 2015 ‘Fast Track’ Opposition Reﬂ ects Growing Movement for Democracy By Paul Garver

hroughout the spring, liberal Democrats and consumer protection regulations. For in- and some Tea Party Republicans, aided stance, Philip Morris has sued the governments Tby a coalition of labor, environmental, of Uruguay, Australia, and the United Kingdom and progressive groups, joined forces against a because those countries require very clear warn- massive corporate power grab known as “Fast ings on cigarette packages. Track” Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) only The struggle against these treaties has led to to see it narrowly pass the House by a 218-208 a massive and coordinated global resistance. The vote in early June. TPA and the accompany- “Alliance of Teamsters and Turtles,” prefi gured ing Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) bills in the 1999 Seattle demonstrations, is becom- were signed into law ing an organized coali- by President Barack tion capable of driving Obama on June 29. a deep wedge into the Polls show that a The alliance current U.S. two-party majority of American system. A key leader of voters oppose “trade of“ ‘Teamsters and this coalition, former deals” that endanger CWA president Larry workers’ jobs and envi- turtles’ is becoming an Cohen, citing Hillary ronmental regulations. Clinton’s belated and But the political game organized coalition. equivocal comments is rigged. Fast Track on Fast Track and the Trade Promotion Authority, which allows U.S. TPP, endorsed” and will work for Bernie Sanders, trade representatives to negotiate agreements in a fi erce opponent of these corporate-driven trade secret (retroactively in the TPP case), is not really deals. about “free trade.” Such authority would cement Top-secret TPP treaty provisions will become the current inequitable structure of the global accessible to congressional scrutiny two months economy by enacting three sweeping investor pro- before the accelerated debate under Fast Track tection treaties (Trans Pacifi c Partnership [TPP], can begin in Congress. This minor but useful de- Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partner- lay is the single concrete achievement of the op- ship [TTIP], and the Trade in Services Agreement position to date. [TISA]). Together these treaties would make it al- Movements in Europe are gaining traction most impossible for any political authority in any against the TTIP. The struggles in the streets for nation to enforce serious protections for workers, racial justice, campaigns for improving the lot of communities, or the environment. low-income workers, for rescuing democracy from Capital plans to ensure perpetual corporate the stranglehold of money, for divesting universi- dominance through the Investor-State Dispute ties from fossil fuel investments are rising . . . and Settlement (ISDS) mechanism for enforcing converging. The comprehensive political revolution these treaties. Corporations that claim losses in advocated by democratic socialist Bernie Sanders their expected profi ts as a result of any govern- may not result in his winning the presidency, but mental action that protects a country’s citizens its strong appeal to many activists reveals the deep can sue for monetary damages by taking it to a hunger for genuine political change.  private and secretive panel of corporate lawyers. Paul Garver, a retired international union However, labor, environmental, or consumer or- organizer, is a member of DSA’s National ganizations have no direct access to ISDS. The Political Committee and co-editor of Talking rulings of ISDS panels cannot be challenged in Union, DSA’s labor network blog (talkingunion. any court. Corporate ISDS claims under previous wordpress.com), where you can follow trade trade treaties are already threatening govern- issues as they unfold. ments with massive damages for environmental

Democratic Left • Labor Day/Fall 2015 • page 11 DSAers Show Solidarity By Theresa Alt and Peg Strobel

