The post DSA +50 Orgs Condemn Biden Administration Siding With Private Prison Company CoreCivic to Keep Immigrant Detention in New Jersey first appeared on North NJ DSA.

A genre maligned. It did not begin with social media, but social media introduced a new utility of the medium to its fans.

Republicans in Congress, having solved the rest of America’s problems, have renewed their focus on how the District of Columbia runs its municipal affairs.

Connecting what is to what could be forms the framework of what the socialist movement is or should be about. A new anthology seeks to address this moment.

Happy red hot summer!

UPS Teamsters have voted to go on strike August 1 if the bosses do not agree to a fair contract. Join us Sunday, July 9, 2:00-3:30 PM at the Gallatin Labor Temple (422 E Mendenhall) for a discussion about why workers go on strike and how to support UPS workers.

Suggested materials to review:

• The Chicago Teachers Strike Is a Fight for the Common Good (Article)
• Create Havoc Around our System (CHAOS) method (Video)
• Teamsters Deliver The Goods 2  (Podcast)

Other upcoming dates:

• Thursday July 13, 6:30 PM, Housing Working Group (1820 W Lincoln)
• Sunday July 16, 2:00 PM, Labor Working Group (422 E Mendenhall)
• Thursday July 20, 6:30 PM, Housing Working Group (1820 W Lincoln)
• Sunday July 23, 2:00 PM, Labor Working Group (422 E Mendenhall)
• Friday, July 28, Strike Ready Fundraiser at the Gallatin Labor Temple to raise money for a strike fund to support UPS workers if they need to strike
• Sunday, August 13, 2:00 PM, New DSA Member Orientation

Solidarity Forever

The local's most recent internal election imparted a confounding mandate for its convention delegation.

Syracuse DSA condemns the recent Supreme Court ruling that threatens protection of marginalized and colonized communities in America and dramatically limits access to the current education system. Already coming off one year since the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the curtailing of EPA powers to regulate air quality and carbon emissions, we already see the results of allowing hard won civil rights to remain issues of litigation as opposed to legislation. 

As socialists, we cannot sit idly by as an unelected, reactionary judicial body influenced by right-wing billionaires slowly strips the rights away from working-class people. It is up to us to organize a movement that can build the kind of world we need. A world that can meaningfully address the systemic racism woven within its structure. A world where free, high-quality education is accessible from cradle to grave.

The Supreme Court rulings show us that the ruling-class will always oppose even the most basic interests of oppressed and working-class people. Dozens of cases, ranging from Dred Scott v. Sanford, Korematsu v. United States, to Plessy v. Ferguson have upheld the right to discriminate based on race, ethnicity, gender expression and sexual orientation. The most recent decisions should not be viewed as an extremist anomaly, but as a continuation of a trend—one that abets capitalist hegemony and white supremacy.

The Supreme Court, unlike every other court in the United States, has failed to adopt an ethics code that compels justices to recuse themselves from cases where there are clear conflicts of interests. Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, in particular, have accepted lavish trips and gifts from right-wing billionaires with business before the court. 

This makes a mockery out of a major branch of American government, instead turning it into a transparent example of the two-tiered system conservative justices might deny exists—one designed for the wealthy, and one for everyone else.

We must not let empty promises by centrist Democrats derail and thwart demands for accountability that arise organically, products of the increasingly apparent contradictions of the capitalist system. Those demands for accountability and a truly just world cannot be paralyzed by election promises, freedoms to perhaps be realized in future election cycles. People are tired of their rights being used for fundraising pitches with no intention to actualize or advocate for them—they want a society that provides for their needs and defends their humanity in the here and now.

It is up to us to wield our collective power and make a better world, one built from the ashes of the old, and inspire our neighbors and comrades to make it with us.

July 3rd, 2023

The post On the Supreme Court, July 2023 appeared first on Syracuse DSA.

At 12:01am May 2nd, the Writers’ Guild of America launched their first nationwide strike since 2007, grinding production to a halt across the entertainment industry. The WGA represents over 11,500 writers in TV, film, radio, and online media production, and for 56 days and counting, its members have held the picket line from coast to coast, demanding fair compensation for their time and labor, greater job security, as well as firm protections against studio efforts to replace their profession with artificial intelligence. Tonight, we hear from Jono Matt, a screenwriter based in Los Angeles and a strike captain for the WGA, on their fight for a fair contract and why this public display of labor power by the writers is so critical in this incendiary moment for the working class of this country.

UPS Teamsters have authorized a strike this August. It’s vital that the socialist movement mobilize and help rank-and-file members win a ground-breaking contract.   Syracuse DSA’s Steering Committee has officially joined DSA chapters across the country by signing on to Strike Ready 2023!What can you do to get involved? Great question! Commit to attend the picket line, provide donations for workers, or purchasing Teamster merch by signing the Strike Ready Pledge.  You can find more information about Syracuse actions here.

The post Syracuse is 2023 Strike Ready appeared first on Syracuse DSA.

A multinational corporation owns and operates DC's electrical utilities at the expense of the public good. There is an alternative to this exploitative arrangement.