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Is the COVID-19 Pandemic Fueling the Rebirth of Labor Organizing?

Screen shot from live stream of Is the COVID-19 Pandemic Fueling the Rebirth of Labor Organizing?
1:00:59

From fast food workers striking for protective gear and hazard pay to care workers mobilizing for paid sick days and unemployment benefits, COVID-19 has shone a light on the precariousness of our workforce and the vulnerability of those deemed essential.

This Labor Day saw the launch of powerful campaigns—on the streets and online—to uplift the millions of essential workers of color, support the unemployed, and further workers’ rights. Dramatic new advances in digital organizing are mobilizing people on a scale we have not seen before. Is the pandemic fueling the rebirth of labor organizing?

This conversation explored the current state of play around, and Open Society’s new efforts to advance, workers’ rights and racial justice.

Speakers

  • Neidi Dominguez

    Speaker

    Neidi Dominguez is co-founder of Unemployed Workers United.

    Read full bio

  • Thomas Perriello

    Moderator

    Until July 2023, Tom Perriello was executive director of Open Society-U.S.

  • Ai-jen Poo

    Speaker

    Ai-jen Poo is co-founder and executive director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance.

    Read full bio

  • Ken Rigmaiden

    Speaker

    Ken Rigmaiden is general president of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades.

    Read full bio

  • Erica Smiley

    Speaker

    Erica Smiley is executive director of Jobs with Justice.

    Read full bio

Read more

The World Can’t Wait

Q&A: A New Social Contract for Workers and Business

A person in full protective gear sprays the hands of a worker sitting at a sewing machine

After the financial crisis of 2008, many advocates were disappointed by the unwillingness of many governments to shake up a discredited status quo. More than 10 years later, amidst another crisis, there is reason for hope.

May 21, 2020

Organizing for Justice

A Worldwide Movement for Domestic Workers

Despite their increasingly essential role in the global economy, domestic workers in many countries remain shockingly vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. Thankfully, a global and worker-led movement is pushing for change.

April 30, 2019 | Marina Durano

A Just Recovery

How to Ensure a Truly Global Recovery

A group of people waiting in line outside

The Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz explains how policymakers on the international level can make sure that the post-pandemic recovery doesn't make economic injustice even worse.

March 22, 2021 | Joseph Stiglitz

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