e have a special issue devoted to labor celebration, and Cornell University’s Union Days once a year, but DSA locals support to a wider audience. Thus, community members Wunions and the labor movement all year who couldn’t attend the events still heard about long. Here are some highlights from the past innovative organizing for restaurant and retail year: workers, the new union at the local Health Alli- Central Ohio DSA members joined forces ance and Free Clinic, organizing among adjuncts with Interfaith Worker Justice to create the Cen- at Ithaca College, and the story of the AFL-CIO’s tral Ohio Workers’ Center. Members of DSA were vital cooperation with community and clergy. key in doing the paperwork to obtain 501(c)(3) Metro Atlanta DSA is actively involved with status and bringing in a pro bono lawyer. The all the work of the Jobs with Justice Organizing center’s focus is on know-your-rights outreach to Committee, including the Black Friday action at immigrant workers, especially the large Somali Wal-Mart, a national event on the Friday after community as well as the growing Latino com- Thanksgiving. A core DSA group of around 25 munity. people joined with organized labor and commu- Chicago DSA has fought for a national tax on nity in the Fight for $15 campaign. On several the trading of fi nancial assets (popularly known days, including April 15, fast-food workers went as a Robin Hood Tax) and worked with the Chi- out on strike in the early morning, and the dem- cago Teachers Union, National Nurses United, onstrators showed up to escort them back to work and community groups to call for a similar Chi- and ensure that they would not lose their jobs. cago-based tax to fund workers’ pensions as well Metro DC DSA supported the DC Labor Fest. as human services. Other coalitions are fi ghting The DC Labor Fest—sponsored by the Metro newly elected governor Bruce Rauner’s anti- Washington Labor Council and supported by worker “Turnaround Agenda” modeled after Wis- many other labor and social justice organiza- consin governor Scott Walker’s game plan. As a tions—provides a forum for numerous forms of core member of the Illinois Fair Trade Coalition, cultural productions with a focus on working peo- Chicago DSA worked with many union partners ple. The fi lms, music, art and walking tours open to oppose Fast Track and the larger Trans Pacifi c a window on the experiences, ideas and aspira- Partnership. tions of individual workers and their collective Greater Detroit DSA works with Michigan labor to prevent the Repub- licans, who dominate state government, from overturning prevailing-wage legislation. To support prevailing wages, the local honored Patrick Devlin, president of the Michigan Building Trades ,at the Douglass-Debs dinner on May 30. Ithaca DSA has a weekly community access cable television program and a bi-monthly radio program. The local used both platforms to bring talks from the Labor Day Picnic, a Workers’ Center Photo by Reid Jenkins page 12 • Democratic Left • Labor Day/Fall 2015 struggles. Metro DC also supported efforts to organize associates at United Way Worldwide, headquar- ters of the largest health and human services non-profi t in the world not run by a government. Despite a formal agreement to support the labor rights of workers and a long partnership with labor, management conducted a vicious anti-union campaign against the effort. New York City DSA and YDS rallied for the “Fight for $15” and sponsored a staged reading of “Wait- ing for Lefty” in the theater district on April 15. YDS members from throughout the city worked with activists from several schools to pre- pare banners for the demonstration and to mobilize their classmates. Sacramento DSA teamed up with the Sacramento Progressive Alliance, the Committee. Peg Strobel is a member of Chicago California Faculty Association, Students for DSA and the DSA National Political Committee, Quality Education, and the Campus Progres- former director of the Jane Addams Hull-House sive Alliance to present a forum on “The Working Museum, and professor emerita of gender and Class Under Siege,” bringing the Fight for $15 women’s studies at the University of Illinois, and the struggle against Fast Track to California Chicago. State University-Sacramento. San Diego DSA worked with the Service Em- ployees International Union (SEIU), the Labor Council, the Machinists and the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) to get a citywide increase in the minimum wage passed by the City Council. Unfortunately, opponents derailed Solidarity! the coalition’s victory by successfully challenging the City Council to put the wage increase on a ballot initiative for November 2016, thus delay- Mark Finkel ing and perhaps endangering the increase for Miami Beach, FL workers. San Diego DSAers also joined with the Citi- zens Trade Campaign and the San Diego Impe- rial County Labor Council to urge congressional representatives to vote no on Fast Track.  IN MEMORY OF Theresa Alt is secretary of Ithaca DSA and a member of the DSA National Political THEODORE BIKEL Singer, Actor, Activist, Mensch Order your DSA and Pro-Israel Pro-Palestine BERNIE SWAG now Pro-Peace dsausa.org/swagshop Mark Schaeffer

