Workers are fighting back all over the country. Washington carpenters, Kentucky distillery workers, Alabama coal miners, and Massachusetts nurses are all on strike right now. Just last week Nabisco bakery workers in Atlanta, Chicago, Portland, and Richmond won a new contract after a month-long strike. 60,000 film and television workers, 10,000 Deere manufacturing workers, 24,000 nurses at Kaiser Permanente, bus drivers in Beaumont, flight attendants in Piedmont, and more are voting on whether or not to strike. Meanwhile, the so-called “labor shortage” drags on as millions of regular people refuse to go back to their jobs in the restaurants, grocery stores, and warehouses for starvation wages. If all of this tells us anything, it’s that workers are sick and tired of the disrespect and indignity heaped on them by the boss and are ready to stick it to them for a change.
Socialists should be active participants in the working-class struggle wherever it manifests: walking picket lines and raising money for strike funds (as DSA chapters did for the Nabisco strikers), getting union jobs in strategic sectors, and organizing our non-union workplaces through programs like EWOC and the Restaurant Organizing Project. We still have a long way to go before we can get back to the heyday of worker power in the US during the 30s and 40s, when millions of people got organized, went on strike, and won transformative demands in the workplace and from the government. The only way we get back to that point is by diving in headfirst into socialist and labor struggles.
One great way to do so would be to attend our Green New Deal for Public Schools rally this Saturday at noon, featuring speakers from Austin DSA, Education Austin, the Sunrise Movement, IBEW 520, rank-and-file AISD teachers, and special guest Noelita Lugo of the AISD Board. Secondly, join us tonight for a presentation and discussion on SB8 and the struggle for abortion access in Texas at Red Square. Then, get fired up for our General Meeting next Tuesday where we’ll hear updates on our political work and get opportunities to get involved with the struggle. Later that week, join our New Member Orientation if you just joined DSA or are just starting to get involved.
Solidarity forever!
FEATURED EVENTS
Looking to get involved? Here’s a list of upcoming events. RSVP to stay updated. You can find all Austin DSA events on the calendar page of our website.
Red Square: SB8 and Abortion Access in Texas
When: Wednesday, September 22, 7:30–9:00pm
Where: Zoom! Sign up here.
Join us for Red Square, Austin DSA’s weekly political education and discussion event. Meetings begin with a brief presentation from a DSA member on a salient political topic followed by open discussion. This week we’ll discuss abortion access after the passage of SB8 and what we can do in the fight for free, safe, and legal abortion.
If you’re new to DSA or democratic socialism, this is a great place to ask questions and engage in low-stakes political discussion with like-minded people. No preparation is required and all are welcome. Please join us if you’re a comrade who feels like there’s so much to learn, and invite your socialist-curious friends!
Phonebank DSA Members!
When: Thursday, September 23, 6:00–8:00pm
Where: Zoom! Sign up here.
Making calls is how we build our movement and check in with our community! Join us to call every Austin DSA member to mobilize for the Defund/Decrim and Green New Deal for Public Schools campaigns and fight for a better world!
No Way On A Contactless Canvass with D5 for Black Lives
When: Saturday, September 25, 4:00–5:30pm
Where: Garrison Park! Sign up here.
Come knock doors to help us defeat Prop A, an anti-worker austerity measure, and build working-class power in our city.
Rally for a Green New Deal for Public Schools
When: Saturday, September 25, 12:00–2:00pm
Where: Dove Springs Park Pavilion! Sign up here.
Austin DSA is rallying for a Green New Deal for Public Schools! We are joining DSA chapters across the country to fight for the Green New Deal for Public Schools Act, championed by congressional representative from New York and proud DSA member, Jamaal Bowman. The bill and our campaign call for a massive federal investment in K-12 schools, reversing years of toxic neglect and systemic racism to build a healthy learning environment for every student.
We will meet Saturday September 25th at noon at Dove Springs Park Pavilion, with speakers representing a working class coalition of union teachers and building trades workers, elected leaders, and socialist organizers. We are building a lasting working class movement in our community, and pressuring US TX-35 Representative Lloyd Doggett, who cosponsored the bill following our campaign launch, to continue the fight for this needed reinvestment in our public schools.
We ask that you are vaccinated and to please wear a mask. Join us in the fight for a Green New Deal for Public Schools!
September General Body Meeting
When: Tuesday, September 28, 7:00–8:30pm
Where: Zoom! Sign up here.
Austin DSA gathers monthly for updates on our current campaigns, listen to rousing political speeches, and vote on what the chapter should work on.
Not a member of DSA yet? No problem! The meeting is open to all, regardless of membership status — and it’s the perfect place to find opportunities to get involved.
New Member Orientation
When: Thursday, September 30, 7:00–8:30pm
Where: Zoom! Sign up here.
Welcome to the Austin chapter of Democratic Socialists of America! At this orientation we’ll learn about how our chapter operates, the basics of socialism, and how you can get involved in our chapter’s work. There will also be a chance to meet other new members.