Author | Lightnews

Reposted by dgorganize (he/him)

Barred and Boujee aka Madiba Dennie @audrelawdamercy.bsky.social · 2h

* repeats for emphasis *

"Neither movement waited for courts to recognize their rights; they interpreted the Constitution for themselves"

or to paraphrase Justice Thurgood Marshall, do what's right and let the law catch up

dgorganize (he/him) @dgorganize.bsky.social · 3h

Hard agree

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dgorganize (he/him) @dgorganize.bsky.social · 3h

Cite: www.bostonreview.net/forum/james-...

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dgorganize (he/him) @dgorganize.bsky.social · 3h

Hard agree

screenshot of black text on beige background reading: The labor movement of the early twentieth century held that anti-strike laws established “involuntary servitude” in violation of the Thirteenth Amendment, while anti-picketing and anti-boycott laws transgressed the First Amendment freedoms of free speech and association. Neither movement waited for courts to recognize their rights; they interpreted the Constitution for themselves.

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dgorganize (he/him) @dgorganize.bsky.social · 15d

In lieu of or in addition to that, Italy's Cobas model could be very interesting. Those are rank & file unions that primarily struggle via direct action and exist even though there are other unions with sectoral bargaining rights in their industry.

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dgorganize (he/him) @dgorganize.bsky.social · 15d

P.S. For workers figuring out the way forward in light of this law, one option would be to try to beat the odds, organize tight, and vote in a union with a more rank & file perspective, which would be Rideshare Drivers United.

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dgorganize (he/him) @dgorganize.bsky.social · 15d

While the sectoral bargaining part here may be new, what we have here is an age-old type of United States labor law reform.

Give workers something, for a time, while not fully meeting their needs. Deflate and marginalize a movement for more. Ensure bureaucratic unionism. Safeguard capitalism.

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dgorganize (he/him) @dgorganize.bsky.social · 15d

-Beyond one clause that says the union has to be democratic - every union is democratic on paper - there's no pathway for workers to actually control bargaining; let alone do it from organized bases in the communities they are a part of or the cities where they work

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dgorganize (he/him) @dgorganize.bsky.social · 15d

-The union victor will, again, be the one who can do get out of the vote work and do it fast, full stop. There's little reason to believe actual organizing will take place. Once the union is certified, it has little incentive to organize or to strike.

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dgorganize (he/him) @dgorganize.bsky.social · 15d

-The law fails to explicitly protect the right to strike, chilling organizing in that direction and practically guaranteeing litigation against a strike over the question of whether one is permitted. To be fair, at least the law doesn't explicitly ban strikes.

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dgorganize (he/him) @dgorganize.bsky.social · 15d

-Uber and Lyft can direct funds from their treasuries into a union's without the labor group being considered a company union

-The law helps lock in the independent contractor scam which is a key pillar, along with AI and robotics, devastating the global working class today

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dgorganize (he/him) @dgorganize.bsky.social · 15d

(The issue is the one union thing, not necessarily who that one union is. That said, it's no secret that SEIU ushered in this deal with Uber and Lyft.)

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dgorganize (he/him) @dgorganize.bsky.social · 15d

-The law contemplates empowering a single union for all rideshare drivers in the state — whichever has the most well-funded get out the vote operation.

Workers who would like a different union or who think there should be union competition to amp up bargaining are shit out of luck.

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dgorganize (he/him) @dgorganize.bsky.social · 15d

I did a quick skim so take this with a grain of salt.

But it's clear enough that California's sectoral bargaining law in ride share should concern workers and their allies who believe in rank & file theories of change and real union power.

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dgorganize (he/him) @dgorganize.bsky.social · 16d

You should prep and then assess every 1:1 organizing meeting.

Yes, it's significant work. But that's how you do them well, learn from each one, and put the insights into use for next steps.

Very good 1:1s are key to forming an organizing committee. And an OC is a key cause of union victory.

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dgorganize (he/him) @dgorganize.bsky.social · 18d

www.nytimes.com/2013/07/16/o...

Opinion | ‘Occupy Bakery’ (Published 2013)

www.nytimes.com

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dgorganize (he/him) @dgorganize.bsky.social · 18d

My dear friend has been struck with brain cancer :(

Mahoma is without exaggeration one of the great rank & file organizers in the U.S. of the last decades.

His organizing at the NY deli he worked at and a resulting documentary brought him to public attention.
His work has only deepened since then.

Donate to Help Mahoma Defeat Cancer Now, organized by Mahoma Lopez

Help Mahoma Heal: Urgent Call We urgently need your help. Our comrade Mahoma is in … Mahoma Lopez needs your support for Help Mahoma Defeat Cancer Now

gofund.me

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dgorganize (he/him) @dgorganize.bsky.social · 20d

Disappearing workers from the narrative is a core capability of corporations.

@karenhao.bsky.social has done exemplary work in empireofai.com including workers at the center of the AI story, especially folks in the Global South.

Every working person has a giant stake in the AI fight.

Karen Hao

empireofai.com

dgorganize (he/him) @dgorganize.bsky.social · 27d

Immigrant food factory workers have been at the heart of the struggle for dignified wages and safety, and against ICE, for years. Stand with Brandworkers this month.
givebutter.com/2025BWAwards...

Multi-racial and gendered folks working with food surrounded by large green leafy vegetables. 2025 Brandworkers Awards Social. Oct. 28, 2025 El Museo del Barrio, 6:30pm - 9:20pm.

dgorganize (he/him) @dgorganize.bsky.social · 29d

Mark Bray is a decent and gentle person. I've known him for probably two decades. He's brilliant and very knowledgeable about visionary strands of labor history.

The label the right-wing is putting on him is false. It's terrible for Rutgers students that he won't be there and for free expression.

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dgorganize (he/him) @dgorganize.bsky.social · 29d

Of course the best quadrant is time to think and good funding hahaha obviously. The public service announcement is fight like hell for time to think.

dgorganize (he/him) @dgorganize.bsky.social · 29d

Time and energy to think is the most valuable currency in building a union. If I had to choose between time to think and resources, I'd choose time to think.

With time to think, you can get resources. With resources and without time to think, the funds are not getting you very far.

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dgorganize (he/him) @dgorganize.bsky.social · Sep 30

Content warning: video of assassination and grave bodily harm

Here's what happened to Efraín Fueres, an indigenous Ecuadorian worker, and an unnamed good samaritan when a military turned "within" on Sunday. youtu.be/8UQmp6a0akA

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dgorganize (he/him) @dgorganize.bsky.social · Sep 30

Not an electoral person, but as a union organizer I try to understand the full constellation of relevant conditions.

So when a couple of workers tell me they felt moved and even "emboldened" to connect on a union campaign because of Zohran Mamdani, I will indeed take note.

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dgorganize (he/him) @dgorganize.bsky.social · Sep 29

He remains locked up as his family and community agonizes

dgorganize (he/him) @dgorganize.bsky.social · Sep 29

In fact his family as a whole was key in ushering in labor struggle against local food manufacturing sweatshops and founding Brandworkers

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