The Green New Deal Campaign Commission and Chapters that are Building for Power have been up to a lot the past two months….!
Chapter & Campaign Updates
New Chapters are Building for Power
We’re so excited to announced three new chapter campaigns that are Building for Power! Regional membership bodies passed the following Green-New-Deal-style priority campaings at the chapter level:
- Chicago DSA, Fix the CTA: Organizing alongside Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) workers in Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Locals 308 and 241 in their contract fight to not only bring service back to normal but also implement a vision that expands our transit system and transforms current working conditions.
- Charlottesville DSA, Build 4 Power with Cville DSA Land Trust Advocacy: Mount strategic pressure to convince Charlottesville’s City Council & City Manager to commit to increasing their investment in purchasing land and buying multi-family homes for the Piedmont Community Land Trust (PCLT) and other affordable housing partners such as Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority (CRHA).
- St. Louis DSA, A Green New Deal for St. Louis, Starting with Our Schools: A new GND Working Group will engage with teacher and labor unions, school boards, and PTO groups, to demand investment in public schools: hiring union contractors to electrify and decarbonize school buildings, employ unionized public works employees to maintain and expand green community spaces, provide raises and resources to teachers who have long struggled for them, significantly expand wraparound services for students and their families, and expand the capacity of public schools to offer emergency relief during climate change-related and other disasters.
We’ll be working with these chapters to refine their demands, assess strategy, and provide material resources.
Building and Building for Power
Chapters we’re working with have made huge strides in their work the last few months. On the labor front, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1447 in Kentucky became public-facing partners with Louisville DSA’s transit campaign “Get on the Bus, Fund TARC“! Our commission sees working lock-step with labor as a critical part of DSA’s work:
Rebuilding, growing, and radicalizing the labor movement into a fighting force, to shape the terms of a just transition for all workers and a caring economy for all, is critical to winning a Green New Deal this decade.
Our Theory of Power
Meanwhile, Milwaukee DSA is charging ahead with its Power to the People campaign, which the Milwaukee Teacher’s Education Association officially endorsed in October!
#ICYMI MTEA has endorsed our Power To The People campaign! Join us tomorrow at 6pm for the next phone bank! RSVP: https://t.co/AVOsWXq9uu pic.twitter.com/LnXzxyqt2h
— Milwaukee🇵🇸DSA (@mkedsa) October 18, 2023
In September, we provided funds for Milwaukee to print bi-lingual flyers for a town-hall which got over 100 RSPVs from English and Spanish speaking community members. To date, Milwaukee DSA has collected over 50,000 signatures in support of public power.
Chapter Organizing
Mid-West Regional Organizing Retreat
In October, DSA hosted a Regional Organizing Retreat for mid-western chapters in Milwaukee. GND Steering Committee Member Soleil S. presented on our campaign mandate. A dozen attendees then joined her in a breakout session to discuss winning a green new deal in their cities and states.
Chapter Campaign Huddles
Organizing is a muscle that needs to be exercised like any other. And jumping into campaign mode without learning the right techniques can lead to treading water and burnout. So every month, we host an hour-long “campaign huddle” session where we not only give B4P campaign updates, but also review key organizing strategies.
Last month, we reviewed the Organizing Bullseye and challenged organizers to assess if they have been moving people to the center — turning supporters into activists and activists into core leaders. Some participants came to the conclusion that they are not! As organizers, it’s imperative we take hard looks at our work and change course when things are not working.
If this sounds like the kind of conversation you need to have, join us every last Wednesday of the month at 8pm ET.
Commission Updates
New Steering Committee
Per our 2023 Priority Resolution passed at Convention, we have a new 15-member steering committee for the 2025-2025 term. The body represents a wide cross-section of chapters, including YDSA, and internal and external organizing experience. Meet the new leadership here.
Green New Dues
In October, our body hosted a “Green New Dues” dues drive as part of a convention mandate to “give 1% for the 99%.” We made over 801 calls asking members to pay 1% of their income to DSA dues; 40% of our conversations ended with a yes!
If you’re a member, will you step up to the challenge and help build the powerful mass working class organization we need to win by switching to Solidarity Income-Based Dues today?
Maine Public Power Convening
From October 19-22, more than 60 organizers representing 45 groups from across the country converged in Portland, Maine to learn, strategize, and collaborate on how to win public power. They also textbanked and canvassed for Maine’s upcoming Pine Tree Power ballot initiative.
Steering Committe members Lake L., KC C., and Matt H. went as reps of the Green New Deal Campaign Commission. They handed out brochures and provided a truncated version of our training series for attendees.
What a fall! Sign up for our mailing list to get updates and resources delivered to your inbox.