| Only two weeks ago we walked the picket lines as Minnesota Nurses around the metro went on a 3-day strike. This week, we learned that mental health workers at Allina Health would undertake their own 3-day strike, starting on Monday. Negotiations have broken off and workers will be picketing at Abbott Northwestern and Unity Hospitals this Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 10am to 4pm. We encourage TCDSA members to join workers on the picket line to show support. Their key demands are staffing and safety, concerns that are driving workers across many industries to take a combative stance toward their employers. Two days before 130 mental health workers at M Health Fairview facilities were also scheduled to strike, union negotiators delayed those plans. SEIU members there said enough progress had been made in negotiations that strike plans were put on hold. In an economy that prioritizes the returns of investors over all else, workers like these are the ones standing up to make sure that our hospitals, schools and grocery stores keep functioning over the indifference of the capitalist class. And speaking of capitalist indifference, on Tuesday evening our Socialist Feminist Branch and Clinic Defense Working group have put together an event to let those responsible for the fall of Roe v Wade know that we haven’t forgotten. Find below a chance to protest directly at those who are celebrating the stripping away of our rights. We won’t go back! Finally, don’t forget that the vote on endorsement of Aaron Wagner for Robbinsdale City Council and Samantha Sencer-Mura for MN State House 63A is still open through Sunday. An OpaVote ballot was emailed to all members in good standing on 9/27. You can find their questionnaires and recordings of their Q&A’s online to help you make your decision! |
| Big events in the next week |
| • Tabling at Open Streets Minnehaha – Outside Moon Palace Saturday, 10/1, from 11:00am-4:30pm Twin Cities DSA is tabling at Open Streets Minnehaha in Minneapolis. Stop by to meet some comrades IRL and pick up buttons and other swag! Our table is right in front of the Moon Palace Books parking lot, approximately 3026 Minnehaha Ave. Members, to volunteer for a shift, fill out tcdsa.org/tabling and check out the #tabling Slack channel! |
| • PLAM Banquet Protest – Heritage Center of Brooklyn Center Monday, 10/3 from 6:00pm-9:00pm TCDSA Clinic Defense is planning to protest a fundraising banquet for Pro-Life Action Ministries https://plam.org/events/. Help us boost turnout by sharing the graphic at the start of the email! |
| • Labor Notes Troublemakers School – Metro State University Saturday, 10/8, 9:00am-5:00pm – Register Here |
| In conjunction with area unions, TCDSA, and organizations like East Side Freedom Library, Labor Notes will be holding their first event in several years in the Twin Cities area. We have put together an exciting program relevant both to those in unions and people who are not. It is where rank-and-file union members and other workers gather to learn from each other about how to build power in the workplace, democratize our unions, and win the demands and dignity we deserve. |
| • Labor Branch Movie Night – “Pride” (2014) – Mayday Books Saturday, 10/15, 6:30pm-9:00pm |
| Labor Branch and Socialist Feminist Branch are putting on a film viewing of the movie “Pride” (2014) Summary: U.K. gay activists work to help miners during their lengthy strike of the National Union of Mineworkers in the summer of 1984 |
| From the Blog |
| • East Phillips Urban Farm Update – Connor S provides us with context for Minneapolis’ recent decision to move forward with demolition over the protests of community members, and gives update on recent developments, what comes next, and how to help. |
| Chapter Branch/Committee Meetings and Events |
| • TechOps: Website Redesign – Tuesday, 10/4, 5:00pm-6:00pm – Zoom Registration |
| We will be having a presentation on a new proposed website design. |
| • Internal Organizing Phonebank – Wednesday, 10/5, 6:00pm-7:00pm – Zoom Registration |
| Join the Internal Organizing Committee for our bimonthly phonebank to call new TCDSA members. We will meet on Zoom to go over the script, mute ourselves and make phone calls to other DSA members, and then return to debrief how our calls went. These phonebanks are a chance to meet newer members to TCDSA, hear what they need from our chapter and what brings them to socialism. See the pinned post on the #internal-organizing channel on Slack to preview the script. |
| • Electoral Committee General Meeting – Sunday, 10/9, 2:00pm-3:30pm – Zoom Registration |
| The TCDSA Electoral Committee holds a general meeting the first Sunday of every month at 2PM. We will be discussing campaign activities through the general election, and post election events. All are invited to the meeting, whatever your involvement (your perspective is important!) |
| • Steering Committee Meeting – Wednesday, 10/12, 7:00pm-8:30pm |
| Check #steeringcommittee for the zoom link and agenda. If you are a member and need access to slack, sign up at tcdsa.org/slack. |
| Go to tcdsa.org/events to see everything! |