Dear John, Sisters and Brothers, I’ll be up front with you, since you wouldn’t have it any other way. This letter is a money pitch. It’s a pitch for contributions to People’s World, a News Guild union shop and a news and analysis website for workers that is unique among us—and has been, in various forms, in print and on the net, for more than a century. Why? Because we cover the news, national and international, with a worker’s voice, from a worker’s point of view, and because we use our voice on your behalf to expose and explain the excesses and exploitation by the corporate class and their political puppets. That's why we're seeking your help: We're trying to get 500 friends to contribute $100. Can you? We don’t pull punches and we don’t restrict ourselves. We cover union organizing and mass workers’ movements. We cover the Fight For 15 and a Union, and we use that whole phrase. We cover workers’ allies, such as the Poor People’s Campaign, and workers’ organizations: unions and the AFL-CIO, among others. Our articles roam far afield, keeping an eye on workers’ movements abroad. Our writers get free rein—uniquely—to tell stories ranging from the financial finagling and the coup try of Donald Trump to the grass-roots success of the Amazon Labor Union at the monster firm’s JFK8 warehouse on Staten Island. You won’t get that from the mainstream media or even cable networks such as MSNBC. Because, you see, they depend on ad revenue, or, in the case of Internet search engines, mouse clicks. And one story I recently covered discussed how those search engines maximized clicks, and thus ad revenues, by catering to and promoting extremism, or worse: The Trumpite invasion of the Capitol and the former Oval Office occupant’s coup plot. We called that one long before anyone else did. Guess who made that point about unbridled, unedited search engines, their profit motive and the resulting threat to society and democracy? Former President Barack Obama, that’s who. We know you didn’t see that anywhere else but People’s World. Google workers said the same thing, to Congress. People’s World could do so because we don’t depend on ads, and thus don’t have to cater to corporate control. We depend on contributors and readers: which is where you come in. Like you, we got hit by the coronavirus pandemic. Trying to cover the whole country with six full-time staffers isn’t easy. Our outside income sources fell, even as our readership exploded. Last year’s “unique views” total was in the millions, our social media editor, who sends out our e-blasts, says. Given that contrast, we’ve launched a fundraising drive, with a goal of raising at least $75,000 by the real workers’ holiday, May Day. We’d like to soar far beyond that sum. So we want you to contribute. And if you want to see what your money would produce, go to our website, www.peoplesworld.org. There’s a giving link there, along with our coverage. So donate whatever you can afford to help keep People’s World, a News Guild union shop, operating and doing what it does best: Serve you and your members, as an independent, outspoken voice for workers. We've reached $73,000 toward our $75,000 goal. Can you help get us get over the top by May Day? We look forward to seeing your clicks on our stories, and your contributions coming through our link. In Solidarity, Mark Gruenberg Washington Bureau Chief (and a few other hats), People’s World Member, The News Guild Local 34071 | 
