From East Bay DSA <[email protected]>
Subject Newsletter: Changing of the season
Date September 24, 2020 6:30 PM
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Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle.



-- Martin Luther King, Jr.



Comrades,



Are you feeling the change in the seasons? Maybe it’s hard to say. It's not as if the high temperatures will pass right on cue. Our fire season has forced evacuations and broken records way ahead of past years' projections. And although students are back in session, working families still won’t be getting a break from them anytime soon. (Oops! did we write "students" there? We meant “the damn U.S. Senate!”)



But if you're in a back-to-school spirit yourself, East Bay DSA has events to energize you and courses to expand your analysis. Two extremely important and relevant Night School sessions next week, "What is Fascism and How Can We Fight It? ([link removed]) " and "Indigenous Ecology and Resistance ([link removed]) "; the Labor Committee presentation on "Socialists At Work: The Rank and File Strategy and How We Build Power ([link removed]) "; and the continuation of our Mutual Aid Mask Builds and Distributions ([link removed]) to provide high-quality smoke protection to those in need.



We're also cheering on our team as they gear up for a very important game—Alameda County healthcare workers, who are preparing to strike for safer conditions and quality patient care. This Sunday, we'll hear from the California Nurses Association and SEIU 1021, as well as AC Transit Board candidate Jovanka Beckles, about why their fight matters so much ([link removed]) .



While the turning of seasons is supposed to mark time and give us perspective on our place in nature, as socialists, we are never just waiting for things to change. Let's unite to turn the tide against capitalism; let's turn the fire against this unjust and violent system.



Solidarity!





News and Information

Here's some of the latest news and information from East Bay Majority ([link removed]) , East Bay DSA's news source with a socialist perspective





** WE CAN AFFORD TO GET RID OF BUS FARES – PERMANENTLY

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Our public bus service is facing cuts of up to 30%. But we need to expand public transit — and make it fare-free, as AC Transit Board candidate Jovanka Beckles proposes.



Read more ([link removed])

Featured Events

While we are still unable to meet face-to-face, events are still going on that you can be a part of. RSVP below to stay updated. You can also keep track on our Events page ([link removed]) .





** PHONEBANK FOR "STRIKE READY: STAND WITH PUBLIC HEALTHCARE WORKERS!"

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Tonight! September 24 | 6–8 p.m.

Online via Zoom – RSVP for info ([link removed]) ♿

Calling all comrades! Alameda Healthcare Workers need our solidarity!



Public hospital workers have had enough of the union-busting tactics and unsafe work environment created by Alameda Health Systems. Last Monday, the SEIU 1021 bargaining team announced enough is enough! They have reached an impasse with the board of trustees and are calling for a strike vote of the general membership this week. In order to ensure safe staffing, quality patient care, and wages that allow workers to stay in the Bay Area, they may have to put their jobs on the line.



In the event of a Yes vote, East Bay DSA needs to be in battle formation from the moment of the announcement. We’re proud to have pledged $500 as a chapter to support the healthcare workers, but we need everyone to chip in if we want to meet our goal. Join us to turn out members to the campaign launch!



RSVP ([link removed])





** PHONEBANK FOR THE GREEN NEW DEAL

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Tonight! September 24 | 6–9 p.m.

Online via Zoom ([link removed]) ♿

With smoke in the air and uncontained fires raging across the state, it’s easy to feel scared and defeated. But there are ways to fight back against the austerity capitalists who’ve gotten us here and to protect each other from the worst effects of the fires.

* Join us to check in on our neighbors and recruit them to work on Green New Deal Committee projects like:

* Let's Own PG&E campaign

* Mutual aid, including making and distributing masks

* Green New Deal Electoral Organizing

* Environmental Justice/Racial Solidarity

* A Green New Deal for Transit Campaign



No experience is required. We’ll show you what you need to have great conversations with some of the loveliest people in the world: the ones who’ve signed up through the letsownpge.org website!



RSVP ([link removed])





** PHONEBANK FOR "STRIKE READY: STAND WITH PUBLIC HEALTHCARE WORKERS!"

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Saturday, September 26 | 11 a.m.–1 p.m.

