John,
It’s time for the WFP monthly newsletter, where we catch you up on the state of our movement and how we’re fighting — and winning — together.
Keep reading for updates on important elections, legislation, the labor movement, and how you can help.
ENDORSEMENT ALERTS
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro has officially endorsed Philadelphia City Councilmember Kendra Brooks for re-election! Kendra made history in 2019 when she won her seat as a member of the Working Families Party, earning more votes than any Republican running for City Council At-Large and becoming the first third-party City Councilmember in the city’s modern history.
Governor Shapiro’s endorsement shows the strength of our movement, despite threats by the chair of the city’s Democratic Party against endorsing Working Families Party candidates. Read more from The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Over the next two months, we’ll keep working hard to elect Kendra and Nicolas O’Rourke on the WFP line to build a Philadelphia for the many — and kick Republicans off the City Council!
We’re also proud to announce our endorsement of Rep. Delia Ramirez as she runs for re-election to the House of Representatives!
Since taking office, Delia’s been a relentless advocate for the millions of working people who can't afford to pay for lobbyists — sponsoring bills that meaningfully invest in affordable housing, immigration reform, healthcare expansion, public education, and more.
And when she delivered WFP’s SOTU response earlier this year, she laid out a road map to a future that uplifts working people through advancements in economic, social, and racial justice, climate action, and a just foreign policy. Next year, thanks to amazing champions like Delia, we know that we can take back the House and win a Working Families majority.
SOLIDARITY FOREVER
“Hot Labor Summer” might be coming to a close, but this movement is only picking up steam headed into the fall.
On Friday, workers with the United Auto Workers union began to strike against General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis. The 150,000 members of the union are demanding pay increases, improved benefits and pensions, an end to the tiered wage system, and job security for all workers during the transition to electric vehicle production.
Check out this clip from our solidarity rally with UAW, MoveOn, and other allies last week. Or re-watch the full rally here.
Want to stay up to date on the latest with the UAW strike? Get updates from WFP by texting UAW to 30403.
In addition to the UAW, WFP activists and volunteers were proud to stand in solidarity with SAG-AFTRA this month, taking to the picket line as they and the WGA continue their fight for a fair contract.
To support entertainment workers and ensure that unions have the leverage they need to win their demands, pitch in to the Union Solidarity Fund now.
ELECTION RESULTS FROM OHIO, CONNECTICUT, AND RHODE ISLAND
Republicans in Ohio have been trying, yet again, to take away a person’s right to access abortion care and control their own body. To sabotage a ballot measure this November that would enshrine abortion rights in the state Constitution, they added their own, earlier ballot measure that would require future measures to reach a 60% majority in order to pass — a clear threat to our democracy.
But voters turned out for a summer special election to solidly reject their attempt to diminish voter power! Not only does this vote protect the value of a vote in Ohio, it prevents a major roadblock to enshrining abortion rights in this year’s General Election.
Connecticut held municipal primary elections on Tuesday, and we’re excited to share that all nine WFP-endorsed candidates won their races! These local seats will determine so many of the important policy issues communities face, and we’re proud of every supporter across the state who threw down to make this happen.
Unfortunately, WFP champion Aaron Regunberg came up short in his special election to represent Rhode Island’s 1st Congressional District. Despite this disappointment, Aaron and his team did so much to help inspire voters and volunteers in Rhode Island and nationwide to work to build a country for the many, not the few — even in the face of dark money smears and lobbyists attempting to buy their own candidate.
STOP COP CITY MOVEMENT SUBMITS 116,000 SIGNATURES TO MAKE THE BALLOT
In Atlanta, the work continues to stop Cop City, the $90 million mock city where police forces can test weapons and explosives, helicopter landings, and further militarize law enforcement against communities.
After the Atlanta City Council disregarded massive public outcry against Cop City earlier this year, we started the process to put the issue on the ballot to let the people of Atlanta decide for themselves. In order to make the ballot, we needed to collect 70,000 valid signatures from city residents. This was not an easy task, or a guarantee, especially with the municipal government fighting tooth and nail to damage our efforts, including arresting protestors.
But thanks to the support of people like you and volunteers and activists on the ground, we’re proud to say that earlier this week, we submitted more than 116,000 signatures to City Hall!
But the City Council and Mayor are acting up yet again. First, they included signature matching in their verification requirements, a blatant voter disenfranchisement tactic that the Democratic Party has historically opposed — including the Democratic Party of Georgia, which fought the practice in court in 2019. The city clerk is now refusing to start verifying the signatures at all. We're with Senator Warnock in demanding that the city verify eligible signatures and respect the will of the people.
Whatever they throw at us, we’ll persevere to ensure that Atlantans get to choose whether they want their money supporting the people or the police.
CELEBRATE LABOR DAY WITH THE WFP
This Labor Day, we kept up the fight for worker power and education.
We shared a breakdown video of where we are in the labor movement and why our organizing power is only growing with More Perfect Union:
WFP Director of Strategy and Partnerships Nelini Stamp published an op-ed in The Guardian about another group of exploited workers in the entertainment industry — reality TV stars, who have been subjected to inhumane conditions and traumatic experiences in the making of some of our favorite shows. Read the op-ed here.
And we released our new Labor and Unionization Toolkit, your guide to how you can unionize your workplace – and why you should!
WFP NATIONAL DIRECTOR MAURICE MITCHELL SPEAKS WITH NONPROFIT QUARTERLY
Earlier this month, WFP National Director Maurice Mitchell discussed movement-accountable government with Steve Dubb and Rithika Ramamurthy of Nonprofit Quarterly. They covered Maurice’s work as an organizer, his vision for the WFP, and how our grassroots movement can keep improving, growing, and influencing the world around us.
Read the full conversation here.
UPCOMING EVENTS
WFP Tuesday Text Party
On Tuesday, September 26 at 6 PM ET/3 PM PT, our national text team will be reaching voters about priority races coming up, and the amazing candidates working to make this a country where everyone can thrive.
No experience necessary! We’ll provide all the training you need to get started, and our organizers will be on deck for any questions you may have.
WFP Study Group: Reading for the Revolution
Our next WFP Study Group: Reading for the Revolution will be focused on I Hope We Choose Love, A Trans Girl’s Notes from the End of the World by Kai Cheng Thom! With trans rights and lives under constant attack from the right, it’s more important than ever that we care for the trans people in our lives and in our communities. Join the meeting on Thursday, September 28 at 7 PM ET/4 PM PT to learn more.
WFP Welcome Gathering:
It’s not too early to sign up for our next WFP Welcome Gathering, taking place Saturday, October 21 at 2 PM ET/11 AM PT!
Whether this is your first Welcome Gathering or you never miss a meeting, we’d love to see you as we build community and get concrete about how we’re growing the power we need to have an impact locally and nationally in this political movement.
Thanks for tuning in for our WFP Newsletter! Every month, we band together to protect our rights, protect our planet, and protect our democracy — despite the corporate and extremist interests trying to stop us.
We can’t do it without your help. Can we count on you to pitch in $10 or whatever you can to ensure that we have everything we need to win as we head into the fall?
Pitch in
In solidarity,
Team WFP
