The Secret Plan to Defeat the Right Forever
Modernizing the nation's labor law is critical to expanding union membership—which in turn, will ensure conservatives become a permanent minority, as newly-empowered workers actively engage in political action and demand a new way of doing the nation's business, like creating an economy that rewards Main Street and not just Wall Street. The freedom to form unions and bargain is critical to the progressive movement—when workers have the tools they need to build a better life, they have the power to improve their communities and the solidarity to make progressive political change throughout the nation.
Learn about the critical efforts to protect workers and expand union membership, like the Employee Free Choice Act, and the union movement's efforts to reform labor law. Find out how the progressive movement has fought for labor law reform and what the next steps are, as well as how you can work together with unions online and in your community to get pro-worker bills passed and support pro-worker candidates.
Elana Levin works for Workers United, an SEIU affiliate, representing workers in the US and Canada in the laundry, food service, hospitality, gaming, apparel, textiles manufacturing and distribution industries. Workers United is a new union with a 100 year heritage, and includes members from predecessor unions like the ILGWU ("Look for the Union Label"), ACTWU, UNITE and UNITE HERE. Our members make Obama's suits.
Elana has worked for The Drum Major Institute for Public Policy, other unions, community organizations and has worked NYC primary elections while keeping some of her belongings intact. Some.
She blogs at Dkos & twitter.com/Elana_Brooklyn
Stewart Acuff is Assistant to AFL-CIO President John Sweeney. He champions the Employee Free Choice Act, fighting to restore workers’ freedom to form unions and bargain collectively. Previously, Acuff served as AFL-CIO organizing director, coordinating strategies across the federation’s 56 unions to help working men and women join and form unions.
Prior to joining the AFL-CIO, Stewart’s history in organizing has included the SEIU in Texas and organizations affiliated with ACORN and Citizen Action. He was elected president of the Atlanta Labor Council in 1991 after serving as executive director of the Georgia State Employees Union/SEIU 1985.
Tanya Tarr is the Director of Legislative and Political Mobilization with the Texas American Federation of Teachers. Previously she served as a Political Analyst for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), and as Data Manager for Working America, AFL-CIO. She is a veteran of local, state and federal campaigns. Tarr was recently named a Rising Star of 2009 by Campaigns and Elections' Politics Magazine's , recognizing people under 35 years old who have already made a significant mark in political consulting
or advocacy.
Jake McIntyre is Assistant to the Secretary-Treasurer of the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers (BAC). BAC, which represents skilled tradespeople throughout the masonry industry, is North America's oldest trade union. At the same time, Jake is a Contributing Editor at Daily Kos, one of North America's newest leading sources of news and opinion. Working at the crossroads of the most time-tested and the most cutting-edge elements of the progressive movement has provided Jake with a great opportunity to help bring them together. It's also a lot of fun.
