The labor movement is critical to the success of the left, and the decline of unions in recent decades has corresponded with increasingly dangerous working conditions, stagnating wages, rising costs of living, and accelerating wealth inequality. But now a new generation of workers is fighting back, forming unions, and striking, as interest in unions reaches its highest points since the 1970s.

To better educate the public about what unions do, and help people get involved, Mid-Hudson Valley DSA is teaming up with the Hudson Valley Area Labor Federation (HVALF) for a discussion about organized labor right here in the Hudson Valley.

On Tuesday, December 7th at 8 pm, we’ll be speaking on Zoom with panelists from a range of industries and organizing experiences, followed by a brief Q & A. You’ll have a chance to hear about why unions increase democracy in the workplace, how they form and get results for their members, and what you can do to help support the growing labor movement in the Hudson Valley and beyond.

Our panelists include:

BETH WILSON is President and Academic Delegate of the United University Professions (UUP) New Paltz Chapter and lecturer of art history. She is an HVALF affiliate and Education Committee Co-Chair under the AFL-CIO.

BRYAN NELSON is a Local Representative of NewsGuild of New York, with over 10 years of experience in a variety of union settings in both the private and public sectors, including a workers’ center where he helped build power among undocumented workers and community allies to fight wage theft and recover unpaid wages. Bryan has also represented nurses and health professionals and served as a Unit Chair and Executive Council member of the Washington-Baltimore News Guild.

SARAH DOWD is an elected Delegate for the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA), New York’s largest union of registered nurses, an Emergency Department RN for New York City Health + Hospitals and a member of the NYC Democratic Socialists of America Labor Branch.

ASHWINI SUKTHANKAR has more than a decade of experience fighting for international labor rights and transnational labor regulation, serving roles such as Director of Global Campaigns at UNITE HERE, Director in the International Commission for Labor Rights, and President of Global Labor Justice’s International Labor Rights Forum. She is an HVALF affiliate and Education Committee Co-Chair under the AFL-CIO.

All are welcome to attend. RSVP to access the Zoom link.