Update from the Young Democratic Socialists
Labor Day
September 4, 2006
In this YDS EMAIL UPDATE you will find:
1) FALL IMMIGRANT RIGHTS ACTIVISM
2) YDS CAMPUS ORGANIZING
3) LABOR DAY SPECIAL
4) EHRENREICH ON THE WORKING POOR
5) MID-SOUTH CONFERENCE OF THE LEFT
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1) FALL IMMIGRANT RIGHTS ACTIVISM : SEPT 7th & BEYOND!
YDS has committed to prioritizing immigrant rights activism this year as part of our broader social justice work. We encourage our members and chapters to get involved in the upcoming round of pro-immigrant, pro-worker mobilizations around the country. Please let us know if you are planning to attend the events listed below. You can meet up with other YDSers in D.C. and make use of the resource handouts included in this email blast.
IMMIGRANT FAMILIES WELCOME CONGRESS BACK TO WASHINGTON
Starting tomorrow, the 2 week-long, Cindy Sheehan-inspired Camp Democracy
(http://campdemocracy.org) is opening up in Washington DC. On Thursday, Sept. 7th, there will be a historic massive rally and march to demand legalization for all and a moratorium on the deportation of innocent families.
SCHEDULE OF SEPT. 7th: http://ncic-metro.org
DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS ON IMMIGRANT RIGHTS:
Justice For Undocumented Workers
Reject HR 4437 and Guest Worker Programs
We Demand a Real Path to Citizenship!
Democratic Socialists of America favors granting immediate permanent resident status to all undocumented workers and establishing an expeditious and non-punitive road to citizenship for these workers and their families. We oppose guest worker programs that would help exploit these workers and undercut all workers' rights to organize and to secure humane wages and working conditions, especially low-wage workers, many of whom are relegated to the bottom rung of the economy by institutional racism. The burgeoning immigrant rights movement represents a crucial movement for social justice and brings to the forefront of public debate issues central to a democratic and just society.
READ/PRINT FULL STATEMENT: www.dsausa.org/pdf/Justice%20for%20Undocumented%20Workers.pdf
DSA RECRUITMENT FLYER IN SPANISH: www.dsausa.org/pdf/Membership%20Flyer%20(Spanish).pdf
2) YDS CAMPUS ORGANIZING
Please contact our national office if you would like us to send you or your group organizing materials in the mail or as email attachments (YDS chapter guides, buttons, literature, sample meeting fliers, etc.). These are very useful when setting up a table at important events like your campus activities fair.
Contact us for help organizing teach-ins, trainings, or visits from YDS organizers to strengthen existing chapters and help new ones get off the ground. We can also put you in touch with democratic socialist faculty members on campuses across the country. YDS can be reached at yds@dsausa.org or 212-727-8610
3) LABOR DAY SPECIAL
Lessons for Labor Day
CEOs in the oil and defense industries are making out like profiteering bandits. Wages for American workers are declining while their productivity is rising. Recent polls show that workers feel pessimistic about their economic prospects. And a new US Census Report reveals growing poverty, especially among children.
www.thenation.com/blogs/edcut?pid=117962
Why Unions Matter: Democratic Socialist Perspectives
www.ydsusa.org/statements/why_unions_matter.pdf
Workingman's Blues
Have a nice Labor Day. Try to forget it's a sick joke.
by Harold Meyerson (DSA Vice-Chair, writer for
Washington Post and
American Prospect)
www.prospect.org/web/page.ww?section=root&name=ViewWeb&articleId=11941
4) EHRENREICH ON THE WORKING POOR
The High Cost of Being Poor
There are people, concentrated in the Hamptons and Beverly Hills, who still confuse poverty with the simple life. No cable TV, no altercations with the maid, no summer home maintenance issues -- just the basics like family, sunsets and walks in the park. What they don't know is that it's expensive to be poor.
www.zmag.org/sustainers/content/2006-08/17ehrenreich.cfm
NOW's David Brancaccio hosts a special conversation with Barbara Ehrenreich on the state of American workers and wages today.
DOWNLOAD MP3: www.pbs.org/pov/pov2006/wagingaliving/special_ehrenreich.html
5) MID-SOUTH CONFERENCE OF THE LEFT
Heads Up: The University of Central Arkansas Young Democratic Socialists will be hosting the second-annual Mid-South Conference of the Left from October 27-28th. It is an activist education/community outreach event open to the general public. Admission is free and housing can be arranged for those who need it.
FULL DESCRIPTION: www.campusactivism.org/displayevent-1511.htm
Young Democratic Socialists
c/o DSA 75 Maiden Lane, Suite 505
New York, NY, 10038
office: (212) 727-8610
fax: (212) 608-6955
yds@dsausa.org
www.ydsusa.org
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