Democratic Left • Labor Day/Fall 2015 • page 13 Demographics and the Care Crisis By Elena Blanc

The Age of Dignity: Preparing for the Elder Boom domestic worker rights activists have won simi- in a Changing America lar legislation in Hawaii, California, Massachu- by Ai-jen Poo setts, Oregon, and Connecticut, and are currently 176 pp., The New Press, 2015 pushing for a bill in Illinois. DWU’s organizing success in New York cen- n this slim but engaging volume, Ai-jen Poo, tered largely on nannies and their employers. executive director of the National Domestic Because employers of nannies are generally af- IWorkers Alliance (NDWA), argues that an in- fl uent, organizers could win support by arguing creasingly aging U.S. population requires a drastic that fair pay and good working conditions were shift in an already inadequate care economy. She ultimately good for both recipients and providers contends that a sustainable system of care will of care. Despite their successes, DWU and NDWA entail not only accessible, had to confront the limi- affordable, high-quality tations to this strategy. care for all who need it The cultural stigma The majority of paid but also fair wages and domestic workers in the working conditions for that“ surrounds care work, United States are home the swelling work force care assistants and providing that care. Pub- aging, and disability must home health aides. They lic programs must be re- have been hired out of structured and the cultur- be removed. necessity, and their rate al stigma that surrounds of reimbursement for care work, aging, and disability in the United care ”is often set by Medicare and Medicaid. Even States removed. She urges people to work toward if employers can pay out of pocket, they still may better systems of care on every level, from the na- not be able to afford more than the bare mini- tional to local co-op living arrangements. mum. In these cases, paying more would mean Poo weaves together experiences of recipients fewer hours for workers and less care for employ- of care, unpaid family caregivers, and paid caring ers, when many people already receive less care professionals with statistical and historical infor- than they need. mation. She addresses the way that oppressive Therefore, DWU and NDWA brought togeth- dynamics of gender, race, class, migration, and er care worker, immigrant, senior, and disabil- age structure the caring economy for both care ity rights advocates to form a national “Caring workers and recipients of care. She also empha- Across Generations” campaign in 2011. sizes how our society has consistently de-priori- Poo makes a strong case for drastic change in tized and undervalued care and care work. the system. Equally compelling is the idea, which Poo’s ability to make this demographic and pol- runs throughout The Age of Dignity, that to meet icy issue come alive is no doubt a product of her the challenge we must stop thinking of care as 15 years of experience in grassroots organizing a “social cost.” She prefers to speak of “social for domestic workers’ rights. Before heading the investment.” The challenge Poo does not pose, NDWA, she was the lead organizer for Domestic though, is whether these goals can be met with- Workers United (DWU), a New York City-based out overturning the for-profi t structure imposed organization that she and others started in 2000. on all economic activity in this country. If the In 2010, after a decade of organizing, DWU and care crisis is as pressing as she suggests, meet- its allies succeeded in getting a “Domestic Work- ing it may entail an even greater ers’ Bill of Rights” passed in New York State. This paradigm shift, one that replaces legislation was the fi rst in the United States to a market-based notion of “social mandate a number of basic labor protections, good” with one based on human including paid overtime and a working environ- welfare.  ment free from discrimination and harassment Elena Blanc is DSA’s within the domestic work industry. Since then, membership coordinator. page 14 • Democratic Left • Labor Day/Fall 2015 Labor Pioneers: Their Stories

