Aaron🧵What is #SolidarityUnionism, the organizing model used by a newly announced #Union at #Wikimedia? "Simply put solidarity unionism is organizing collectively (or as a group of workers) to directly implement our desires whether that’s in the workplace, industry, or economy" writes Todd Hamilton. Solidarity unionism is about organizing whether we're recognized or not, whether there's a contract or not, and most of all settling direct worker issues by the workers." This is a smart strategy for workers at a global workplace.
🧵One of the main reasons workers have used, developed, and refined the strategy and theory of Solidarity Unionism is because of the limits the law puts on workers. The Wikimedia Union are trailblazers in being one of the first unions I know of to take on organizing one unified organization of workers across national borders. "At this time, there is no way to form an international union that would have formal legal protections in the U.S. by itself." This is a perfect example of the purpose of Solidarity Unionism. Laws, including national borders exist, but they exist as capitalist constructs. Workers can recognize these restrictions without limiting their thinking because of them.
🧵Additional writing on #SolidarityUnionism:
https://archive.iww.org/about/solidarityunionism/explained/minority1/
https://organizing.work/2018/09/solidarity-unionism-what-it-is-and-what-it-isnt/
https://libcom.org/article/do-solidarity-unions-need-go-public
(book) https://pmpress.org/index.php?l=product_detail&p=711
Under Trump and in the aftermath when he is gone, workers with or without collectively bargained contracts will need to use solidarity unionism to win improvements at work and make the economy work for us. Legal protections are being eroded but you can't EO away solidarity. In a global economy, unions need to organize and win across national borders. Capitalists made sure laws don't constrain them across borders and unions need to increase their capacity to take action across borders as well.