Dear John,
I am thrilled with the work our organization has accomplished this year to embolden working folks to demand justice, and excited about the many projects we have planned for next year — including resuming our in-person worker-to-worker exchanges with unions in other countries.
On this Giving Tuesday, please donate generously to help us realize this bold vision.
From educating and mobilizing municipal workers in Virginia to solidifying our relationships with union allies in Japan, Italy, Quebec, Mexico, Canada and beyond, 2022 has been a robust year for the UE Research and Education Fund. We are building worker power to fight for economic and racial equality, win a just transition for workers, and unite working people across borders.
In 2023, we are planning to return to in-person member exchanges with workers in other countries, if health conditions continue to allow. We are already making plans with our allies in Mexico, the Frente Auténtico del Trabajo. On these trips, UE members meet with other workers to learn about their experiences under different labor laws, but sometimes with the very same multinational bosses. Worker-to-worker exchanges are one of the best ways to help our members embrace our core principle of international solidarity in a direct way.
Donate today to make this member exchange possible!
As we announced last week, a generous grant from the Preston-Werner Foundation will enable us to expand the reach of our climate justice programming in 2023. Our Green Locomotive project offers a concrete example of what a just transition away from fossil fuels can look like for rail transportation workers. We’ll educate and mobilize workers who build locomotive engines, and those who live and work near rail yards with polluted air. Though the grant we received is wonderful, we still need more support to meet the needs of this project fully. Can you give today to help us?
We’ll also be continuing some of the important projects that developed over the last two years, projects that have helped workers understand their rights in a changing economy. The Southern Worker Justice Program has been ramping up education efforts for public-sector workers in Virginia and North Carolina, leading to big raises for many of these underpaid workers. Until 2021, municipal workers in Virginia suffered under a Jim Crow-era ban on collective bargaining. With the UEREF's help, Virginia Beach city workers are moving closer to winning collective bargaining rights from their city.
Meanwhile, our Emergency Worker Education programs, including the Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee, have inspired thousands of workers to demand better pay and treatment at work.
If you are able, please donate generously today to help us move forward with these initiatives, and more.
Thank you,
Kari
