Hello!

The struggle for safety and economic relief continues as essential workers in grocery stores, food distribution and manufacturing go on wildcat walkouts and strikes across the US. Workers everywhere are being put at risk to protect capital and they are standing up. As organized socialists, our role is to agitate: talk to our neighbors, our coworkers, our families, and friends about the militancy happening around us and the need to fight to get the protections and relief we need now. 

Here’s the weekly round up of how DSA New Orleans is organizing and fighting during this time of crisis: 

• Communications Committee has developed a guide detailing what aid is available to workers from the federal relief package passed by congress. Share this guide and look out for upcoming video trainings about how to file for unemployment. We need help developing and facilitating these trainings. To help out check out the #labor channel on our slack
  
  

• Worker Power Louisiana (formerly Labor Committee) is demanding the Exhibition Hall Authority and New Orleans & Company provide $100 million in direct aid to service, tourism, and culture workers. This statement was developed with coalition partners at MACCNO, BARE nola, unite HERE!, Step Up, Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center, HousingNOLA, Greater New Orleans Housing Alliance, Louisiana Center For Children's Rights, Puentes New Orleans, Jane Place, Workplace Justice Project, and more and submitted to the Lens & Advocate and will be published today. You can find more details on the #labor channel in our slack. 

• Healthcare Committee is working on a campaign to support healthcare workers organizing to protect workers and patients across the New Orleans area. We will be directly assisting healthcare workers organizing on the job while organizing a public pressure campaign demanding city officials support Medicare for All. You can find more details in the #healthcareforall channel in our slack. 

In addition our next weekly Chapter General Call is Wednesday 4/1/20 at 6:30 PM. We’ll discuss some concepts from recent webinars from DSA National: How to Beat Coronavirus Capitalism. Naomi Klein, Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, and others discuss how we need to organize now to prevent the capital from reorganizing our world after this crisis. In light of this, how should we organize locally? What organizing can we build now that will be durable beyond this crisis?  Register via zoom here.

Upcoming Calls
All members are invited to join these New Orleans DSA calls, coalition calls, and National DSA calls 

• Labor Notes: Organizing without a Union Tuesday 3.31.20 6:00 pm Some employers are laying us off and canceling our health care. Others say workers must show up for work regardless of the danger—and then not giving us the protective equipment we need. What can non-union workers do to protect themselves, their families, and the public? Register via zoom here.
  
  

• Worker Power Louisiana Call: Worker Relief Fund Thursday, 4.2.20 6:30pm - 8:00 pm  Please join us as we discuss issues we are facing as workers, our current EHA campaign to create an emergency worker relief fund accessible to all workers, and the national Restaurant Organizing Project.. Zoom link here or call    +1 929 205 6099 and enter meeting ID:  890 596 621
  
  

• Healthcare Committee Tuesday April 7th 5:30 pm The urgent need for a more just health care system has never been more clear. Join our chapter's Health Care Committee calls for discussions on how to organize in this moment around a variety of issues related to Medicare for All and local health justice! Register via zoom here.

Additional Announcements

• Elections for Louisiana Delegates to the Democratic National Convention are happening now. The only way to vote is to request a mail in ballot by 5pm on Wednesday, April 8. You can request a ballot here. We can elect Bernie strong delegates to the DNC with as little as 100 votes so every vote counts.
  
  

• In addition to our own mutual aid networks, it's important to help out with other established systems. Locally, this work is being coordinated through ReadyNOLA and Hands on New Orleans here.  By volunteering we can use our skills, avoid duplicating work, and we can make DSA visible in the community if we wear a DSA or Medicare for All shirt or swag. 

We’re sending everyone our solidarity at this time, that’s the only way we’ll get through this, 

New Orleans DSA