Join the East Bay DSA Labor Committee this fall for a 5-part study series on the rise of public sector unionism in the 1960s-70s in the context of the radicalizing social movements for civil rights, student power, ending the Vietnam war, and women's liberation. Open to all and designed for anyone engaged or interested in workplace or non-workplace based movement work!

What were the key lessons of the ‘60s and '70s public sector union upsurge that can inform our work today? How did workers organize themselves and their communities? To what extent were the fights against racism and sexism integrated into those struggles? What role did union officials and the state play? And in all of this, what were the strengths and weaknesses that the Left brought to the movements?

This series will explore how the various movements of the period created the possibility for public workers to think of themselves as workers needing unions and with the right to bargain with their bosses collectively. We will especially look at how the civil rights movement paved the way for this to happen and the impact of the disproportionate percentage of black and women workers in this sector, left out of the New Deal labor laws of the 1930s. We will also consider how these unions met or failed to meet the challenges of racism, sexism, and anti-communism in the midst of Cold War America.

Groups will start the week of Monday, October 18th, consist of 10 - 15 people, and will meet on a regular date and time every other week for a total of 5 sessions. Group meeting dates will be assigned based on the overall availability that participants indicate below. Organizers of this series will reach out to those that sign-up a few weeks before the start week to inform participants of their group meeting dates and link them up with their group co-leads who will be facilitating the group.

Readings will be shared digitally at no cost and will average 25 - 30 pages every two weeks. The curriculum also features movies, some of which are assigned as essential curriculum and some of which are assigned as supplemental. A few of the movies will cost a small digital rental fee of $2 or $3 to watch.

For questions, comments, etc, please email labor@eastbaydsa.org

For a list of the readings, click here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qk2nOc0tzBI3RBxJrby8SkoLasLzbs9LiVtOHTSE1MI/edit?usp=sharing