In November, art workers at the Marciano Art Foundation museum announced their intention to form a union, so they could have power and democracy on the job, and the ability to bargain with management to improve wages and working conditions. Within days, the Marciano family fired every worker and closed their museum.
But the Marciano Art Foundation workers are not giving up without a fight. They’re running a community pressure campaign around the country demanding the Marciano family reopen their workplace, rehire the workers and recognize their union.
The Marciano family also owns the Guess brand and is known for union-busting, paying poverty wages, and violating workers rights. So on Black Friday, the MAF Union lead a coordinated action around the country to disrupt business as usual at over 50 Guess stores across the U.S.
New Orleans DSA members Michael and Jeff joined AFSCME and UTNO organizers to flyer inside the Riverwalk Mall, passing out information and having conversations with around a hundred different people. DSA will keep following the MAF Union campaign as we do our part to support workers around the country!
New Orleans DSA members & supporters at the chapter’s favorite bar, Pirogues, for a debate watch party.
We know that Bernie Sanders is the best presidential candidate for workers and our families, so New Orleans DSA is running an ambitious campaign for Bernie 2020! We will be knocking thousands of doors, making hundreds of calls and texts, registering voters, hosting monthly Bernie educational and social events, and canvassing & tabling across the city. There’s plenty of work to do and we’re going to need all hands on deck, so come join us! Our next Bernie campaign meeting is Saturday, Dec. 7th, 2 – 3:30 PM in the common space at Fairgrinds Coffee House (3133 Ponce de Leon).
In October, New Orleans DSA sent members up to Chicago to join the 35,000 teachers and education workers who are on strike for their students. They are members of Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) and SEIU Local 73, and their demands include a nurse and social worker in every school, reduced class sizes, and fair pay for support staff.
Blanca Estevez, of Northwest Arkansas DSA and the DSA National Political Committee, helps bag up lunches for Chicago students(more…)
New Orleans DSA stands in solidarity with all workers in the aftermath of the catastrophic collapse on the corner of Canal and Rampart streets, on the site of a former Civil Rights Movement landmark which was planned to be a Hard Rock Hotel.
We condemn the greed, neglect, and corruption fostered by capitalists who prioritize profits over human life — not just the developers making a hotel for tourists instead of actually affordable housing for workers, not just the notoriously anti-union contractors who endanger and threaten workers, not just the politicians and bureaucrats who accept donations, bribes, and the goodwill of their most powerful friends, not just our local government who thinks that an Apple Store and Cracker Barrel on Canal Street are the upper echelon of what we can achieve — all of these and more. Capitalism encourages the individualist, profit-driven culture that would call this disaster a senseless tragedy but not a crime.
Of more than 110 workers onsite at the time of the disaster, at least three have died, with dozens of workers injured. This tragedy isn’t over, and the bosses still have the upper hand. Here’s how it happened:
Bosses neglected worker safety complaints.
Bosses misclassified workers. This is wage theft. By calling workers “independent contractors,” bosses avoid paying proper overtime, benefits and taxes. But it’s even worse than that — misclassified workers are also robbed of workers compensation for injuries on the job!
Bosses put profits over workers. Unionized electricians protested at the site last month because contractors were flouting the rules, employing “unlicensed and unqualified electricians, against city ordinances.”
Government didn’t protect us. The original developer received special zoning and density exceptions for the project at the same time that he was defrauding the Road Home Program. When he was sentenced to a federal prison, his family got to keep the property and continue the project. By the way, New Orleans’ Department of Safety and Permits is under federal investigation for building inspectors accepting bribes from 2011 to 2019 from “individuals seeking favorable inspection reports.”
Workers pay the price, always. In addition to the construction workers directly impacted by this disaster — physically, emotionally, and financially — the effects are felt throughout the city’s working class. Businesses near the site have been evacuated, putting people out of work indefinitely. Street closures have affected worker commutes by car and transit.
What’s next?
Demand the developer and contractor pay all medical costs and back pay to misclassified workers!
Demand a responsible bidder ordinance requiring all government contracts AND contracts receiving any subsidies or tax breaks to use unionized labor, including subcontractors.
Pay attention. What happens to the property? What happens to the workers? Who do you think should have the power in this situation?
Demand a workers compensation fund for workers at nearby businesses that are currently closed around the site of the collapse.
Decades of racist practices at the USDA have robbed black Louisianans of their farmland, and the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry could help undo this injustice. Ag Commissioner candidate Marguerite Green wants to make sure that they do.
Agriculture is big business in Louisiana. The state’s forests and fields are one of our main industries, supporting hundreds of communities and thousands of families.
While farming can be a lucrative business, it has been at the expense of black farmers, whose land has been stolen from them through corrupt institutional practices, discrimination, intimidation, and collusion. As Vann Newkirk documented recently for The Atlantic, Wall Street firms like TIAA are buying up farmland in the Mississippi Delta, pushing black farmers off their families’ lands. In total, black farmers in the US have lost 12 million acres in the last century. This crisis of land loss is acute in Louisiana.