We stand on the shoulders of those who devoted DOLORES HUERTA Al- their lives to the cause of labor. We asked DSA ac- though hundreds of maga- tivists to share some of their favorite biographies. zine and news articles have This is an evolving list. Check the DL blog for fur- been written about her, A ther additions.—Ed. Dolores Huerta Reader, ed- ited by Mario Garcia, is the EUGENE DEBS Though fi rst adult book to focus on best known as presidential Huerta’s life and work. candidate of the Social- Huerta, who is a DSA ist Party, USA from 1900- Honorary Chair, has con- 1920, Eugene V. Debs fi rst tributed to movements for became important as a union rights and social leader of the Brotherhood justice since she helped found the United Farm of Locomotive Engineers, Workers (UFW) union. The creation of the UFW later becoming a founder changed the nature of labor organizing in the of the American Railway Southwest and contributed signifi cantly to the Union (ARU). Debs’s most growth of Latino politics in the United States. famous action as a labor She became a UFW vice president and was the leader was the nationwide Pullman Strike, bro- primary negotiator of the fi rst UFW contracts. ken by President Grover Cleveland. After helping Today, at age 84, she speaks frequently at col- found the SPUSA, Debs also took part in organiz- leges, universities, and high schools where she ing the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). presents a Latina feminist perspective to labor, Ray Ginger’s The Bending Cross: A Biography of civil rights, and immigration issues. Huerta is a Eugene V. Debs (1949) is rightly hailed as a clas- founding board member of the Feminist Majority sic. If you can’t fi nd a cheap used copy, be sure to Foundation and serves on the board of Ms. Maga- pick up the 2007 reissue by Haymarket Books, zine. —Duane Campbell which contains an introduction by veteran Marx- ist author Mike Davis. —Jason Schulman MOTHER JONES DSA member Rosemary Feurer JOE HILL born Joel Em- has written, produced, and manuel Hägglund (aka co-directed a documen- Joseph Hillström) was a tary about Mary Harris songwriter, union orga- (“Mother”) Jones, who is nizer, and labor martyr. most remembered for her Executed in Utah after a injunction to “Pray for the show trial, Hill maintained dead but fi ght like hell for his innocence until the end. the living.” After her hus- One of the best biographies band and four children is Gibbs Smith’s Joe Hill died from yellow fever, (1969). A later work by Wil- Jones became a labor organizer, crisscrossing the liam Adler, The Man Who country in support of striking miners and families. Never Died (2011) reveals information that was A powerful orator, she also campaigned against never introduced during the trial. Hill is best re- child labor. An Irish immigrant, she opposed white membered for the phrase: “pie in the sky” and his supremacy, supported African Americans and oth- fi nal wish: “Don’t waste any time mourning, or- ers in low-skilled mining jobs, and worked to bring ganize!” To learn more about him, check out the together Mexican and Italian miners in the South- University of Utah’s Joe Hill website at joehill. west. Information about various biographies and org. —Neil H. Olsen the documentary DVD is available at mother- jonesmuseum.org —Peg Strobel

Democratic Left • Labor Day/Fall 2015 • page 15 page 16 • Democratic Left • Labor Day/Fall 2015 Democratic Left • Labor Day/Fall 2015 • page 17 page 18 • Democratic Left • Labor Day/Fall 2015 In solidarity with all those Feeling the Bern and Building DSA AMERICAN MOVEMENTS Black Lives Joseph M. Schwartz, Matter Labor Fracktivists Teachers Anti-war? PLUS Keith Gessen on Rus- Michele Rossi, sia Thea Riofrancos on Ecuador Ross Perlin on Hong Kong and more Michael Migiel-Schwartz and Leah Rossi-Schwartz Paid for by Joseph M. Schwartz and Michele Rossi, 3430 Osmond Street Philadelphia, PA 19129. Not authorized by www.dissentmagazine.org/subscribe any candidate or candidate’s committee.

“At the banquet David Green, Dave Elsila, table of nature, and Dave Ivers support there are no reserved seats. Bernie You get what you can take, and Sanders for you keep what you can hold. If President you can’t take anything, you won’t get anything, and if you can’t hold anything, you won’t keep anything. And you can’t take anything without organization.” A. PHILIP RANDOLPH

