By Hannah W.

I had the honor of representing ROC DSA at DSA’s National Convention this year. While there was much that was debated on the floor, the convention also hosted various sessions. Two of the sessions that I attended were for the National Labor Commission (NLC) and Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee (EWOC). Here is a summary of those sessions and what’s occurring in DSA’s labor scene.

The EWOC session was a panel discussion on the work of other chapters. The main emphasis from this conversation was how local EWOCs create relationships with workers when they’re looking to unionize, and how to keep those connections once a union takes over the campaign. In addition, EWOC was described as a funnel to DSA, in that by showing up and supporting workers from the start, they’ll eventually find their home in DSA. For ROC DSA, this is inspirational for us to continue to pursue building out our local EWOC and helping workers in the Rochester area.

The Worker Organizer Workers (WOW) training program was created by the 2023 DSA National Convention. This is a one-stop shop for people who are looking to learn how to salt a workplace. Through WOW training, workers enter into key industries that the NLC is targeting. That being Amazon, Starbucks, education, grocers, airlines, and autoworkers. With this, there is a large database of mentors for salters to connect with and get support from. This helps to ensure the success of salting efforts. In addition, there are partnered industry calls within workplaces such as Amazon, allowing workers to connect with each other.

Out of the targeted industries, NLC has voted to make organizing Amazon a priority. As presented during ROC DSA’s August 2024 general meeting, logistic networks play a key role in the economy and Amazon has taken a large portion previously belonging to the Teamsters UPS. The national Amazon campaign connects local campaigns, however each campaign has their own goals they are working towards. It leaves open the opportunity to unite campaigns together and also work with other Amazon owned companies such as Whole Foods in the future.

Another priority of the NLC is changing the law in red states to be more pro-worker. This includes eliminating Right-to-Work laws in states such as Florida. Prioritizing this work passed as part of the consent agenda at the convention. These efforts will require building relationships with local unions and labor federations. Here in New York we organize to amend the Taylor Law, to allow for public sector workers to strike and to expand who can unionize.

The NLC has been organizing around the logistics military supply chain. At the convention, the Labor for Arms Embargo resolution passed. The main approach so far has been local embargoes by unions. Through expanded organizing in this area, workers will find more opportunities to connect to this work nationally through DSA… This approach requires trainings that empower our coworkers to end the genocide. NLC provides template language for unions interested in opposing the genocide and demanding an arms embargo.

With federal contracts getting ripped up, it’s now more important than ever for federal workers to organize. This work has been going on long before the current Trump administration. The goal is trying to unite labor in the federal sector by making union organizing focused and militant. Given the nature of the federal government, the structure has been built up fast and quick. This is done by fighting back and presenting a positive vision of what the future would look like. Federal Unionists Network (FUN) is rolling out hubs across the country for federal workers to meet up and connect with their local labor council.

The NLC has been working to have unions pass sanctuary union resolutions. This resolution entails committing the union to providing know your rights trainings and avoiding collaboration with ICE. In addition, ensuring contracts don’t require workers to be reverified once they join the union. Now more than ever it’s important that these resolutions pass, as ICE tries to divide workers by attacking immigrants. The NLC has sample resolution language that workers can use to put forth the sanctuary union resolution.

Lastly, NLC has strike funds accessible to chapters supporting unions on strike. While they cannot be used to directly contribute to the union’s solidarity fund, they can be used for other expenditures. Items such as water and food, for example. ROC DSA’s Labor Working Group will be pursuing these efforts by promoting a member as a solidarity captain. This captain will be the connection between our chapter and the NLC, and is a great way to develop leadership in the chapter.

It was remarkable to get more connected to what NLC has been working on, and learning how we can directly apply it within our local chapter. With the resolutions passed during the convention, the Labor Working Group can organize around those efforts and continue building connections with the labor federation.