Online via Zoom – RSVP for info ([link removed]) ♿

See the September 24 phonebank above, and help us drive turnout for the September 27 campaign kickoff below!



RSVP ([link removed])





** TAX THE RICH: LABOR FOR PROP 15 PHONEBANK

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Saturday, September 26 | 12:30–2:30 p.m.

Online via Zoom – RSVP for info ([link removed]) ♿

In cities and counties across the state, organized labor and DSA chapters are uniting to win Prop 15 and demand a just recovery for the working class!



Join DSA and union members, from up and down the state to make calls to voters in support of Proposition 15, aka The Schools and Communities First Act! We all have a stake in making our state a better place, and talking to voters is how we win. We'll have training, tools, and solidarity from unionists and DSA members from all over California.



RSVP ([link removed])





** MUTUAL AID MASK BUILD AND DISTRIBUTION

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Saturday, September 26 | 3–5 p.m.

Empowerment Park, 465 Bellevue Ave, Oakland ♿

Red skies and smoke are hard on everyone, but as with most of the impacts of capitalism, create additional burdens on our poor and unhoused neighbors. Join us for a mutual aid mask build at Empowerment Park in Oakland, across from 465 Bellevue Ave. No experience necessary. Please bring PPE!



We will be close to the nearby road and can accommodate any accessibility needs. Please email the committee Co-Chairs at [email protected] with any accessibility questions or concerns.



RSVP ([link removed])





** SOCIALISTS AT WORK: THE RANK AND FILE STRATEGY AND HOW WE BUILD POWER

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Saturday, September 26 | 4–5:30 p.m.

Online via Zoom ([link removed]) ♿

You're a socialist, and you have to work for a living in order to survive. How can you combine those things and organize for socialism while on the job? Rank and file workers have played a crucial role in fighting for larger social demands that we benefit from to this day (The weekend! The 8-hour day! Much more!). Come hear labor sociologist Barry Eidlin discuss what the rank and file strategy is, why it's important, and how YOU can do it!



Join the Labor Committee for the first in a series about socialists at work, where you'll learn more about how to build power for the working class!



Barry Eidlin is an assistant professor of sociology studying class, politics, social movements, and social change at McGill University in Montreal. He's a member of DSA and the author of Labor and the Class Idea in the United States and Canada.



RSVP ([link removed])





** LIT DROP FOR JOVANKA BECKLES

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Sunday, September 27 | 1–3 p.m.

Cedar Rose Park, 1300 Rose St, Berkeley

Join us to drop off Jovanka literature at voters' doors! Jovanka Beckles is a people-powered, democratic socialist candidate for AC Transit Board fighting for the labor rights of transit workers and the green, fare-free, universally accessible transit system that the East Bay’s working people deserve. 🚌🚌🚌



👉 Meet us at Cedar Rose Park at 1pm. Bring your DSA or ATU shirt and your friends, family, or coworkers—no experience necessary!

👉 Wear a mask! Stay socially distanced. Gloves, sanitizer, masks, and water will be provided.

Together, let’s build a movement fighting for racial, economic, social, and environmental justice for all — powered by public transit. 🌹



RSVP ([link removed])





** STRIKE READY: STAND WITH PUBLIC HEALTHCARE WORKERS

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Sunday, September 27 | 4–6 p.m.

Online via Zoom ([link removed]) ♿

Join East Bay DSA and public healthcare workers to learn how we can support a potential strike to defend the public health of Alameda County! With the COVID-19 pandemic still raging and a new surge expected in the coming months, public healthcare workers at Alameda Health System are standing up for our community. The workers in our public health system have been understaffed, under resourced, and disrespected by management for years. These brave union activists are fighting back to win a healthcare system that is safe for workers and provides the high quality care that the working class of Alameda County needs.



They have had enough of the union busting tactics and unsafe work environment created by Alameda Health System management. Last Monday, the SEIU 1021 bargaining team announced enough is enough! They have reached an impasse with management and are calling for a strike vote of the general membership Monday, September 21 to Friday, September 25. If management won’t do what’s necessary to keep workers and patients safe, the union will have no choice but to make them.



