Organizing2020: Full Schedule

1:00pm EDT

COVID-19 Implications on Worker Health and Safety Organizing

This session will discuss COVID-19's implications on worker health and safety organizing, first detailing some of the issues that workers are facing in these times. The session then speaks specifically to what organizing and policy strategies have emerged and how workers are mobilizing and will serve as an opportunity to share organizing and policy ideas.

Speakers

Charlene Obernauer

Friday April 17, 2020 1:00pm - 1:45pm EDT
TBA

Labor, All

3:00pm EDT

From a Facebook Like to a Worker Leader

Using social media to move your message or share memes isn’t enough to build a movement. Online-to-offline organizing is so much more than event turnout. Christian Norton and Kelcie Glass will share their experiences using social media to organize workers and build power. They’ll discuss how to proactively find new supporters, how to use public and private social media pages to build a community, how to use comments and messaging to identify key individuals, and how to build an online-to-offline pipeline to connect individuals with ‘real-world’ organizers and create a movement. Come learn what it takes to build likes and ad clicks into activists and members.

Speakers

Kelcie Glass

Social Media Organizer, Concerted Action

Kelcie’s communications career and projects force her to be ahead of the social media curve, and to find new and innovative ways for organizations to connect with consumers, members, and allies. She maximizes the effectiveness of social media channels for her clients, by creating... Read More →

Christian Norton

Founder, Concerted Action

Christian specializes in helping unions and non-profits use digital tools to further their organizing and communications goals. He spent nearly a decade working directly for non-profit organizations while in Washington, DC, including as Communications Director at Working America... Read More →

Friday April 17, 2020 3:00pm - 3:45pm EDT
TBA

Labor, All

4:00pm EDT

Fundraising for Worker Organizers Who Haven't Had to Think About It Before Now

Participants in this session will learn about fundraising outreach tactics and messaging that are relevant in the current moment.

Speakers

Kati Sipp

Principal, New Working Majority

Kati Sipp, principal of New Working Majority, is a former Executive Vice President of SEIU HCPA and was the founder of the PA Working Families Party.

Salewa Ogunmefun

Salewa Ogunmefun is the Deputy Political Director of the Center for Popular Democracy Action.

Adanjesus Marin

Adanjesus Marin works with SEIU 1199NE and was formerly the director of Make the Road PA.

Ali Kronley

Ali Kronley is the director of the United Home Care Workers.

Friday April 17, 2020 4:00pm - 4:45pm EDT
TBA

Labor, All

5:00pm EDT

Breakthroughs in Labor Organizing: Workers in Food Delivery, Kickstarter, Yoga Instruction and Podcasts

Hear from workers from some of the most exciting union organizing campaigns today. How are they using online tools to connect with each other and build public support for their efforts? What does it take to organize your workplace in 2020?

Moderators

Elana Levin

Co-Founder, Organizing 2.0

For almost 15 years Elana has taught digital strategy in the labor movement. Seeing the need for a digital skills training conference for labor unions and community organizations Elana co-founded Organizing 2.0 a decade ago. She now serves as Program Director for New Media Mentors... Read More →

Speakers

Camilla Zhang

Member, Kickstarter United

Camilla Zhang is a fiction writer and New York City native who is passionate about fostering empathy and equality through storytelling and grassroots activism. Much of her organizing experience comes from being a part of Brooklyn-based housing justice collectives. She is currently... Read More →

Markella Los

Markella Los is a founding member of Unionize Yoga, and the communications strategist for the organizing effort that lead to forming the first union for yoga and movement professionals in the US.

Michael Baumann

Staff Writer, The Ringer

Michael Baumann is a staff writer at The Ringer, where he covers sports and culture. He serves on the bargaining committee at the Ringer Union.