GREETINGS FROM LEO CASEY Detroit DSA

Democratic Left • Labor Day/Fall 2015 • page 19 Congratulations to Democratic Left* READERS Mark Schaeffer Renée Weitzner Bill Barclay Shellie Sclan Bill Yates, Puget Sound Dorothy Billings Peter Selz Organizing Committee Andrea Brecker Herb Shore Barbara Carlson Peg Strobel SUSTAINERS David Duhalde Maria Svart Neil Olsen, Utah DSA East Bay Local Milt Tambor John R. Smucker Virginia Franco Eugene TeSelle Mike Hirsch Kathryn Vitek CADRE Barbara Joye Jules Bernstein John A. Lane SUPPORTERS Jonathan Milton Simone Morgen Paul Baicich David Nelson

Michael Nye Gerald Friedman *We tried to include every ad or name received as of press time. If we missed Mike Pattberg Pete Martineau you, we apologize. Please let us know so that we can recognize you in the Jim Phillips Timothy Roberts Winter issue. Jack Rothman Father Clark Shackelford Kenny Schaeffer Shelby Shackelford

• Democratic Left • Labor Day/Fall 2015 Support Bernie Support a Financial Transaction Tax: It’s not a tax on the people; it’s a tax for the people!

SB 1371 (Sanders)/HR 1464 (Ellison) The Inclusive Prosperity Act Chicago DSA

ALL ABOUT TEA IN ONE GOOD READ SOLIDARITY BY AMERICA’S TEA SAGE RALPH SLABAUGH JAMESNORWOODPRATT.COM

Boston DSA salutes In praise of Bernie Sanders’s fight against TPP Theresa Alt On to New Hampshire

Boston DSA, PO Box 51960 Boston, MA 02206 Wayles www.dsaboston.org • 617-782-8787

IN In Honor of Michael SOLIDARITY Harrington JEFF TARBOX With cheers and solidarity, Mitch Horowitz

Democratic Left • Labor Day/Fall 2015 • page 21 Ithaca DSA Salutes In honor of Democratic Left and all Selma Lenihan workers everywhere. Simone Plastrik We’re feeling the Bern! Our local produces video & radio. In Solidarity A selection of our videos is at Maxine Phillips http://ithacadsa.blogspot.com

Democratic Socialists of Central Ohio Comradely CONGRATULATES Greetings! Democratic Left Bob Meggison We  Bernie Belfast, ME dsacolumbus.org

• Democratic Left • Labor Day/Fall 2015 Democratic Left • Labor Day/Fall 2015 • page 23 Democratic Left (ISSN 1643207) is published quarterly at 75 Maiden Lane, Suite 702, New York, NY 10038. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY (Publication No. 701-960). Subscriptions: $10 regular; $15 institutional. Postmaster: Send address changes to 75 Maiden Lane, Suite 702, New York, NY 10038. Democratic Left is published by the Democratic Socialists of America, 75 Maiden Lane, Suite 702, New York, NY 10038. (212) 727-8610. Signed articles express the opinions of the authors and not necessarily those of the organization. Executive Editor: Maria Svart Editor: Maxine Phillips Blog Editors: Duane Campbell, Dustin Guastella, Elizabeth Henderson, and Barbara Joye Editorial Committee: Michael Baker, Elizabeth Henderson, Amber Frost, Michael Hirsch, Barbara Joye Editorial Advisory Committee: Duane Campbell, Jeffrey Gold, Frank Llewellyn, Simone Morgen, Mark Schaeffer, Jason Schulman, Joseph Schwartz Founding Editor: Michael Harrington (1928-1989) Production: Ed Hedemann Democratic Socialists of America share a vision of a humane international social order based on equitable distribution of resources, meaningful work, a healthy environment, sustainable growth, gender and racial equality, and non-oppressive relationships. Equality, solidarity, and democracy can only be achieved through international political and social cooperation aimed at ensuring that economic institutions bene t all people. We are dedicated to building truly international social movements—of unionists, environmentalists, feminists, and people of color—which together can elevate global justice over brutalizing global competition.

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Except as otherwise noted, political advertisements and other express advocacy in support of a federal candidate for of ce were paid for by Democratic Socialists of America, 75 Maiden Lane, Suite 702, New York, NY 10038. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee. page 24 • Democratic Left • Labor Day/Fall 2015