The Future of Work: Connecting Our Fights for Worker and Economic Justice

Workshop Goals and Agenda Deepen our ANALYSIS of the Future of Work Make CONNECTIONS between local and state level campaigns Share STRATEGY on how to connect these fights

Our main point The nature of work has changed, fundamentally and forever

Workers in the US used to take 3 things for granted Either way You can get a job close to homeYou can get training In a bad economy You may lose your job for a while But while you wait you can get unemployment In a good economy You have a job, and a boss If you get enough people together you can organize for a contract and raise

But there has been a historic shift in the workplace …and not for the better Contingent/contract labor Long-term, structural unemployment Linking of global labor markets Unsecure, temporary work

First is a shift in the nature of employment 1/3 Contingent Share of continent labor is up 50% in last 10 years

This is not a natural phenomenon …it’s driven by a corporate business model Walmart hires subcontractor Subcontractor hires another subcontractor Subcontractors hire workers Workers don’t know their real employer Walmart profits

Yikes! …this is not good for workers at all! 1/3 of workers have lost ability to bargain Wages have declined Weak U.S. safety net irrelevant The 1% economy is bad and getting worse for workers

Organizing corporate supply chains and corporations With Iowa CCI, Sunflower Community Action, and Fuerza Laboral

Second, the shift in the nature of unemployment The new normal is long periods of unemployment interrupted by brief employment 40% of the unemployed have been so for 27 weeks or longer

Rise of Structural Unemployment – from circumstantial to structural and from short-term to long-term

Structural Racism is built into the labor market Black unemployment 2 times higher than whites Lasts three times longer Latino unemployment 1.5 times higher than whites

Fighting structural unemployment and racism With VOCAL-NY, TakeAction Minnesota and AMOS

Third, the linking of local and global labor markets The only work that will remain can’t be outsourced 11% of the Mexican population lives in the U.S. Outsourcing will continue to move to India and the Philippines

Here’s another main point Unless you are in the 1%, then we are all in the same boat and it’s sinking

Fighting for Economic Justice With Community Voices Heard, Michigan United and Maine People’s Alliance

Three big implications of this analysis For the Future of Work in America Expand our organizing Re- imagine the safety net Reinvent bargaining with the real boss

There are 3 paths we can take Keep what we have? Go back to golden era? Reimagine the economy Only way forward

Only way forward = build a long-term agenda & new economy Take power away from corporations and 1% Get power for people and public Structural reforms that change power relations Moves away from confronting and petitioning power To building and taking power Long-term agenda is about power, not just issues Provides direction Does not provide a map with each step lined out Long-term agenda is a compass, not a blueprint This is an agenda for all progressives We need to recruit people and groups to join us NPA’s work is one piece of the puzzle, need allies We have to build a lot more power This means building power differently We can’t win by doing what we have done before

Building a New Economy With Northwest Bronx Community & Clergy Coalition, IIRON Student Network, and PUSH Buffalo

It’s time to move from defense to offense …and build a new worker movement! Win structural change Advance our ideas Build powerful groups

Connecting Our Fights, Building a Movement With Gar Alperovitz (Democracy Collaborative), Saket Soni (National Guestworkers Alliance), David Kimball (Center for Community Change), & more

Connecting our fights, building a movement What are your ideas on how to build a new worker and economic justice movement?