What better way to take notes for #StrikeSchool than a twitter thread?
1/x
YES I’m glad I haven’t been crazy to say it! The divisions between “private” and “public” sector are less real than you think. Like all industries, the intersect.
2/x
Should we be using the word “strike” when talking about strikes and labor actions? YES! We should get used to talking about our powers as workers, don’t do your employers’ intimidation *for* them
3/x
“The capitalists want the most labor for the least money. The workers want the most money for the least labor.”
4/x
High participation is a prerequisite to power. “Not even gonna bother unless we don’t have 90%. The people on the other side have military money – without that, we only have our numbers.”
5/x
1% rule by division. “Individualism is the tool of neoliberalism”. Consider debates about masks, “individual liberty” vs “group responsibility”, etc
6/x
That concludes the plenary portion of #StrikeSchool!
7/7?
8/x !
“When you’re trying to get to 90% power, there ARE right and wrong answers”. Some people are “organic leaders”
If we can’t figure out how to get organic leaders to work with us, we’re dead in the water.
9/x
Get “Sharon” before management gets her!
(Sharon is the name of a hypothetical organic leader)
10/x
The first person to go to is “Diego”! Diego is the person who is already interested in the union, and is friends with everyone. Not an organizer (yet), but union-positive
11/x
Another reason to go to Diego first? He’s safe! Always build collective power the easy way first~
12/x
Another piece of the puzzle: we wanna *learn* about organic leaders before approaching them. Diego can tell us about Sharon+her methods, and maybe he can even move her since they’re already friends.
13/x
Structure based orgs are groups of people who come together by necessity, not necessarily choice.
Workplace, church, housing complex, neighborhoods, school, etc.
14/x
There are Self-selecting orgs, which are made of people who come together by choice because of some conviction they want to act on.
Enviros, women’s, #OWS, single issue fights, etc.
15/x
Key take today: Leaders vs Activists, both v important and have different functions
15/x
Leaders organize other people to take action or become organizers, activists take action. A difference of capacity and commitment.
17/x (accidentally skipped 16)
Whole worker movements vs community-labor alliances. The first involves workers’ communities after a movement is built, the latter builds with community from the ground up
18/x
Why community-labor alliances? Our Communities have power too! As workers, we are the conduits of money, knowledge, and power between Community and Labor.
19/x
Wow I can't believe that was 2 hours! #StrikeSchool shaping up great \(๑╹◡╹๑)ノ
20/20
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Having a hard time with something. For about 3 weeks starting late May, my research productivity went wayyy down as my activism + organizing productivity went wayyy up. It felt good for my mental health at first. 1/3
But then towards the end of June’s national week of uprising, I brought my anti-racism energy to the academic front- pushing people in my dept to give a shit, being a more active presence in my union, etc. 2/3
That’s when it started to weigh on me, maybe because I was tired, maybe because I no longer felt as much community support in the academic front. It got to a point where I felt so burnt out that I’ve withdrawn from most dept activities, and even my union presence is slipping 3/4
Feeling really anxious ahead of my dept's #strike4blacklives town hall. A thread:
I hate that we have to work so hard to get white people (and *too many* poc as well) to give a shit. It's why it was important to hold this town hall TODAY, since people might've just called it "a day off" and not done anything to educate themselves
I hate that I have to relive trauma just for the CHANCE that someone listening might understand what systemic racism is like when I tell them some of the shit I've lived through