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Dear John,
The start of summer always brings a certain excitement and energy for what’s ahead: what plans can we make, where can we go, and what can we do? It’s a time of possibility, and the same is true for our work. Summer is when we imagine what is possible, and then make it happen.
This summer, we’re exploring how our communities can thrive when we wrest governing power away from corporations and put everyday people in control of our jobs, our homes, and even our electric system. Our Energy Democracy toolkit and recent panel discussion show how communities from Boston to the East Bay are rejecting private utilities and building energy systems that are affordable, green, and resilient. In Illinois, the Green New Deal Coalition launched their Social Housing Proposal which would provide housing for all that is democratically controlled and affordable to all who need it. And in Colorado, renters held "the Slummys," an anti-awards show to call out the corporate landlords who are trying to crush tenant protections. And in cities across the US, Uber and Lyft drivers are joining together to fight back against the exploitative business model that puts them at risk, threatens their stability, and siphons their earnings. 
These fights are interwoven—whether it’s Uber, Blackstone or a private utility, we’re going up against corporate interests and a wealthy few who extract from all aspects of our lives. Take California’s Inland Empire, the largest warehousing hub in the country, where Amazon warehouse workers are organizing for better pay, working conditions, and climate solutions that can curb the air pollution directly harming their families and neighbors. Corporations see our labor, our homes, and our planet as opportunities for profit, and that’s why we need to organize and contest for power in all of these spaces.
I’m reminded of the building security officers in Boston who helped teach me this lesson. In the midst of the 2008 housing crisis, the security officers (who were majority Black and immigrant men) were pushing for a new contract with private equity firm Blackstone. At the bargaining table they demanded better pay and funds that would protect their communities and neighbors, just as banks and private equity firms were abandoning families and homeowners on the frontlines of the foreclosure crisis. This theory of fighting for what people need as part of a larger community is core to the movement of bargaining for the common good.
This summer and beyond, we’re expanding what is possible for our communities when everyday people have the power to decide how their electricity is generated, what affordable housing looks like in their neighborhoods, and how they do their work.
In solidarity,
Lauren Jacobs
Executive Director

Panel Recap: Workers and organizers are winning Energy Democracy across the country
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Last week, as the Apartment Association of Metro Denver gathered landlords and board members for their annual banquet and awards celebration, renters and allies showed up to speak out against corporate greed. Earlier this year, the industry group blocked proposals for policies that would have protected hundreds of thousands of Coloradans from destabilizing rent hikes and displacement. Tenants were rightly outraged by the group’s celebration, so they held their own awards show, The Slummys, where they shared their stories, the impact corporate greed has had on them, and vowed to fight for a Colorado that protects them and their families from unjust housing conditions.

LAANE and coalition partners have been supporting the Tourism Workers Rising campaign , which includes a new motion to raise the wage for over 36,000 tourism workers to $25/hour immediately, $30/hour by the 2028 Olympics, and ensure that tourism workers have access to quality health care. On May 30th, the LA City Council voted unanimously for a legislative report on the motion – a critical step before the policy is drafted. And just last week, LAANE joined a historic sit-in with hundreds of people on Century Blvd near LAX, led by hospitality workers who are demanding a raise and a fair contract for the people who make LA’s tourism and travel industry possible.

Amazon workers with the STL8 Organizing Committee, supported by Missouri Workers Center, have had a busy May! Five members joined The Workers’ Opera: Blue Light Special. Then, twelve members delivered a petition with over 400 signatures demanding a range of safety measures and practices. In a coordinated day of action with Amazon workers and allies across the country, STL8 worker and organizing committee member Yvonda Clopton presented a resolution at Amazon’s annual shareholder meeting urging an independent safety audit of Amazon’s warehouses. Just last week, Sen. Bernie Sanders launched an investigation into Amazon’s warehouses, calling the conditions at the facilities “uniquely dangerous” and citing the STL8 fulfillment center in a letterto CEO Andy Jassy. The announcement came just weeks after STL8 worker and organizing committee member Jennifer Crane visited Washington, D.C. to share stories of the company’s health and safety violations with members of Congress.

OCCORD hosted a free screening of “The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales,” a documentary about Disneyland workers, corporate power, and inequality, followed by a panel discussion featuring the film director, Abigail Disney. Neighborhood unions, residents, and community members attended the event and shared how Disneyland workers, many of whom are rent-burdened or unhoused, deserve better from the multi-billion dollar corporation. As Disneyland Forward, the development project to update and expand the existing resort in Anaheim, kicks off, OCCORD is ensuring that residents are informed about the expansion, attending community meetings, and weighing in on the decisions that will impact the future of their neighborhoods.

The PA state budget is due in just a few days, and POWER has been mobilizing with faith leaders, residents, and supporters to ensure that it includes fair, equitable investments in communities across the state. Earlier this month they traveled to Harrisburg where they rallied with over 300 people to demand education funding, whole home repairs, and an increase to the minimum wage.

Wilkinsburg-Penn Joint Water Authority, which services thousands of people, abruptly changed their billing system, leaving customers unable to pay their water bills or check their balances and, in some cases, without water at all. The new system, which won’t be functional until October, stopped accepting auto-pay and electronic payments, failed to inform customers of the change, and then sent out shut-off notices to residents and buildings across the area. Pittsburgh United and allies are demanding that the water authority put an end to shut-offs and create a customer assistance program.

Since the passage of Seattle’s Social Housing Initiative (I-135) in February, thirteen people representing community, labor, housing, and climate have been appointed to oversee and govern the affairs of the Seattle Social Housing Developer and to use their diverse perspectives and expertise to inform its operations. Puget Sound Sage’s HR Program Director, Kaileah Baldwin, has been chosen as a member and elected to serve as the Board Chair!

Tennessee exposes how corporations are driving harmful state bans on local policymaking on a wide variety of issues, such as affordable housing, wages, paid sick leave, and even municipal broadband access. State Interference in Tennessee reveals how corporate influence has shaped the priorities of Tennessee state lawmakers and shows how corporate-driven state bans harm Tennessee communities, particularly low-income, Black, and brown communities.

As the climate crisis creates more extreme heat waves, Inland Empire Amazon Workers United (IEAWU) and Warehouse Worker Resource Center are raising the alarm about unsafe temperatures and working conditions inside of warehouses across the state. From exhaustion to nosebleeds to even stroke or death, heat-related illnesses pose a serious risk to warehouse workers indoors, but can be prevented with the proper safety measures and standards in place. Last month, IEAWU members testified before the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board, demanding stronger rules to protect workers from indoor heat when working intensive jobs for long hours.

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