Fain is the first UAW President elected directly by the membership under a one member one vote system. His leadership is an example of what you get when union officers are directly accountable to the people they represent.

Our mission at Essential Workers for Democracy is to build a powerful, revitalized, worker-led labor movement one union at a time. To that end, we're working with others in this space like Teamsters for a Democratic Union (TDU) that have been doing this work for years now. Last weekend we attended their convention to learn and share with others doing union revitalization work.

Once they won 1 member, 1 vote less than 18 months ago, UAW workers’ voices became the loudest and most influential power in their union. 

And it shows! Autoworkers and other members of UAW are now top dogs at their union.

English sing-songwriter, Billy Bragg has always been a champion for working people and a supporter of the labor movement. at it again with a new song.

The 9th UFCW International Convention was both infuriating and inspiring – that was my experience as a rank-and-file member serving as a delegate and pushing for reform within UFCW (United Food and Commercial Workers International Union). The primary camps in opposition at the convention were the ironically named Members First uncontested slate fighting to maintain the status quo vs. the Essential Workers for Democracy (EW4D).

This month Garrett Brown, a former steelworker, journalist, and writer for the Stansbury Forum did a three part series on the Steelworkers Fightback reform movement in the 1970s. EW4D received a mention alongside UAW and IBT reform movements.

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.

Iris Scott and Enrique Romero Jr. with Essential Workers for Democracy join Amy Wilson with Revolutions Per Minute to talk about our efforts to revitalize UFCW.

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.