Labor and Socialism 101

Labor is critical to socialism and there’s one simple reason why: Power.

Ending capitalism is impossible without struggling against the capitalists. This task can feel insurmountable. But capitalism has one very important weakness: profit.

The primary driving force of the capitalist system is the desire of capitalists to generate profit, then turn that profit into even more profit. This process of accumulation is what explains the constant expansion of capital into previously untouched areas since capitalism began. Profit is never directly generated by the capitalist. Instead, they hire a workforce to produce the goods and services which they sell. A large source of the capitalist’s profit comes from workers: we are paid much less than the value we produce.

Workers can bring this all to a grinding halt. When they unite and organize, workers have the potential to kick the capitalists where it hurts — by refusing to work and obstructing the ability of capital to make profit. And if those workers form a united front across industries, they have the power to overturn capitalism. This revolutionary potential is why organized labor is so important to socialism.

Read the rest here.

Learn more about how labor relates to socialism from this recording of the panel hosted by MADSA's Labor working group last week:

Did you #CometotheTree?

On Tuesday, Housing Justice League and MADSA showed up to support the Trestletree United Tenants Association. Trestletree is filing an official complaint with Housing and Urban Development (HUD) citing evidence of a consistent pattern of violations of HUD program requirements, especially the tenants’ right to organize under HUD regulation 24 CFR Part 245. Trestletree is calling on HUD, specifically the Southeast Regional Director Donald Billingsley, to mediate a negotiation between their Tenants Association, Monroe Group, and the property owner, Trestletree CHC LLC to help bring an end to tenant harassment, unfair fines and fees, and dangerous living conditions. Follow Housing Justice League to stay plugged in to this campaign.

FRIDAY: Join us on Twitch!

We finally have a Twitch! Our comrades have organized a great way to spend your Friday evening. @TonightWeRiot is a crowd-brawler by @PPU512 via @Means_TV. Join MADSA's @XavierXeta @sleepy_josh @BrandynBuchanan and more for a good gamer time.

SATURDAY: It's time for a BIG General Meeting!

You tired of hearing "Blorgia" yet? Well get used to it, because we've got another 8 weeks of it!

It's time to decide how we respond as a chapter. Read the resolution for our Runoff Election Response, and remember that you have until Friday at 11:59pm to submit an amendment.

Read the full meeting agenda here.

Members in good standing will vote through an online form shared during the meeting. You are a member in good standing if you have paid national dues within the last year. If you can't remember if you've paid dues lately, pay or renew your national dues today (and pay monthly dues so you don't forget again!) You must renew your dues 30 minutes before the meeting in order to vote.

SATURDAY: Join the Afrosocialist Caucus

Read or watch Democracy Now! co-host Juan González discuss the "false narrative” taking root that Latinx voters were primarily to blame for the weak Democratic result. “The main story is that people of color, especially Latinos, flocked to the polls in numbers that far exceeded what the experts had expected, while the total number of votes cast by white Americans barely increased from the last presidential election,” says González. “How come none of the experts are asking why white voters underperformed the Democratic Party?”

Email [email protected] to RSVP.

Sunday @ 7pm:

New member? Get oriented!

Welcome to Metro Atlanta DSA! We’re thrilled to have you on board, but you may be wondering where to get started. This info session and Q&A will be a chance for new members to learn more about socialism and DSA and to get an overview of our chapter. Join us to learn how you can get involved with fighting capitalism and building socialism in Metro Atlanta and beyond!

What you missed on #SeizetheMemes

If you don't get it, watch Office Space 😏

Take the Labor survey

As socialists, it's imperative that we organize as workers, whether we currently belong to unions or not. Please take a couple of minutes to fill out this form and answer a few questions about your employment, even if you are currently unemployed or perform unpaid work. Doing so will help our chapter better organize and support our members at and across our workplaces.

Join us on Slack

Not finding what you're looking for here? If you’re a member, you’ve got access to the Slack channel. (Email [email protected] if you have questions about your access to the Slack.) There’s no faster way to get plugged in to committees, working groups, and find answers to your questions.