Comrade,
THE WEEKEND: Saturday: Socialist Night School 3 PM on
Central America and Neocolonial Empire; also anti-ICE action with “For Us Not Amazon” (see Takes, below) and Grassroots Planning Coalition plans response to Council’s attempt to weaken the DC Comprehensive Plan (see Allies events). “Sunday For Us Not Amazon” petitions against Amazon ICE collaboration at the Pentagon City Whole Foods (also below, in Takes).
In the Update: Takes on UNITE-HERE’s DCA solidarity action for striking catering workers July 23; Labor WG meeting and For Us Not Amazon actions; more details on DSA National Convention proposals and how MDC DSA members can amend, support or boo them, and more. Plus MDC DSA calendar for July/August, events from our allies in the DMV and some Good Reads.
New and Green: notifications that come in after the Friday AM email Update can be seen in the web Update anytime in the coming week. Look for the green entries at the top of the Update.
TAKES
Airline Food Workers Invite Allies to Join Informational Picket Line July 23 to Demand that One Job Should Be Enough
MDC DSA members at the June GBM heard from UNITE HERE’s Damiana Dendy about this solidarity ask:
Tuesday, July 23 UNITE HERE National Airline Food Workers Informational Picket Line, 5 PM at Reagan National Airport.
RSVP here.
This week, MDC DSA’s Steering Committee voted to endorse the action.
Support UNITE HERE members who prepare and load the food served on American, Delta and United Airlines planes in D.C. and across the mid-Atlantic. UNITE HERE President D. Taylor and AFA-CWA President Sara Nelson will join these workers in solidarity in their fight that One Job Should Be Enough. American Airlines, Delta, and United’s $50 billion-plus profits in just the past 5 years hasn’t translated into a living wage for these workers. In June, 11,000 airline catering workers nationwide
voted to authorize strikes when released by the government. Nationally, the majority of the food workers serving these airlines still earn less than $15 per hour – and health care has become unaffordable.
The week of July 22, catering workers nationwide will mobilize to end poverty in the airline industry, anchored by this informational picket at Reagan National Airport. Workers who prepare food for American Airlines, Delta Airlines, and United Airlines flights at JFK, LGA, ATL, MIA, DFW, SFO, ORD, MCO, MSP, DTW, PHL, LAX, BOS, CVG, IAD, SEA, and DCA
have all taken strike authorization votes. National actions will be taking place at airports all through the week of July 22nd. Updates on labor disputes at these airports as well as other hubs of the major airlines can be found at
AirportStrikeAlert.org. UNITE HERE, which last year took 7,700 Marriott workers on strike, is committed to ending poverty in this industry once and for all. For more info about solidarity action contact
Damiana Dendy or
RSVP here.
Note that
MDC DSA’s Labor Working Group July meeting is next
Tuesday, July 16 with debrief on the canvass and discussion of specific company targets.
Same day as the Labor WG meets is the second of Amazon Prime Days, when the Bezos behemoth promotes its loyalty-ensnarement program. Workers at the Amazon warehouse/sweatshop in Shakopee, Minn.
will pitch a strike action July 15 and the company has been getting
continued pushback from workers as well as from exasperated competitors.
Our NoVa comrade Alex H with
“For Us Not Amazon” has
the full scoop on activist opportunities as Ughazon celebrates a corporate birthday with a very corporate sales pitch called Prime Day.
Saturday July 13th 8:20 AM, Arlington County Gov't Center:
Coalition member Roshan Abraham will be delivering a statement to the Arlington County board that should be demanding Amazon end their contracts with ICE. We are asking people to come stand in solidarity and show community support for our neighbors being surveilled, detained and deported by ICE. The statement will be delivered during the public comment period starting at 8:30 AM in the Arlington County Government Center.
We will be meeting up in the lobby at 8:20, stand with Roshan while he delivers his statement and depart after the County Board has given their response. Please bring signs (we'll have a few on hand).
