KEY POINTS:
- First meeting involved sharing personal stories and visions of a movement for social justice
- Building capacity for current and future struggles can be a key focus of coalition work
Analyzing the results of the 2010 elections, CWA District 4 leaders predicted that anti-worker legislation was headed their way. They knew that to beat it would require more resources than they had alone. Focusing on two states, Ohio, and Indiana, they began building broad-based coalitions.
In Ohio, they identified strategic partners from labor, community and environmental organizations with resources and/or the capacity to mobilize members. They invited them to a January 2011 inaugural meeting.
While many of the organizations were familiar, new partners also emerged. The late District 4 Vice President Seth Rosen had worked with the Ohio Organizing Cooperative (OOC) and was in regular contact with its director, who suggested Rosen contact the Center for Community Change (CCC). Rosen soon met with David Kimball and Gabe Gonzalez from CCC. They shared stories about past campaigns and their mutual desire to build a movement for economic justice. The time they spent building their relationship was key to the trust needed for more ambitious work to come.
CWA, along with Jobs with Justice, The Ohio Organizing Cooperative, Working America and others, planned a weekend training around a common theme of “Good Jobs and Strong Communities.” Activists from many organizations attended, aiming to become “movement builders,” not just temporary organizers. That meant they focused on long-term relationships rather than a sole campaign.
The coalition, now named “Stand Up for Ohio,” held house parties, produced a summer festival and built organizational capacity to bolster the “We are Ohio” campaign to repeal the anti-collective bargaining bill known as Senate Bill 5.
More recently, activists from Stand Up for Ohio have been at the core of the Occupy Cincinnati effort. The coalition’s work continues to stress the transformational nature of organizing, rather than a short-term transaction between groups. Toward that end, Stand Up for Ohio continues to build a broader movement to change the public narrative about what is needed in our country. For more information about this vibrant coalition, go to standupforohio.org.