In the event of a Yes vote, East Bay DSA needs to be ready to go. Join us on September 27 to learn how you can stand with public healthcare workers fighting for the common good!



Featured Speakers

* Sheleka Carter, SEIU 1021 AHS Chapter Secretary, DSA member

* Mawata Kamara, RN, CNA Board of Directors

* John Pearson, RN, SEIU 1021 AHS Chapter President, DSA member

* Jovanka Beckles, DSA-Endorsed AC Transit Board candidate (http:// [link removed])



RSVP on Facebook (http:// [link removed])





** LABOR COMMITTEE MEETING

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Sunday, September 27 | 6–8 p.m.

Online – RSVP for info ([link removed]) ♿

Please join the East Bay DSA Labor Committee for our regular monthly meeting. It's open to all DSA members who are interested in getting involved in labor work with their comrades! Learn more about how to get involved in the committee, our ongoing projects, and upcoming solidarity actions!



If you'd like to submit an item for the agenda, please email [email protected].



RSVP ([link removed])





** MEMBER ENGAGEMENT COMMITTEE MONTHLY MEETING

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Monday, September 28 | 7–9 p.m.

Online via Zoom – RSVP for info ([link removed]) ♿

We need your help building a strong and active chapter! Join our next Member Engagement Committee monthly meeting and learn how you can put your skills to work or grow new ones you never knew you had!



The Member Engagement Committee was created for the purpose of initiating and sustaining our members' active and healthy participation in the chapter's work. We cannot grow our movement without engaging and fostering growth within our current membership. We strive to grow confident organizers and leaders as well as strong relationships between comrades in our chapter by supporting all committees in their work and creating spaces for learning and camaraderie.



Our committee builds and maintains projects such as (but not limited to) our mobilizers program, planning and execution of chapter socials, new member events, and Organizer's Toolbox Trainings, as well as managing the onboarding of new members. As our chapter grows we need to grow our efforts with it and would love to welcome new members to our committee.



Contact us at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .



RSVP (http:// [link removed])





** MAKE CALLS FOR CARROLL FIFE

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Tuesday, September 29 | 6–8 p.m.

Online via Zoom ([link removed]) ♿

Let's make calls for Carroll Fife's campaign for City Council in Oakland District 3! Carroll is running on a platform of making housing a human right, defunding OPD, supporting essential workers, and taxing the rich. Let's build this movement together!



If it's your first time making calls, please join us! Training and support will be provided on Zoom throughout the event.



RSVP ([link removed])





** NIGHT SCHOOL: WHAT IS FASCISM AND HOW CAN WE FIGHT IT?

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Tuesday, September 29 | 7–9 p.m.

Online via Zoom ([link removed]) ♿

Since the election of Donald Trump in 2016, and even more so in recent months, the Left is paying increasing attention to the rise of the right-wing and fascism. In response to the popular uprisings against racism and police brutality, fascist violence and organizing is on the rise in the US and is likely to increase as we approach the elections in November. We see this on the internet, where facist memes and personalities spread wildly, and in the streets, where fascists assault and murder protesters and others in the name of their ideology.



But what exactly is fascism? Who are fascists, and what do they actually want? What’s the difference between fascists and run-of-the-mill racists, conservatives and cops, and what’s the relationship among them? How has fascism been successful in the past, and how has it been defeated?



Join East Bay DSA for a remote Night School on Fascism in 2020. Our speaker will be Craig Johnson, member of East Bay DSA and UAW 2865 at UC Berkeley, where he studies the history of fascism and the radical right. Our discussion will begin with our speaker, followed by breakout groups, and closing with group discussion and a Q&A session.



Click the RSVP button below to see the readings for this session!



RSVP ([link removed])





** TAX THE RICH: PROP 15 PHONEBANK

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Wednesday, September 30 | 6–8 p.m.

Online via Zoom – RSVP for info ([link removed]) ♿

Join DSA comrades from up and down the state to make calls to voters in support of Proposition 15, aka The Schools and Communities First Act ([link removed]) ! We all have a stake in making our state a better place, and talking to voters is how we win.



