Bulletin: One Billion DSA Members

Yes, we see you, Matt Yglesias, and we raise you one: not only will there be One Billion Americans, but they will all join DSA, they will all sign up for local dues, and they will all be on the call for Philly DSA’s October General Meeting.

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Yes, we see you, Matt Yglesias, and we raise you one: not only will there be One Billion Americans, but they will all join DSA, they will all sign up for local dues, and they will all be on the call for Philly DSA’s October General Meeting, our second since the start of the pandemic, all one billion of them using the clappy hands emoji at the same time. We 👏 are 👏 going 👏 to 👏 crash 👏 Zoom 👏 as One Billion DSA Members join us in two weeks to debate resolutions, discuss local campaigns, and listen to guest speaker Thomas Frank.

That’s the idea behind DSA National’s just-announced “DSA 100k” Campaign, a five-week recruitment drive that kicks off October 1. Our organization has, as we’re sure you know, grown remarkably over the past five years, from maybe 5,000 members in 2015 to over 70,000 today. Bernie’s 2016 run drove a lot of that growth, followed by AOC’s win, strong showings in downballot elections nationally, campaign work on issues like Medicare for All and labor, and, of course, Bernie 2020. 

Our work will always be what drives people to join. We want someone to see Nikil Saval and Rick Krajewski take office this fall and think of us. We want to be the best organizers in every labor union in Philadelphia. We want to be the first organization people turn to when they want to win power in their workplace, the first they think of when they hear “Medicare for All.” We want to see DSA hit a hundred thousand members, then a million, and to keep on growing. So, of course, RSVP to the meeting, and while you’re at it, invite someone new! If every DSA member talks to just three people about joining, we’ll hit One Billion DSA Members in no time.

Save the Date: October General Meeting

Our next General Meeting is confirmed for Saturday, October 3. Our guest speaker is author Thomas Frank, whose most recent book, The People, No: A Brief History of Anti-Populism, looks at why political elites — on both sides of the aisle — seem to hate people. “Frank’s book is a manual for a left that wants to become truly popular,” writes Aaron Lake Smith in Jacobin’s review of the book.  “Every person involved in shaping the direction and tone of (left) campaigns should read this book — an ode to the forgotten ‘normie’ voter.” Click through to RSVP!

This Week in Unions

Are you a union worker affected by the coronavirus crisis? Are you organizing in your shop or workplace to demand higher safety and sanitation standards? PHLDSA’s Labor Commission is convening a series of calls where representatives from unions in the greater Philadelphia area are discussing and coordinating responses. Email Paul Prescod for more information.

  • Last week, faculty at the University of the Arts announced they were forming a union and quickly filed for an NLRB election after the university refused voluntary recognition. They’d appreciate your support on this solidarity statement; click through to sign on!
  • The latest from ex-Bernie staffer David Sirota’s excellent newsletter TMI: COVID-19 mortality rates were 30% (!) lower at unionized nursing homes than at non-union nursing homes. “Nursing home unions demanded PPE to protect healthcare workers,” study co-author Adam Dean of George Washington University told TMI. “But better access to PPE also meant that fewer workers got sick, and that fewer nursing home residents therefore received care from infected workers.”
  • Union membership in Philly is well above the national average, and support for unions is at its highest point in decades; this and more from the Inquirer’s look at Philadelphia labor in 2020.
  • Finally, Your Philadelphia Union rolled over the New York Red Bulls and then beat New England with a last-minute goal from local lad Anthony Fontana. There are still no fans allowed in the stadium for home games, so the club have populated Subaru Park with cardboard cutouts of adoptable dogs in the area. If you’ve got an extra $40 lying around, please consider donating to the Union’s “Fight For Philly” fan cutout campaign in our name; we’d love nothing more than to see a printout of the Bulletin in the stands when the Union play Inter Miami week after next.

Events

Women and Non Binary Comrades Social
Thursday, Sep 17 | 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm | Virtual

Communications Committee Meeting
Monday, Sep 21 | 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm | Virtual

Canvassing Committee Meeting
Monday, Sep 21 | 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm | Virtual

Marxism Reading Group: Formation vs. Location
Wednesday, Sep 23 | 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm | Virtual

Policy Committee Meeting
Thursday, Sep 24 | 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm | Virtual

October General Meeting
Saturday, Oct 3 | 12:00 pm – 2:30 pm | Virtual

Marxism Reading Group: The Professional-Managerial Class
Wednesday, Oct 7 | 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm | Virtual

Announcements

Support 👏 Philly 👏 DSA 👏!
Local Dues - support our campaign work and cover everyday operating costs like meeting space // Contribute to Philly DSA PAC - help fund our independent electoral campaigns // Accommodations, Accessibility, Childcare - let us know what you need to stay involved // Moved away from Philly? - update your address on the DSA national database.

Harassment and Grievance Process
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.

 

Stay safe and wash your hands,

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.

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