Essential Voice

an Essential Workers for Democracy newspaper to share with your coworkers!

Issue #7 - Summer 2026

Labor Notes Workshop: What to Do When Your Union Breaks Your Heart
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Labor Notes Workshop: What to Do When Your Union Breaks Your Heart

Tuesday, September 5, 7:30-9 p.m. Eastern (4:30-6 p.m. Pacific)

If you’re a union member, unfortunately the chances are good that you’ve had, or will have, your heart broken at least once by one of your own leaders. Whether you tried to get involved and there was nowhere to go, or the members got sold out, or leaders want to keep the union as their exclusive club, it can feel pretty harsh.

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How Teamsters Officer Salaries Changed Dramatically
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How Teamsters Officer Salaries Changed Dramatically

Exorbitant salaries for union officials is a direct result of undemocratic union structures such as boards that are comprised of a majority of paid staff and officers. This kind of corruption siphons off union resources from important functions like organizing and bargaining and uses them to enrich the people at the top of these structures.

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Ten Guiding Principles of ILWU

Ten Guiding Principles of ILWU

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) began with a set of cardinal principles upon which it continues to  operate. These were memorialized by the union’s Tenth Biennial Convention held  in San Francisco in 1953. We wanted to highlight this bit of history.

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