Prop 15 is a crucial piece of legislation that, if passed, will reclaim ten to twelve BILLION dollars a year for California’s public schools and services by closing a commercial property tax loophole that has been benefiting only a fraction of corporations and wealthy investors for decades. This proposition is a crucial step towards redistributing the wealth and resources that corporations have been hoarding for years back to the working-class public.



So please join us to help spread the word – we'll have training, tools, and solidarity from fellow DSA members from all over California. Together we can build a California that works for all of us, not just the wealthy few.



RSVP ([link removed])





** LABOR CENSUS PHONEBANK

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Wednesday, September 30 | 6–8 p.m.

Online via Zoom – RSVP for info ([link removed]) ♿

Help the Labor Committee Phonebank Members for the Labor Census! The labor census is an initiative to find out more about EBDSA members and their workplaces. We want as many members as possible to participate in this census, so we'll need all hands on deck to call through our membership list.



As a socialist organization, EBDSA needs to be engaged in the task of building working-class power. There are many ways this can be done, but organizing ourselves at the point of production is one of the most effective and it starts simply by meeting, connecting, and talking with others in one’s industry.



Our chapter’s greatest strength is its membership. At the moment, many of our members aren’t aware of how they can build our movement within their workplaces. This is where the census comes in. By finding out what kind of work our members do, for whom, and what level of organization exists at their workplaces, we can start to support our members (unionized or non-unionized) to organize and build power in their workplaces.



No experience necessary. Onboarding and training will be provided.



RSVP ([link removed])





** SOCIALIST NIGHT SCHOOL: INDIGENOUS ECOLOGY AND RESISTANCE

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Thursday, October 1 | 6:30–8:30 p.m.

Online via Zoom ([link removed]) ♿

In 2018 the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released an alarming report, stating that the world needed to steeply cut its carbon emissions and make radical changes in order to limit the planet’s temperature from rising to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels. If that goal wasn’t met, the report predicted a horrifying increase in suffering for almost all life and ecological collapses.



In America, this report was met on the political Left by sustained calls for the abolition of capitalist exploitation of people and the planet. The rationale was that capitalism’s imperative for endless economic growth required massive amounts of energy, the vast majority of which is still produced through fossil fuels. Some of the specific responses were reinvigorated support for anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist struggles by Indigenous peoples, surges in attendance at climate strikes, and great support for proposals like the Green New Deal by elected officials.



East Bay DSA is exploring this theme in a Socialist Night School mini-series, co-organized with our Green New Deal Committee. These 3 events explore what it means to be an ecosocialist, the Red Deal and Indigenous struggle, and how to fight for a Green New Deal after Bernie.



In this second Night School, we’ll study the struggle by the Indigenous peoples of Turtle Island (commonly known as “North America”) for decolonization and to re-establish their historic relations with the land. Our readings will emphasize how anti-capitalist resistance is crucial to that project, and how we, as socialists, can support that work.



To learn more about the speakers and see the readings for this session, click the RSVP button below.



RSVP ([link removed])





** SUPPORT STRIKING HEALTHCARE WORKERS

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Friday, October 2 | 6–8 p.m.

Online via Zoom – RSVP for info ([link removed]) ♿

Healthcare workers need our solidarity! Over 3,000 SEIU 1021 union members working at the Alameda Health System (AHS) are potentially going on strike. They are nurses and housekeepers, clerks, social workers, and more. By striking, the healthcare workers are fighting for:

* Safe Staffing

* No cuts to patient care

* Wages and Healthcare that allow us to live in the Bay Area



Join us for a virtual night of organizing on Friday, October 2, 6–8 p.m. We will be reaching out to DSA members and the public to inform them of the strike and turn them out to the picket line. No experience necessary.



RSVP ([link removed])





** TRANSIT FOR THE PEOPLE AND THE PLANET TOWN HALL

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Saturday, October 3 | 1–2:30 p.m.

