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Dear John,
We are entering daunting times, and a moment that calls for deep solidarity. The incoming presidential administration has promised a campaign of mass deportations, embraced autocracy at home and abroad, and intends to hand the reins of the federal government over to the richest person in the world to slash funding for education and healthcare. We must and will show that we will not be cowed, that we will stand up for our neighbors and coworkers.
Yet as we defend our communities, we must also focus on the work that will ultimately free us from the grip of would-be strongmen and their billionaire backers: building a governing majority that believes in multiracial feminist democracy.
We will not escape authoritarianism until more people understand their pain — low wages, sky-high rents, soaring prices at the grocery store — to be the result of an economic system shaped by corporations, rather than scapegoating immigrants, trans folks, unhoused people, Black youth, and other marginalized communities. Nor can we restore faith in our public institutions until more of us have experienced firsthand how government can be a tool to advance our collective well-being instead of a puppet of wealthy elites.
This is no small task. It requires us, our movement allies, and philanthropic partners to act with courage, humility about where we need to dig deeper, a commitment to moving in unity, and a conviction that we can make real the world we dream of.
Right now, I draw hope from organizing happening across our network that illustrates how we move forward:
* Uber and Lyft drivers joining forces across cities to overcome Uber’s bully tactics and make their jobs safer.
* Renters calling out the corporate landlords behind our housing crisis and laying a policy and narrative foundation for community-controlled land and housing.
* Low-wage workers coming together across race and industry to overcome a state ban and win paid sick days and a historic $15 minimum wage in Missouri.
We are incredibly proud of all that we accomplished this year and we know it is not enough. Our movement must bring to scale these kinds of organizing projects and campaigns, so more people see their stake in the well being of everyone. In the coming year, our network will be growing our base building programs, testing new popular education and meaning-making efforts, and expanding the geographies in which we operate — and throughout, concentrating a spotlight on the corporations harming working people and our communities.
I invite you to explore our 2024 annual report [[link removed]] , and I hope you find inspiration in the powerful work taking place in cities and states all across our country. Even as we will face headwinds federally, we can and must grow local communities’ power to govern and show what’s possible when people come together. This is how we remind each other what love in public looks like: fast food workers turning out on their day off to join ridehail drivers marching for better jobs, renters refusing to let their landlord evict their neighbor for requesting basic repairs, communities coming out to insist everyone in their city needs safe water and clean air. I believe in my bones that this public love will carry us through the dark moments, and towards our shared liberation.

With love and solidarity,
Lauren Jacobs
Executive Director

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Our network continues to grow the base of people, organizations, and geographies necessary to shift governing power away from corporations and back to our communities. Graphic that reads: $55 million annual network budget; Over 1/3 of the US population lives in regions where our affiliates organize.
This year, we:
* Played a leadership role in more than 80 coalitions with over 2,000 member organizations;
* Knocked on over 480,000 doors and made nearly 1.5 million phone calls to infrequent and underrepresented voters; and
* Welcomed New Economy for Working Houston to our network.

Big wins across our network
From winning billions for housing and climate to raising standards for workers and renters, our network of 21 grassroots affiliates is driving transformational change in communities across the US. Explore the map to see some of the highlights from 2024 [[link removed]] .

Organizing with Uber drivers to Activate Respect
We connected driver groups from across the country to build shared power and stand up to Uber’s bullying:
* Conducting the largest-ever study of rideshare fares, exposing Uber’s greed and gaslighting tactics.
* Partnering with ACRE and rideshare driver groups to launch a multi-city campaign to end unfair deactivations and win new rules.
* Organizing with drivers around the country to turn the heat up on Uber, bringing drivers’ demands right to Uber’s front door.

Moving towards community-stewarded land and housing
We built power with renters, organizers, and elected officials to put public land and housing in the hands of our communities:
* Bringing organizers, elected officials, and city staffers on a learning trip to Vienna and Berlin, where we drew inspiration from alternative housing models.
* Equipping tenant leaders with the skills to organize their neighbors and challenge the power of real estate.
* Imagining and bringing to life bold policy solutions, like funding social housing in Chicago, IL and rethinking how public land is used in Nashville, TN.

Putting democracy back in the hands of our communities
We’ve been exposing the greedy corporations behind harmful state bans, and organizing campaigns that drive a wedge between corporations and elected leaders:
* Conducting powerful research that exposed Greystar Real Estate’s role in Colorado’s housing crisis, and deploying that research as part of a sharp organizing strategy that helped win statewide for cause eviction protections.
* Organizing against the interference that corporations have used to rig state law against workers and families, effectively winning historic wage and workplace protections in Missouri.

Read our 2024 Year in Review [[link removed]]

Support our work
This year and beyond, we’ll need to bring these kinds of organizing efforts, campaigns, and victories to scale. Like I mentioned above, it will take all of us moving together in unity to bring about the future we envision for our communities.
Can you support us with a donation so that we can continue to grow our base building programs, test out narrative strategies, equip our leaders and organizers, and take the fight directly to corporations?
DONATE [[link removed]]

PowerSwitch Action
1305 Franklin St.
Suite 501
Oakland, CA 94612
United States
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