Sunset in the Irish Channel found over 150 neighbors, families and children in Burke Park on Friday evening for the first DSA hosted Movie in the Park presented by the New Orleans Recreation Department. The movie, WALL-E, began promptly after dark, following camaraderie and a festive gathering of neighbors and visitors alike.
All across the US, nearly 50,000 workers at General Motors plants represented by United Auto Workers union (UAW) are out on strike to demand dignity and justice on the job. DSA members from Texas to Pennsylvania have joined their picket lines to show support for the workers in their battle against the GM bosses.
This week, New Orleans DSA are sending members out on Wednesday and Friday to walk the picket line with striking workers in Brandon, MS. When asked what our members could bring to show our support, one UAW union member said, “Bring your fighting spirit … I want us to be seen. There is strength in numbers.” We are proud to stand with workers from New Orleans to Mississippi!
On Wednesday 18th of September 2019, DSA New Orleans Labor Standing Committee (LSC) held its monthly meeting. This was more than a standard meeting as the committee was electing its new leadership for the year ahead. Furthermore, committee members were greeted with pizza and drinks. The meeting was well attended as more than 15 members came out, but we must keep growing to demand better conditions for all the workers of Greater New Orleans.
There is a new publication from our chapter: Red Delta! We will be keeping y’all updated on local and statewide issues from a democratic socialist perspective, writing on everything from candidates for office, housing justice, environmental organizing, and more. Each edition of Red Delta is sent out to our supporters every other month so make sure you sign up for our mailing list. All of the Red Delta articles can also be read on our website by clicking the link in the sidebar.
Happy May Day, also known as International Workers’ Day. This Wednesday, May 1st, DSA New Orleans will be joining the annual march organized by New Orleans Workers’ Center for Racial Justice. We’ll gather in Congo Square at 1:30 PM and we invite all of you to join us! Remember to wear red.
We have a ton of great events planned this month. In addition to our regular monthly Brake Light Clinic, we’re doing two Medicare-for-All canvasses. We’ve got a film screening about Anne Braden, a southern socialist organizer and civil rights activist. Our Socialists of Color Caucus is hosting a forum about liberation movements in the Caribbean. We’ve got a book event about the red state teachers’ strikes, and we’ll close out the month with a social.
*Upcoming June Convention*
Don’t forget we’ve got our chapter convention coming up in June. Our convention is one of our most important events of the year, where we elect new leadership and vote on important political resolutions. You can read a guide to the chapter convention here.
Upcoming DSA Events
Film Screening: Anne Braden, Southern Patriot Friday, May 10th, 7 – 9pm The Dragonfly: Poetry & Performance Ritual Space, 3921 St. Claude Ave This riveting documentary tells the story of one of the South’s most important socialist organizers, with appearances by Cornel West and Angela Davis among others. Free screening, all are welcome. Dinner provided.
Gimme A Brake Light Clinic Saturday, May 11th, 11am – 4pm Kruttschnitt Place, 2437 Bayou Rd Join us for our monthly brake light clinic, where we fix brake lights for free to prevent unnecessary traffic stops and speak out against police violence. Snacks and water provided, no experience necessary, family friendly.
Comrades of the Caribbean Friday, May 17th, 6 – 8pm Community Book Center, 2523 Bayou Rd Join DSA’s Socialists of Color Caucus for a forum on Caribbean liberation movements. From New Orleans to Cuba to Haiti, we believe that we must know and support each other’s struggles towards freedom. Food from CocoHut provided before hand and a brief Q&A with our panelists afterwards. Family friendly. We’re raising funds to cover the cost of catering and hosting this event. Click here to donate.
Medicare-for-All Canvass & Health Fair Saturday, May 18th — Canvass from 10am – 12pm, Health Fair 12 – 4pm A.L. Davis Park, 2600 La Salle St Every month (or more!) we organize a canvass for Medicare-for-All, a policy to create free universal healthcare. Snacks, water provided. No experience or supplies necessary.
We’ll follow up our canvass with a Health Fair + Medical Debt Clinic. We offer health resources, hot food, cool beverages, assistance with debt disputes, and talk to folks about Medicare for All. Email healthcare@dsaneworleans.org if you’d like to volunteer!
Red State Revolt Saturday, May 25th, 3 – 5pm Musician Union’s Hall, 2555 Ursulines Ave In 2018 a strike wave—the first in over four decades—rocked the United States. Inspired by the wildcat victory in West Virginia, teachers in Oklahoma, Arizona, and across the country walked off their jobs and shut down their schools to demand better pay for educators, more funding for students, and an end to years of austerity. We will be hosting former teacher, DSA organizer and author Eric Blanc for a discussion of his recently released book, Red State Revolt.
New Member Social Friday, May 31st, 6:30 – 8:30pm Location TBD Save the date, we’re having a new member social on the last Friday of May. This will be a great chance for new folks to meet New Orleans socialists and learn how to get involved in our work. Children welcome, dinner provided.
For the most complete, up-to-date information on all of our meetings and events, check out our calendar.