Ivan Ostos

Iván Ostos was studying music in college when he began work as a Foodora courier 4 years ago in Toronto, Canada. While loving his job for the activity, adventure and community of being a courier, he quickly learned how dangerous and precarious the work was and wanted to change things... Read More →

Friday April 17, 2020 5:00pm - 6:00pm EDT
TBA

Labor, Intermediate

1:00pm EDT

Strikes! From the Civil War to the Amazon Warehouse

Our power comes from the work we do — and our occasional refusal to do it. We need to bring back the strike. But that’s a thing far more easily said than done.

Strikes are sexy again, so how do we encourage more workers to join a strike? What can we learn from history, the law, and current field reports? With Instacart and Amazon worker strikes popping up everywhere, what meaningful things can we do to show solidarity?

Speakers

Shaun Richman

Dania Rajendra

Dania Rajendra directs the coalition Athena, dedicated to delivering democracy by removing Amazon as an impediment to a democracy that finally represents us all and an economy that benefits all of us who aren't Jeff Bezos. She fits a writing life in where she can. A poet and essayist, Dania’s writing showcases and fosters... Read More →

Saturday April 18, 2020 1:00pm - 1:45pm EDT
TBA

Labor, All

2:00pm EDT

Digital Union Organizing: A Nonprofit Organization Case Study

Join members of the organizing committee for a 600-worker nonprofit to discuss how their campaign utilized technology for better communications and actions with their co-workers throughout 33 different locations in NYC. The workforce at Housing Works is extremely diverse in race, age, demographic, and in job title with retail workers, case managers, medical staff, janitors, warehouse workers, drivers, etc. Find out how COVID-19 has presented new organizing challenges while social distancing and balancing uncertainties during our harsh times in addition to a mutal aide group that workers put together for their co-workers that recently were furloughed.

Speakers

Housing Works Union

RWDSU

Workers at Housing Works that are organizing a union throughout a large and complicated non profit employer. Utilizing in person, online, Instagram, and other platforms to organize and build solidarity amongst a very diverse workforce amongst lawyers, janitors, case managers, retail... Read More →

Saturday April 18, 2020 2:00pm - 2:45pm EDT
TBA

Labor, All

4:00pm EDT

TXTW: Tech Workers Organizing Our Industry, Part 1

This is a 2-part session for people working in and around the tech industry. We'll do three things:
1) Reflect on our experiences at work and what we need right now.
2) Discuss ways to improve our working conditions in solidarity with impacted communities.
3) Find peers and allies.

Speakers

Grace Reckers

Organizer, OPEIU

Clarissa Redwine

Ross Patton

Danny Spitzberg

Tech Workers Coalition

Danny Spitzberg is a UX researcher for a cooperative economy. He organizes with Tech Workers Coalition, an all-volunteer network of rank-and-file tech workers who love hyphens. He also coordinates buytwitter.org, a campaign to turn Twitter into a public utility.

Saturday April 18, 2020 4:00pm - 4:45pm EDT
TBA

Labor, All

5:00pm EDT

How Yoga Teachers Use Social Media to Organize, Reach Allies, and Win Their Union

Yoga teachers who recently formed the first union of its kind will show how they used used social media to:
• Assess and mobilize members.
• Inspire the yoga community.
• Energize the public.
• Capture the attention of press and politicians and “third party” the employer.
Presented by Markella Los, communications strategist, and Tamar Samir, designer — two Unionize Yoga founding members and workplace organizers.

Speakers

Tamar Samir

Professor, Parsons The New School for Design

Tamar Samir is a heart-forward creative director focused on brand design strategy and a design educator at Parsons School of Design and Pratt Institute. Most recently she co-founded Unionize Yoga, the first-ever labor union for yoga teachers. Tamar is the art director and designer... Read More →

Markella Los

Markella Los is a founding member of Unionize Yoga, and the communications strategist for the organizing effort that lead to forming the first union for yoga and movement professionals in the US.

Saturday April 18, 2020 5:00pm - 5:45pm EDT
TBA

Labor, Beginner

5:00pm EDT

TXTW: Tech Workers Organizing Our Industry, Part 2

Speakers

Labor, All