SOCIALIST SOUND

Huge Wins for DSA Initiatives in Tacoma and Bellingham

On November 7th Tacoma voters passed the strongest tenant protections in Washington State, despite the landlord opposition shattering all previous spending records to defeat us. Tacoma DSA launched the campaign and built Tacoma for All into a broad labor-community coalition to win Initiative #1. We overcame efforts by the Mayor and City Council to derail our campaign, first by attempting to co-opt the movement with a watered down alternative, and then with a competing initiative. Backed by the 8,000 grocery workers in UFCW 367 and the wider Pierce County Central Labor Council, Tacoma for All built a 100-strong volunteer army to knock over 20,000 doors. The victory of Initiative #1, and DSA-endorsed city council candidate Jamika Scott, has transformed DSA into a center of gravity for working-class politics in Tacoma. Meanwhile, Whatcom DSA helped win two major ballot initiatives: one to raise the minimum wage in Bellingham, and a second to compel landlords pay tenants relocation assistance when rent hikes over 8% force renters to move. DSA plays a central role in Community First Whatcom, the coalition behind both initiatives. After winning two ballot initiatives in 2021, this is the second round of victories for Whatcom DSA and the coalition, cementing the organized left as major force in Bellingham politics. My first interview is with four fellow leaders of Tacoma DSA, who co-led the initiative campaign with me. My second interview is with Cleveland Harris, a leader in Whatcom DSA and the chair of Community First Whatcom. Thanks to Jason Corey and Max van Ginneken for mixing and editing the audio for this episode, and to Val Ross for the cover art.

The UAW Strike with Jane Slaughter

The historic strike of the United Auto Workers against the Big Three US automakers is inspiring new hope for the labor movement. I sat down with Jane Slaughter, a founder and long-time editor of Labor Notes, to discuss the ongoing strike, what it will take to win, and how the strike was made possible by a small opposition caucus defeating the entrenched UAW bureaucracy to take leadership of the union earlier this year. I then speak with Manya Janowitz, a Seattle DSA member and organizer with UNITE-HERE Local 8, about the strike and contract battle at Homegrown, the Seattle-based sandwich chain. The discussion with Jane Slaughter references her recent article, “No Reform Caucus, No UAW Strike,” published in The Call [https://socialistcall.com/2023/09/20/no-reform-caucus-no-uaw-strike/] on September 20th. This podcast is only possible due to the generous monthly contributions of Seattle DSA members and supporters who fund my part-time salary as the chapter’s Communications Organizer alongside vital organizing work. To sustain this podcast, and our wider communications work, please become a monthly contributor at seattledsa.org/podcast [http://seattledsa.org/podcast].

Winning Time for Socialists in Tacoma

Socialists are taking on Tacoma City Hall and winning. My four guests today are all good friends and fellow leaders of Tacoma DSA. We're in the midst of a major ballot initiative campaign to win the strongest tenant protections in Washington state, and on the cusp of winning DSA’s first seat on Tacoma City Council for Jamika Scott, a deeply-rooted Black leader and democratic socialist. In this episode, we tell the story of how Tacoma City Council, on behalf of the landlord lobby, tried to defeat our Tenant Bill of Rights with a watered-down, competing ballot measure – and how we took them to court and won, getting their deceptive measure removed from the November ballot. We discuss the labor movement’s strong support for our Initiative #1, the debate in labor around Jamika's campaign, and how these fights are positioning DSA to help transform Tacoma city politics in the years ahead. Find out more about Initiative #1, the Tenant Bill of Rights, at http://www.tacoma4all.orgTacoma4All.org [http://Tacoma4All.org], and follow our campaign on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @Tacoma4All Tacoma DSA endorsed candidate Jamika Scott’s website is http://www.jamikafortacoma.comjamikafortacoma.com [http://jamikafortacoma.com] Check out The Stranger's article, “Tacoma is the Revolution [https://www.thestranger.com/elections-2023/2023/08/25/79136578/tacoma-is-the-revolution],” which we reference in this episode. Become a Monthly Sustainer of SOCIALIST SOUND [https://seattledsa.org/podcast] This podcast is only possible due to the generous monthly contributions of Seattle DSA members and supporters who pay my part-time salary as the chapter’s Communications Organizer. To sustain this podcast, and our wider communications work, please become a monthly contributor at seattledsa.org/podcast [http://seattledsa.org/podcast] Thanks to Jason Cory for editing this episode!

Debating DSA's Electoral Strategy: NPC Candidates Weigh In

In this episode, we dig into the sharp debates and controversies surrounding DSA’s electoral work. My four guests are candidates for DSA's National Political Committee hoping to be among the 16 elected at the August National Convention of DSA [https://convention2023.dsausa.org/] in Chicago. Each represent a different DSA caucus. There are 41 candidates for the National Political Committee, which is the highest elected body between DSA’s bi-annual National Conventions. The political make-up of the team elected to lead the largest socialist organization in the US is arguably the most important decision the Chicago Convention will take. Yet even within DSA, too often we default to dominant norms of US political culture, reducing political debate to sound-bites and gotcha moments on social media. In the spirit of a more engaged democratic process, this extended episode features a far more in-depth discussion over how DSA can address one of our central challenges: building a powerful and yet accountable socialist electoral project. My guests: Amy Wilhelm is co-chair of Seattle DSA, and a trans Marxist born and raised in Seattle. Amy’s background is in tenant organizing, and they’re a member of the Marxist Unity Group [https://www.marxistunity.com/], a DSA caucus. Philip Locker is a long time socialist organizer and a member of the Seattle Education Association. He helped lead the fight to win the $15 minimum wage in Seattle, the first major city to do so. Philip recently completed a term as Co-chair of Seattle DSA and is a member of the Reform & Revolution [https://reformandrevolution.org/] caucus. Alex Pellitteri is a Bread & Roses [https://breadandrosesdsa.org/] caucus candidate for NPC. He is from NYC-DSA where he has served as a campaign manager for a DSA-endorsed candidate; he served on the Socialists in Office Committee; and helped start a YDSA chapter. Sam Heft-Luthy is a former co-chair of DSA San Francisco, the current Secretary of California DSA, and a member of the Red Star caucus [https://redstarcaucus.org/]. He served on DSA SF's electoral strategy commission in 2021 and was a staff organizer for the chapter's People First San Francisco ballot measure campaign. He grew up in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle.

Social Housing Victory in Seattle - Part 2

Seattle voters passed Initiative 135 in February, creating the only radically democratic, tenant-led, publicly-owned social housing developer in the country. I sat down with Tiffani McCoy, Co-Chair of House Our Neighbors, the coalition who led the fight. Then I interviewed two leaders of Seattle DSA, Sydney Province and Ramy Khalil, to get their perspective on the fight ahead to fully fund social housing in Seattle. Both interviews were excellent, but went long, so we split this into a two-parter. Thanks to Luke Wigren for help recording this episode and to Jason Corey for editing it. Subscribe to get an alert when future episodes drop.