Join us at the chapter meeting this Saturday to discuss Convention, Strike Force, Socialist Socials, and a brand new priority campaign resolution!
ARIZONA WORKS TOGETHER
This past Monday, after a comradely debate on chapter goals, our Executive Committee voted unanimously in favor of advancing a new priority campaign resolution to the full chapter on Saturday, August 19.
Under this proposed priority resolution, Phoenix DSA will launch a 2024 constitutional ballot initiative campaign to empower unions by abolishing Arizona’s right-to-work laws.
Our chapter has always shown great enthusiasm for union organizing.
In just the last few months, we have seen high levels of chapter engagement with our Strike Ready efforts and Strike Force! Our labor committee is among the chapter’s most active bodies and has led many recent actions.
We have turned out in force to support striking workers in triple-digit temperatures. Many of our members serve or have served with union leadership. Many more of our members march or have marched on many picket lines.
Our chapter has also shown great enthusiasm for ballot initiatives.
Our membership’s opposition to the Coyotes’ attempted takeover of downtown Tempe played a significant role in the rejection of that corporate-aligned and politically astroturfed initiative. Similarly, our membership’s support for legalizing marijuana and raising taxes on the wealthy to fund public schools played a large part in the passage of those 2020 ballot initiatives.
For these reasons and more, we believe that abolishing Arizona’s right-to-work laws, though inevitably fraught with extreme difficulty and constant opposition, is achievable! We also believe that fighting for unions, regardless of outcome, benefits all workers, our membership included.
By fighting for unions, we insulate workers against isolation and reactionary violence through camaraderie and revolutionary kindness.
By fighting for unions, we reinforce social structures that plant the intellectual seeds of class consciousness in working minds.
By fighting for unions, we develop valuable organizational knowledge and build intentional communities for organizers to work within.
Want to know more but can’t wait until Saturday? Send an email with your questions to [email protected]!
SOCIALISTS SOCIALIZING
For two weeks running, we’ve brought comrades together on Tuesday evening for drinks, laughs, and great conversation! We’ve met new members, non-members, and DSA-lifers at these events! We hope to see you too!
If you’re interested in DSA but don’t know where to start, this is the space for you! There’s no pressure, no judgment, and no hidden agendas. We genuinely believe that spending time together makes us stronger, and we hope to build that strength.
Keep an eye on our Instagram page for updates on upcoming socialist socials! Thank you to Comms Officer Kaland and Comrade Morningstar for putting these awesome gatherings together! See you next Tuesday!
REALLY, REALLY FREE MARKET
On Sunday, August 20, 2023, from 7:00am to 9:00am at Daley Park in Tempe, please join Phoenix DSA’s Mutual Aid Committee to support Really, Really Free Market (“RRFM”). In order to show our official support, several comrades from our Chapter will be in attendance, providing refreshments, purchasing needed supplies, and volunteering time and resources to support our local communities.
For over two years, RRFM has gathered and provided fresh produce, frozen and canned foods, diapers, baby food, toys, clothes, and so much more to local residents. Last month, at our yearly General Meeting, the chapter overwhelmingly voted to support this effort with chapter funds and official support, but we still need your help. Basic goods cost more today than they have in years. New parents are often hit the hardest, as diapers and formula are often snatched up by stockpiling hoarders shamelessly generating artificial scarcity for profit.
With that in mind, the chapter has earmarked $1200 to support RRFM over the next 12 months, and we’re asking for your support as well. If you can volunteer your time and efforts please consider attending. Our Mutual Aid Committee Chair, Comrade Dillon Dugan, has put many hours of hard work into sustaining and supporting RRFM. Anything that we can do to empower his work will go a long way.
If you can’t attend or you can’t volunteer to stay the whole time, please consider donating. If you are able to provide supplies but you want advice on what to bring, know that diapers, baby formula, and other items for new parents are always in high demand.
Secondhand items are accepted, but be conscious that not everything will be taken, and Comrade Dillon Dugan has to store all the remaining items. PLEASE, do not treat RRFM like a dump.
But this isn’t just a chance to give back. Mutual Aid is about community support - giving what you can and taking what you need. This isn’t charity. If you find something that you need at the Really, Really Free Market, then you can have it. No charge, no catch.
If you want to support Phoenix DSA’s mutual aid efforts but can’t attend in-person events, there are other ways to get involved. To show your support you can donate to the Phoenix DSA at this link, you can reach out to [email protected], you can join our chapter slack to get in touch with our Mutual Aid Committee Chair, Comrade Dillon, or you can attend a regular monthly meeting to learn more about joining the DSA and organizing for worker rights within our chapter.
AUGUST CHAPTER MEETING
Our next regular meeting is August 19 from 1:00-3:00pm. RSVP HERE!
Our August meeting will be dedicated to strategy, engagement, and information sharing. Chapter delegates will share reports from Convention; chapter officers will share updates on in-progress projects; committee chairs will brief the chapter on activities; and we will discuss a new priority campaign resolution!
We have big plans and high hopes for our chapter. We hope you will join us!
DSA chapters only receive a small portion (about 20%) of monthly member dues from DSA’s national organization. In addition, local chapters do not directly receive any portion of annual member dues. That means our work is dependent on donations from comrades like you.
Individual donations are absolutely essential to our chapter’s continued and expanded operations, but if you’re not in the position to financially support our work, we still want to see you on the picket line and in our meetings. However, if you can afford to make any financial contribution to the chapter, we request your support. Donations can be made at this LINK.
UNTIL NEXT TIME!
Organizing for socialist policies in a "purple" state like Arizona can be exhausting. Burnout is real, and isolation only makes it worse. So if you're unionizing your workplace, writing ballot initiatives, preparing to run for office, supporting mutual aid efforts, or fighting for a socialist future, we have space for you. You are not alone! We are in this together.
That’s all for now! But there is much more ahead. Please check our calendar for event updates.
If you have questions, comments, or ideas, please reach out to us at [email protected]. We're happy to help neighbors in need, and we're always excited to meet new comrades!
If you aren't a member, but you want to get involved, then JOIN THE DSA TODAY! Let us know you're a member by forwarding your welcome email to [email protected]. We look forward to working together!
If you want to get involved but you’re not sure where to start, check out our calendar or social media pages or send us an email at [email protected].
Be sure to check back regularly! We have new events in the works.
In the meantime, have a great week!
Solidarity forever!
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