What Happened in Bessemer?
Top labor organizing strategist, author and scholar Jane McAlevey weighs in on the failed effort by Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) to organize Amazon warehouse workers in Bessemer, Alabama.
Welcome to the first issue of Possible Futures! To reimagine the future, we're starting with the workplace. What we collectively do at work has a huge impact on the world we live in. You likely have more direct influence by what you use your labor towards all day than what you buy or who you vote for. And how your workplace functions has way more affect on your everyday life. If democracy is so important, why isn’t your workplace one? Having power at work is more than having the ear of an executive or a manager with an "open door", it involves a codified vote, governance structure or contractual obligation that guarantees everyone a voice and holds leadership accountable. That structure can come into being from the beginning in a startup, from the bottom-up in union organizing, from the middle-out in leadership practices, from the top-down in a restructuring or in sector development via policy or government incentives. Start talking to coworkers and see what happens. 🙃