Online via Zoom – RSVP for access ([link removed]) ♿

Last month wildfires raged across the West Coast, choking the Bay Area with smoke and leaving us with the worst air quality in the world. Ever-increasing greenhouse gas emissions make our climate hotter while our quality of life deteriorates. We must implement a Green New Deal — a massive public investment in green infrastructure — to curb emissions while ensuring good jobs for all. We can begin instituting a local Green New Deal now with massively expanded, fare-free public transit. Join AC Transit Board candidate Jovanka Beckles, Berkeley City Councilmembers Kate Harrison and Cheryl Davila, Building Trades union member Rob Rooke, and bus operator and labor organizer Nathaniel Arnold for a discussion on putting public transit at the center of a Green New Deal for the East Bay.



RSVP ([link removed])





** MUTUAL AID MASK BUILD AND DISTRIBUTION

------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday, October 3 | 3–5 p.m.

Empowerment Park, 465 Bellevue Ave, Oakland ♿

See the description for our September 26 event above. Please bring PPE!



We will be close to the nearby road and can accommodate any accessibility needs. Please email the committee Co-Chairs at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) with any accessibility questions or concerns.



RSVP ([link removed])





** GREEN NEW DEAL FOR TRANSIT CAMPAIGN MEETING

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Monday, October 5 | 7–9 p.m.

Online via Zoom – RSVP for info ([link removed]) ♿

Join us to win power for:

* Free Public Transit

* Greatly expanded service, accessibility, and schedule

* Protection of union workers and expansion of union jobs

* Social equity to overcome transportation discrimination

* Conversion of Public Transit to Zero Emissions vehicles



RSVP ([link removed])

Upcoming Events





** MAKE CALLS FOR CARROLL FIFE

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Tuesday, October 6 | 6–8 p.m.

Online via Zoom ([link removed]) ♿️ ([link removed])

See description for September 29 event. Let's build this movement together!



RSVP ([link removed])





** MOBILIZER TEAM PHONEBANKING

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Tuesday, October 6 | 6–8 p.m.

Online via Zoom – RSVP for info ([link removed]) ♿

The Mobilizer team's mission is to build the personal connections that help DSA members get more involved in our chapter and politically active. We have one on one conversations with both new members and existing members of our chapter where we learn about what drew them to the struggle for socialism and help them think about how they want to take the next step to get more engaged. In this weekly phone bank, we call our members and train new Mobilizers how to make calls. Come help us build a strong chapter and movement while having great conversations



RSVP ([link removed])





CATCH UP ON NIGHT SCHOOL

With social distancing guidelines still in place, now's as good a time as any to catch up on our Socialist Night School.



Catch up on past night school readings and videos below.



Watch past Night School videos ([link removed])



Catch up on Night School readings ([link removed])





Not a Member Yet? Let's Fix That.

DSA now has 70,000 members nationally, and we're still growing. There's never been a better time to get involved than right now! Join our national organization by clicking below and become an official socialist organizer.



Join DSA ([link removed])





Caucus Corner

Our caucuses organize events too! Check out the Caucus Corner of our website ([link removed]) to learn more about the activities of East Bay DSA caucuses and how to participate.





Announcements





SUPPORT THE SEIU 1021 STRIKE RELIEF FUND!

Workers at Alameda Health System are fighting for the hospitals and clinics we deserve. They’ve been bargaining for months, but AHS has refused to negotiate in good faith and won’t stop making cuts, and now these front-line healthcare workers are ready to strike. Support their strike fund and help meet their basic needs so they can win this fight!



Donate here ([link removed])





JOIN THE CLASSROOM JUSTICE CAMPAIGN

📚✏️VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!!📚✏️ EBDSA’s Classroom Justice Campaign has been distributing coloring books with resources and information for parents and teachers during the COVID-19 crisis MONDAY and THURSDAY mornings at OUSD food distribution sites, which have doubled this summer. We're looking for more volunteers to help with distribution and printing!



Interested? Sign up using this Google form ([link removed]) .



More info at classroomjustice.org.





Capitalism can no longer secure the positive adherence of working people to the system because it does not provide for their needs, and everyone knows that.





--Robert Brenner



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