There’s no better time to be reminded that unions are our best and most proven defense against oligarchy and authoritarianism, since they are the one institution equipped to channel our collective energy to resist into real collective action. Yet, there’s no self-awareness about the fact that, for all the hand-wringing we hear about Democrats losing the “working class,” union members shifted toward Harris in 2024.
As we come up on Labor Day, unions are overwhelmingly popular with Americans and far more trusted than either major political party. At the same time, attacks on labor by the Trump regime and its allies are so comprehensive that, for the first time since before FDR was elected, American working people could lose their basic rights to collectively bargain and protect themselves from corporate predations.
This week on Substack Live, Anat and I discussed this and more, including:
Unions aren't just a nice thing to have for those who have them—they secure real change for all of us that voting can’t, from raising workplace standards and reining in AI to overthrowing dictatorships and ending apartheid.
The MAGA regime is fighting a war, while we treat every battle as a separate incident subject to normal legal or policy debate. A major front in this war is the Trump regime’s ongoing and threatened occupation of (no coincidence) Black-led cities, where Trump is likely hoping for his “Reichstag fire” moment. The plan to fight back must include mass noncompliance—refusal, resistance, and ridicule.
How to talk to occupying National Guard service members (don’t say “Don’t turn on us”; do say something more like “Honor your oath to us”).
Gerrymandering—how Wisconsin and others are not Red states but rigged states.
When the MAGA regime pretends to uphold “rule of law,” it’s whatever the rulers say the law is.
Please join the AFL-CIO this Labor Day for one of more than 1,000 actions and celebrations nationwide!
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