Live From Labor Notes (1): Creative Mischief

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)Solidarity was in the air in Chicago Friday as labor “troublemakers” from around the world arrived at the 2012 Labor Notes Conference. At a workshop on “Creative Organizing and Strategic Mischief” I found myself in a small group discussing ways to build solidarity among young union members. The group reflected the diversity of the conference, including a steelworker from the Midwest, a Jobs with Justice organizer from Massachusetts, and a labor organizer from Japan interested in learning about social media and how labor is working with Occupy. Ricardo Levins Morales, one of the facilitators of the workshop, told the group “it’s funny to talk about creative organizing, because shouldn’t it always be creative?” The packed room laughed and joyfully dived into strategy sessions applying creative tactics to labor battles ahead.
- report/photo by Julia Kann