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Dear John,
Over the past few weeks, teachers, writers, rideshare drivers, and folks across industries have been organizing and demanding better pay, fair working conditions, and a future of work that is greater than anything we’ve ever had before: one where power rests firmly in the hands of working people.
To get there, we know that our fight is with corporations that are intent on exploiting and extracting from working people, families, and communities at every level. Take Uber, for example: it exists because we have an economy where corporations can pay workers as little as possible, hike prices whenever they want, meanwhile everyday people who work full-time still don’t make enough to pay for things like rent, groceries, and healthcare. This is the reality for people across industries, whether they’re rideshare drivers or Starbucks baristas. Corporations are angling for ways to take a bigger and bigger cut of the profits that our work generates. And this isn’t new, it’s just getting worse.
App corporations like Uber are innovating a new exploitative model: they saddle drivers with the cost of the business (the car, repairs, gas), shift the risk onto drivers' shoulders and ignore their safety concerns, isolate them and pit them against each other, and then take a huge share of their earnings. It’s an insidious and harmful business model. But Uber drivers have been fighting back [[link removed]] . Against all odds, they’ve been organizing, building relationships with one another, and forming a united front to hold Uber accountable. Their demands — better pay, safety, fair working conditions, transparency — echo across industries, even to the WGA strike where writers are fighting to prevent the gig-ification of their work.
The fights that people who work for Uber, Amazon, Starbucks, and other corporations are waging are more connected than we might think. They’re happening across industries, picking up momentum, and pointing us toward a new social labor compact—one that is inclusive and connects our fights at work, at home, and in our communities. It’s not about just reviving the standard of the past. The people who drive for Uber, work for Starbucks, teach our children, and even write our favorite TV shows are envisioning and demanding a future of work that is bigger, bolder, and more inclusive than anything we’ve ever known. As community members, advocates, allies, and even consumers, we must build on this momentum and not let corporations and billionaires divide or distract us from reaching a world where we all truly have what we need to thrive.
Lauren Jacobs [[link removed]] Onward,
Lauren Jacobs
Executive Director
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Spotlight On: Drivers taking the fight to Uber [[link removed]]
Whether we work in an office, at a warehouse, from home, or on the road, we all want good jobs that let us look after our families and contribute to our communities. But app-based rideshare corporations like Uber are exploiting their workers through a business model that pushes drivers into unsafe situations, creating a safety crisis for drivers all across the country.
But drivers are fighting back—they’re organizing for living wages, safety, and to end unjust terminations. Drivers are building power that is becoming more and more difficult for app corporations to ignore.
Here’s the story of how they're doing it [[link removed]]
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Pushing for warehouse worker protections in New York
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The New Yorkers for a Fair Economy coalition—led by our affiliate ALIGN—is fighting to pass the Warehouse Worker Injury Reduction Act, which will hold employers accountable for workplace safety and design warehouses to protect workers first. Together with warehouse workers, advocates, labor unions, and community orgs, the coalition rallied in front of Jeff Bezos’ NYC apartment [[link removed]] , where they shared stories of workplace injuries and highlighted the need for increased worker protections.
WIN: New clean air and electric truck standard passes in California!
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The California Air Resources Board unanimously voted to adopt the Advanced Clean Fleet (ACF) Standard, which will transition truck companies and fleets from dirty diesel to pollution-free tech. This win comes after months of climate advocates and labor groups from across the state—including our affiliates CAUSE [[link removed]] , Center on Policy Initiatives [[link removed]] , Warehouse Worker Resource Center [[link removed]] , and staff from our national team—attending hearings, sharing powerful testimony, authoring thoughtful op-eds [[link removed]] , and rallying in support of the standard. The new ACF rule is historic, and we will continue to push for more ways to deliver clean air, good jobs, and justice to truck drivers and frontline communities.
Rallying for housing justice at the California State Capitol
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Last month, our affiliates EBASE [[link removed]] , OCCORD [[link removed]] , and CAUSE [[link removed]] joined over 700 tenants and allies in Sacramento to support a slate of critical housing justice policies. They united with a statewide movement of tenants rights and housing justice organizations in calling for an end to displacement and unjust evictions, the creation of permanently affordable housing, and the prioritization of the well-being and future of thousands of renters over corporate greed.
