“Labor 101: Socialists and the Labor Movement” Series Coming in April on Zoom
In September I wrote about ongoing East Bay DSA reading/discussion groups called Labor 101: Socialists and the Labor Movement. These groups have been very useful in helping new members and members less familiar with labor to understand and be able to discuss some key ideas—why workplace organizing is essential, how we define the working class, and the role socialists can play in the labor movement, among other topics. Some of the participants have become organizers in their own workplaces or started working with our local Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee (EWOC) to support other workplaces in organizing; many have become active members of the EBDSA Labor Committee. (More information about the groups is in the September California Red article.)
Since the COVID years these have been in-person groups but in April we are going to try an all-Zoom group. We’ll start on Thursday, April 10 from 6:00-8:00 pm and meet weekly. We have some EBDSA members who live too far away or take care of children or relatives, or have mobility problems; we’re hoping this gives more of an opportunity for participation.
We are also hoping that the Zoom format can mean participation by members of other chapters. Some chapters may not have anything like this and members from around the state are encouraged to join us. We’ve tried to organize our materials so that a group leader has some guidelines, a timetable, and notes for each session. If you’d like to try leading a group for your chapter, attending this would be a great way to start.
We’d also love to have some members of other chapters that already have or are developing something like this to join us. Whether or not you can participate, please look at our materials, give us feedback and send us anything you’ve developed.
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