{"id":75,"date":"2026-08-21T01:45:47","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T05:45:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/workersproject.org\/blog\/?page_id=75"},"modified":"2026-08-21T01:45:47","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T05:45:47","slug":"cos-outcomes","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/workersproject.org\/blog\/?page_id=75","title":{"rendered":"CoS: Outcomes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

At the Cultures of Solidarity<\/a> conference, we will learn, discuss, plan, implement, fund, scale-up, and scale-out a workers\u2019 movement we all need. Solidarity demands us to be diverse in many dimensions. We will be workers of all stripes. We will be local, regional, and global. All of us students, all of us teachers, all of us builders. Timeless principles applied to current realities. Eight working structures will emerge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Workers\u2019 Economic Development Organizing (WEDO):<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

An entirely new structure of worker representation and bargaining. Through economic development programs local and state governments divert public tax dollars into private investments. Our public money demands our active presence. The legal and political reality is governments are now co-employers. This provides a legal, political, and economic framework for worker organizing both in the construction and subsequent operation of these semi-public enterprises. Collectively, workers can and will present audits and compliance reports to the governmental entity awarding economic development money and to the public, a worker graded employer compliance report card.  With a few stipulations, these worker committees will meet National Labor Relation Act standards for protected concerted activity status. Collective bargaining could follow. We expect tax abatements and Tax Increment Financing (TIF) districts to be our first initiatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Student Workers\u2019 Education And Training Initiative (SWEATI):<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indiana government has abolished virtually all \u201cchild labor\u201d laws. Students are vulnerable to many forms of exploitation. Current government policy overwhelmingly treats working students as voiceless employees, objects for employers, rather than workers with a say in their own lives. Over the last two school years the Workers\u2019 Project has worked with New Tech Academy at Wayne High School to develop a functional curriculum in which students learn and teach each other solidarity, collective action, workplace savvy, and worker skills. This is new worker collective self-defense in the labor market. This will be improved, scaled up and scaled out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Workers\u2019 Community Center:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Burmese workers are exceptionally committed and courageous advocates for worker representation and democracy. Burmese workers in the Fort Wayne area and beyond are marginalized and exploited in the labor market. Language and cultural difference provide a wedge for employers to exploit. CoS participants will assist in the strategies and establishment of a physical workers\u2019 community center with workers\u2019 solidarity services, education, and food access.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Workers\u2019 Militia:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Government at all level has diminished workers\u2019 law by de-funding and repealing enforcement. Most workers are defenseless in the failed state. We are vulnerable to wage theft, coercion, human trafficking, discrimination, bodily harm, and more. The Second Amendment to the US Constitution guarantees \u201cA well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State.\u201d Worker defense requires workers armed with knowledge<\/em> and access to enforcement<\/em>. The Workers\u2019 Project has developed exceptional relationships with workers at federal agencies tasked with but hobbled in their efforts to protect workers. These government workers will participate in the education of workers as a representational militia to restore law and order to our labor market. We will train and support an active corps of workers to help protect all workers and promote our collective prosperity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Workers\u2019 Solidarity Services:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A worker\u2019s problems beyond the job are a problem for all. Social, personal,  healthcare, housing, financial, and more will be addressed by creating a corps of solidarity, a social militia. We will educate and train each other to help and provide solidarity for workers in need from mental health, food, child abuse protection, health care advocacy, housing, substance abuse, and more. The Workers\u2019 Project will educate and organize to help each other with off-the-job needs. Full person solidarity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Indiana Workers\u2019 Education Network:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recently, Indiana University Division of Labor Studies was defunded and de-commissioned. This was the final blow in long strategy by the wealthy to keep workers ignorant and unorganized. The Workers\u2019 Project has helped develop and incorporate the Indiana Workers\u2019 Education Network (InWEN).Weeks ago this state-wide workers\u2019 education collective was legally incorporated and has applied for not-for-profit status. Cultures of Solidarity is the first major education event within the InWEN co-operative. It will be the first of many events across the state that will educate to organize.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. Solidarity Unionism Support:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only 5.9% of private sector workers are currently unionized. In 1935the National Labor Relations Act became law, the supposed founding of the modern labor movement. In 1935 12.8% of workers were unionized. Clearly using the NLRA as the only tool for organizing hasn\u2019t worked. Workers organizing workers in different and novel ways must be supported. How do we encourage and support workers struggling to gain voice and power at Amazon, Starbucks, and damned near every corner of the labor market? Similarly, how can we best encourage activism and solidarity among the members of existing unions?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. We Don\u2019t Know But We Will Discover:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Something(s) else will be revealed at CoS and you will help get it started. (An early front runner is working solutions for housing.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At the Cultures of Solidarity conference, we will learn, discuss, plan, implement, fund, scale-up, and scale-out a workers\u2019 movement we all need. Solidarity demands us to be diverse in many dimensions. We will be workers of all stripes. We will be local, regional, and global. All of us students, all of us teachers, all of… Continue reading CoS: Outcomes<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/workersproject.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/75"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/workersproject.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/workersproject.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/workersproject.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/workersproject.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=75"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/workersproject.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/75\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":76,"href":"https:\/\/workersproject.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/75\/revisions\/76"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/workersproject.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=75"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}