WIN: Working people decide how public dollars are spent Tempe, AZ
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After more than a year of advocacy and mobilizing, the Worker Power Institute (formerly known as Central Arizonans for a Sustainable Economy) helped to deliver a big win for working people! Tempe voters turned out in record numbers to oppose Propositions 301, 302, and 303 [[link removed]] , rejecting a proposed arena development for the Arizona Coyotes and denying massive tax giveaways to billionaires. Worker Power Institute has been advocating for transparency, responsible and equitable development, and community input, which Tempe voters have overwhelmingly affirmed in this decision.
WIN: Establishing a worker justice fund in San Diego, CA
[link removed] [[link removed]] The Center on Policy Initiatives (CPI) has been fighting against wage theft—when a worker is paid less than they earned—and retaliation in San Diego. As part of this work, they’ve been pushing for a worker justice fund that would provide financial assistance to workers experiencing wage theft or other violations of their rights. Just last week, CPI went to the San Diego Board of Supervisors to urge them to implement the fund and, thanks to their efforts and local labor groups, the Board approved putting $100,000 into the new fund [[link removed]] .
Making public transit truly affordable and accessible in Massachusetts
[link removed] [[link removed]] Last month, Community Labor United held an action calling on the Massachusetts State Legislature to make public transit affordable for working families across the Commonwealth. This includes pushing for funding for a low-income fare program [[link removed]] and passing legislation to ensure that a low-income fare is permanently available to riders starting as early as this year.
Hosting a People’s Budget Teach-In in Oakland, CA
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EBASE and local allies convened the Oakland People’s Budget Teach-In, a community event where attendees learned more about the platform for a People’s Budget. Together with Fair Labor Oakland allies, elected officials and city staff, Oakland workers and community members, EBASE is fighting for a budget that invests in building up the new Department of Workplace and Employment Standards and other critical services in order to prioritize worker and economic justice.
Uniting for housing and climate justice in Illinois
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Grassroots Collaborative joined the Illinois Green New Deal Coalition in launching [[link removed]] their social housing proposal. The Illinois Green New Deal for Social Housing [[link removed]] intends to put housing that is community-owned, publicly-funded, tenant-governed, accessible, affordable, and sustainable back in the hands of the people.
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The Workers’ Opera: Blue Light Special
Missouri Workers Center and Bread and Roses MO presented The 2023 Workers’ Opera, featuring ten workers who shared their experiences working and organizing at Amazon’s St. Louis (STL8) warehouse. The performers, who represent a variety of union and working class jobs, worked with a team of theater professionals to create each piece, weaving together labor history, current events, and their own lived experiences organizing for better working conditions. Watch the recording of this powerful performance here [[link removed]] .
“Amazon Is Everywhere. That’s What Makes It So Vulnerable.” As Amazon expands its empire of warehouses, airhubs, and delivery trucks (often at the expense of the surrounding communities), workers are identifying and leveraging their power at critical points in Amazon’s supply line. Read how groups like Inland Empire Amazon Workers United are organizing via The New York Times [[link removed]] .
“People Are Organizing to Fight the Private Equity Firms Who Own Their Homes.” Corporate landlords are jacking up rents across the country, but renters are fighting back . Hear how tenant leaders and organizers, like Betty Gabaldon with EBASE, are organizing buildings and whole neighborhoods via VICE [[link removed]] .
“‘God only knows how many workers have suffered and died’: Employees urge Cal/OSHA to set indoor heat rules.” Tim Shadix with Warehouse Worker Resource Center joins the chorus of warehouse workers, delivery drivers, restaurant employees and advocates calling for an indoor heat standard. Read more in CalMatters [[link removed]] .
“Amazon Workers in St. Charles demand clean drinking water, breathable bathrooms at warehouse.” Amazon workers supported by the STL8 Organizing Committee and Missouri Workers Center demanded a third-party test of water at the STL8 facility to ensure that it is potable. Read more via the Labor Tribune [[link removed]] .
“A Moral Budget for Oakland.” Reverend Jeremy McCants, EBASE’s Faith-Footed Organizer, writes why Oakland needs a moral budget that prioritizes housing, public safety alternatives to policing, worker protections, and a strong safety net for immigrants. Read the op-ed in the Oakland Post [[link removed]] .
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We do not have any open positions on our national team at the moment, but our affiliates are hiring! Check out open positions across our network [[link removed]] .
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PowerSwitch Action
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