BOYCOTT PRIME DAY- Amazon's fake holiday is soon upon us. There will be actions across the country in response to Amazon's big day, all helping to highlight many of the aspects that is so wrong about this colossus. For example,
workers at the Amazon fulfillment center in Minnesota will be striking in protest of Amazon's lack of response to their demands of better treatment. We will be focusing on our demands for Amazon to cut ties with ICE and any contractor who profits from the deportation machine (
like Palantir).
Sunday July 14th: Petitioning at Whole Foods
Whole Foods is one of the most prevalent Amazon presences people see outside of the cardboard boxes arriving at their door. Last year, we joined with ACRE (Action Center on Race & the Economy) to raise awareness of Amazon's selling of white nationalist goods and media on their platforms. This year we will be petitioning around Amazon's connection to the deportation machine. We will be meeting at the
Pentagon City Whole Foods (520 12th St S, Arlington, VA) at 10:30 AM.
Tuesday July 16th: Join us in solidarity with migrants and working people to demand Amazon cut all ties to ICE and agencies that criminalize, incarcerate, and deport our community members.
We’ll be in the neighborhood of one of Jeff Bezos’ houses to let people know his and Amazon’s role in the separation of families, mass raids, and the deportation machine. We’ll also be delivering petitions from thousands of people calling on Amazon to end all ties to ICE!
We’ll gather at the park across from Dupont Circle Station at 9 AM.
Facebook event link:
https://www.facebook.com/events/438764280279862/
Other goings on:
2019 DSA CONVENTION
National Governance and priorities resolutions and our delegation.
Local delegates spoke at the June GBM about resolutions and bylaws amendments that local chapter members are being asked to support through their delegates as they are introduced at the National DSA Convention Aug. 2-4 in Atlanta. The 88 proposals approved for National Convention debate are
here, with fiscal notes from staff. MDC DSA members who want to advocate for or against any of these proposals can connect with the 41-member MDC DSA delegation at
this email address.
Delegates speaking at the June GBM advocated for several proposals, including for two proposed bylaws/constitutional amendments. Change #2 in
the list of proposed changes, referred to as “Pass the Hat,” would redistribute organizational funds to smaller and poorer chapters. Change #33, called “Assembly of Locals… restructures National to redistribute power to the locals.”
MDC DSA delegate Nate S at that GBM outlined a proposal (Resolution #2) from the DSA group
Collective Power Network on accelerating organizing efforts through a National Organizing Council, with a goal of bringing the organization to around double its current membership, or 100,000, by 2021. Two of the four Res#2 authors, and half the 24 charter signatories, are MDC DSA comrades. More recently, he has
amplified the argument writing (as Nate Steel) for the Collective Power Network blog.
All members can submit proposed amendments to any resolution or bylaws change on either list by July 16th (extended deadline) using this form. As noted above, member advocacy on any of the convention proposals can be communicated to the whole delegation at this email address.
And Metro DC DSA is raising funds to help our delegates get to Atlanta for that Aug. 2-4 National Convention. Info and donate link is here.
It is easy to forget that Chelsea Manning has been jailed since May 17 for refusing to testify in a grand jury investigation against Julian Assange. You can read her very thoughtful letter to Judge Trenga on why she is resisting this process
here. Chelsea is still facing escalating legal costs so please consider donating to her legal fund
here.
[Francesco R]
MDC DSA Publications Schedule
Our periodicals stay constant through the summer;
Updates will appear Fridays, July19 and 26 and the August issue of the
Washington Socialist appears Friday, August 2 with an article deadline of Sunday, July 28 (but for collaborative editing, earlier is better).
Our activism gains support when it is explained in a socialist context and voice, so submit your contribution to our ongoing narrative here. Opinion pieces, campaign updates, coverage of rallies, socialist illustrations or photo essays – all are welcome and valued. Check our
submission guidelines.
“You cannot buy the revolution. You cannot make the revolution. You can only be the revolution. It is in your spirit, or it is nowhere.” — Ursula K. Le Guin,
The Dispossessed
But don’t keep it to yourself.
Yours in solidarity,
The Publications Working Group
