Learn to organize with us – at home and at work | Bulletin

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This summer Philly DSA’s Housing Committee will host a short training series on structured organizing. Over the course of a short series, we’ll learn about and practice basic organizing skills like: leader identification, mapping a workplace or apartment building, one-on-one conversations, meeting facilitation, and campaign escalation.

Structured organizing techniques are drawn from labor and tenant organizing, but have lots of useful crossover for other kinds of campaigns as well. This is a great opportunity to build your skills and comfort as an organizer, whether you’re planning to work on local electoral campaigns, organize at your school or your neighborhood block, help grow DSA’s membership, or want to get involved with the Housing Committee or Labor Branch. 

Sessions will take place over Zoom on Tuesday evenings from 7:00-8:30pm beginning June 14th and will run weekly through July 12th. 

You can sign up here. 

Please contact Kat Nelson [email protected] with any questions. 

On the calendar
Unless otherwise specified, all events are held via Zoom. 

Solidarity With Starbucks Workers Meeting, May 26 at 6pm
Join us for a debrief and discussion of Starbucks worker solidarity efforts!

Political Education Planning Session: Capital vol. 1, May 29 at 6pm
We're planning to bring back the Capital Volume 1 reading group, in-person. Join us if you'd like to help plan the meetings.

Venezuelan feminist tour visits Philly, May 30 at 5pm
Join Philly DSA and the DSA International Committee to hear from three Venezuelan socialist feminists about the ongoing revolutionary movements in VZ.

Philly DSA & Workers United Present: How You Can Get Involved in Cafe Worker Organizing!
Join us for a presentation and Q&A about cafe worker organizing. We’ll cover ways you can get involved, how to recruit others, and the best ways to support city-wide cafe worker organizing.

Fundraiser: Send Philly DSA to the Labor Notes conference! June 3 at 6pm
This year’s Labor Notes conference is in Chicago, and we’re raising money to send a delegation from Philly DSA. The delegation hopes to expand its network of union leaders and rank-and-filers nationwide and return with insight to help shape the Labor Branch's strategies and initiatives. Come for drinks, food, a raffle, and good times!

Electoral Campaign Debrief, June 15 at 6pm
Join the Electoral Committee to debrief our campaigns on behalf of Paul Prescod, Rick Krajewski, and Elizabeth Fiedler. We'll talk about what went well, what went poorly, and what's next. 

View the full calendar

Updates from the branches

BuxMont Virtual Socialist Social, May 27 at 7pm
Topics include local issues and organizing for socialism in the suburbs, recent & upcoming branch projects, and maybe even a few rounds of Among Us or Jackbox!

View all BuxMont events or all Delco events

This week in unions

• Yesterday, FOUR Starbucks stores here in Philadelphia voted to form unions! 🎉 The nationwide movement isn’t slowing down yet, from Philly to right-to-work South Carolina.
  • Workers at the 12th & Walnut Starbucks store (1128 Walnut St) just got their union election mail-in ballots. We’re tabling outside the store during morning shifts this week to help boost workers’ morale and raise awareness of the organizing efforts among customers. 
  • Managers are trying to discourage workers by posting anti-union propaganda in their break room and writing up key worker organizers. Can you join TOMORROW (Friday) between 8am-12pm (any 1 or 2 hr time slot between these times)? If yes, contact Harinee ([email protected]) or Sam ([email protected]).
  • We’ll be debriefing our Starbucks work TONIGHT at 6pm over Zoom. RSVP here!
  • This is why it matters who runs the NLRB: Starbucks’ Union-Busting Was So Bad It Should Be Forced To Bargain
• 7,000 carhaul Teamsters could be on strike by June 1 as their contract expires May 31 and they’ve been clear that they will not extend it. This strike could be a preview of what’s to come from the Teamsters at UPS; their contract expires in 2023. When this contract was ratified in 2018, 54% of rank and file Teamsters voted against it, but it was implemented anyway. Read more here.
• Philadelphia teachers have been recognized for their vitally important work supporting and educating our young people. If only we could guarantee they won’t have to put their lives on the line in the workplace. Here are some resources for educators to discuss school shootings with students. (We wish we didn’t have to share this, and we’re sending solidarity and love to all.)
  • In more teacher news, CORE remains in power at the Chicago Teachers Union, with Stacy Davis Gates as the union’s new president.
  • The reform caucus of the NYC Teachers Union, MORE, was not successful in their union election, but did better than they have in their last few attempts. Union organizing, and the fight for union democracy, is more a marathon than a sprint.

To get involved: If you’re interested in supporting workers who want to organize, organizing your workplace, supporting workers and unions taking collective action, or in building relationships with rank and file union members and leaders, email [email protected].

On the bulletin

• Here are the minutes from this month's General Meeting, where we successfully piloted a hybrid remote/in-person format, heard from our endorsed candidate for State Senate Paul Prescod, voted on extending the We Own PGW campaign, and more.
  • Our next General Meeting will again be hybrid, with remote and in-person options, this time on Saturday, July 23. The in-person location will be the First Unitarian Church on 21st Street in Center City.
• Join us on Slack: If you’re a Philly DSA member and you’d like to join our Slack workspace, please fill out this form. Our Slack hosts nearly 400 members who share updates from their DSA projects, get to know other members, and organize between meetings. 
  • Looking for a new book? Want to share something you just read? Join our #socialist-book-exchange channel! 
• Harassment and Grievance Process: Read about the process to file a grievance here.

In solidarity,

Philly DSA
http://www.phillydsa.org/

"Be realistic, demand the impossible!" - Che Guevara, Argentinian revolutionary and Marxist