The voices of many speak louder than one. Coalition efforts built most progressive movements in our nation’s history. Children’s advocates, religious leaders, and unions worked together to enact child labor laws in the early 20th century. Labor activists joined the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and ’60s, especially to promote the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
In a broader view, many of the issues that affect our communities (education, collective bargaining rights, the environment, etc.) also affect our standard of living. We need to envision our movement as building a just economy and forging a vibrant democracy.
In the Portland Jobs with Justice example, CWA members build coalitions around their fight for a contract. The work doesn’t end there, of course, because more effort goes into making Portland Jobs with Justice a vibrant, long-standing coalition.
The CWA Triangle reflects how we view our work and incorporates our union’s broader movement-building agenda.