Bulletin: Organizing from Quarantine

Day four of the Philly COVID-19 quarantine, and everything has gone topsy-turvy. The courts are closed, as are the state liquor stores, and the Department of Elections may well be next. “Obviously, we want to keep people safe,” Governor Tom Wolf said in a press conference on Monday, “so to the extent that the state needs to move the April 28 date to another date, other states have already done this, Pennsylvania is certainly taking that into consideration.” As soon as we know what’s going on, you’ll know what’s going on; in the meantime, apply for a mail-in ballot, just in case. It takes less time than reading this email, and when election day comes (if it ever comes), you’ll be able to vote for Bernie from the comfort of your own home.

Other than that, we’re adapting as best as we can. Whether you’re in an essential industry or hunkering down in your new home office, take care of yourself, okay? Our branches in Bucks and Montgomery counties created Facebook groups to share information, resources, and coordinate aid efforts in helping our communities. Some of our events have moved online, like the Capital Vol. I reading group, which is now taking place over Zoom. We’re phonebanking in shifts for Rick Krajewski and Nikil Saval over the weekend; read on for times and signup links. There’ll be more to come as we figure out how best to organize during a pandemic.

On a national level, Bernie’s Emergency Response to the Coronavirus Pandemic is the only presidential plan worth taking seriously. Neither the Democrats’ waffling about targeted low-interest loans for small businesses nor Trump’s false promises of corporate bailouts plus a right-wing UBI are going to cut it. If the Democrats nominate Joe Biden, who spent Sunday’s pandemic-focused debate arguing against Medicare for All, November could well go badly for them. Now more than ever, the case for Medicare for All is clear, and voters are on board; eliminating private insurance has majority support in every state, according to exit polls, which you can bet Dwight Evans, Mary Gay Scanlon and Madeleine Dean are reading closely. Give them a call. The fight goes on.

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This Week in Unions

If your union does something cool between Bulletins, let us know on Facebook or Twitter! Also, if you’re a union member and a member of Philly DSA interested in getting involved with our Labor for Bernie work, please fill out this form.

“The coronavirus pandemic has laid bare the stark reality of the United States...but it’s also shown us that when things get dire enough, the working class fights back.” Mindy Isser writes In These Times, about the wins labor has already achieved during this pandemic. A few of them: model paid sick leave at Verizon, a successful wildcat strike by UAW members at Michigan auto plants, new protections for Detroit bus drivers, and after 15,000 Teamsters petitioned UPS, the union won ten days of emergency paid leave for their members. UPS Teamsters are working through the pandemic as the shipping and logistics company is an essential service. Thank your postal worker today!
But while some segments of organized labor might be winning some demands, Alan Yiu at WHYY shares the disparities in how coronavirus is affecting workers in Philadelphia: lost work for some, more work for others.
Comrades at Strikewave put together an incredible set of resources for COVID-19 & its effects on working people. Check out this checklist for unions & unionists to start.
The Inquirer’s Juliana Feliciano Reyes can answer all your Philly-specific questions on how workers are affected. Many are covered under the city’s sick leave law, and this has been extended to cover public health emergencies. If you need to apply for unemployment benefits, you can do that too.
Finally, um, MLS is cancelled for the next month or two, but there are a couple match replays streaming on Your Philadelphia Union’s website if you’re desperate for soccer. Also: did you know we used to have a team called the Philadelphia Atoms?

Rolling Events

BERNIE PHONE BANKING: The Bernie dialer is open for upcoming states and this is the best way that we can assist the campaign at this critical moment. You can also help the campaign by using the BERN app, in which you directly match all your friends, family members, and coworkers to their voter record and record their support level for Bernie. You can also send texts for the campaign.

RICK PHONE BANKING: You can make calls for Rick Krajewski by clicking here and entering code: 648693K-818152. Please note that the script has the standard survey questions, with an additional question asking voters if they want to learn how to vote by mail. They can sign up easily by going to votespa.com.

NIKIL PHONE BANKING: The Saval campaign is requesting that all phone bankers sign up for shifts here. Additional instructions will be emailed in the confirmation email after you sign up.

Events

Phonebanking for Rick, Nikil, and Bernie

Saturday and Sunday, March 21 - 22 | Shifts available all day

Marx Reading Group

Wednesday, March 25 | 7:00 - 9:00 pm | Zoom Invitation | Meeting ID: 643 580 965 | Please RSVP Here!

Virtual Happy Hour

Wednesday, April 8 | 8:00 - 10:00 pm | Digital Drinks via Zoom call | Details TBA

Why Did Labour Lose? Marxism and Politics Lecture Series

Postponed Indefinitely

New Members Meeting

Postponed Indefinitely

Upcoming Committee Meetings

Green New Deal Strategy Committee Meeting

Monday, May 23 | 6:30 - 8:00 pm | Virtual Meeting | Dial-in number: (425) 436-6355 | Access Code: 351755

Branch Events

BuxMont DSA: March General Meeting

Tuesday, March 24 | 7:00 - 9:00 pm | Virtual Meeting

BuxMont DSA: Socialist Book Club

Tuesday, March 31 | 7:00 - 8:30 pm | Virtual Meeting

Announcements

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In accordance with Article XIII of our Bylaws, a commission has been formed to receive, process, and review grievances for disciplinary action. To read more about the process or to file a grievance you can do so here.

In solidarity,

Philly DSA Bulletin Team

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PAID FOR BY PHILADELPHIA DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS OF AMERICA (WWW.PHILLYDSA.ORG.) NOT AUTHORIZED BY ANY CANDIDATE OR CANDIDATE'S COMMITTEE.