Will McMahon

Union organizer, writer, bad sailor. 2nd place in the 2015 South Bend Teamsters Chili Cook Off.

[Will McMahon @willmcmahon36]

Exactly one year to the day after they had their first union meeting, the 850 nurses at Rochester General Hospital voted 431-295 (with 33 challenges) to form the Rochester Union of Nurses & Allied Professionals! Introducing the newest kickass independent union—RUNAP!

[Bernie Sanders @BernieSanders]

LESSONS FROM THE ELECTIONS IN NEW YORK CITY

Last night, voters across New York delivered a powerful message: the era of status quo politics is over.

From Buffalo to Queens, grassroots candidates ran bold campaigns focused on the struggles facing working people and won decisive victories. Not only did Brad Lander, Claire Valdez and Darializa Avila Chevalier win their Congressional primaries, but progressives won downballot as well. Adam Bojak, Christian Celeste Tate, Eli Northrup, Illapa Sairitupac, Samantha Kattan, Eon Huntley, Diana Moreno and David Orkin all won their New York state assembly races, while Aber Kawas and Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas won their State Senate races.

These victories occurred despite the fact that Super PACs funded by AIPAC, the crypto industry, AI and other billionaire-backed groups have spent tens of millions of dollars trying to defeat progressive candidates and crush a movement that threatens their economic and political power.

They happened because ordinary people knocked on doors, made phone calls, organized in their communities, and demanded a government that works for working families instead of wealthy campaign donors.

The American people — in New York and all across this country — are tired of a rigged economy that allows the very rich to become richer while working families struggle to afford housing, health care, child care and education. They are tired of a political system dominated by wealthy donors and corporate interests. And they are tired of billionaires and their Super PACs attempting to buy our elections.

Last night showed that when working people stand together, organize, and fight back, they can defeat establishment politicians and enormous amounts of money and political influence.

We’re making progress. The task before us now is to build on that momentum.

If Democrats regain control of Congress next year, they must listen to the people who put them in office. Status quo establishment policies are not enough. We must be bold.  We must take on Oligarchy. We must represent working families and create a government that works for all, not just the few.

[Vail Kohnert-Yount @vailkoyo]

huge self-own for a “Working Families Party” to amplify that a union member elected to union leadership (& notably, the NY State Assembly) has “no record of accomplishment”

FYI to @NYWFP: union contracts have accomplished way more for working families than any political party

[Will McMahon @willmcmahon36]

@rachbarnhart No clue about any of that. Just saying that the ask is for labor supporters not to interview with Channel 8, so I’d have hoped both candidates would honor that. We haven’t been doing interviews with them even when we want to get the word out on important things.

[Brendan Egan @bse229]

This is shameful and @NYWFP should be ashamed that this is the messaging from their endorsed candidate. Very clear y’all attached yourselves to Zohran for his popularity and not believing in his policies.

[Will McMahon @willmcmahon36]

@chorizanthe Popcorn.

[Will McMahon @willmcmahon36]

@ESOLallstars I am sorry that you seem to be using my post to work through some issues, but at this point you are projecting pretty wildly onto what I said. I apologize for speaking into the ether and causing you personally to feel targeted.

[Will McMahon @willmcmahon36]

Once had a nice gasp line in an organizing training I was facilitating: "A good organizer should, very broadly speaking, be socially normal for their context." Doesn't mean anything universal; it's all context-dependent. But still important for connecting with people.

[mindy🌷 @mindyisser]

i am begging the left, as we continue to build power, to try to be more normal. i know people don’t like to hear stuff like this but it’s true. people like you when you are pleasant and polite interpersonally!

[Will McMahon @willmcmahon36]

@ESOLallstars Which is why I didn’t say anything about having a disability; you did… I have known great organizers with various disabilities.

[Will McMahon @willmcmahon36]

@ESOLallstars I was speaking generally and have done my best to explain what I meant. Not saying anything about you or any struggles you might have had. Best of luck and solidarity.

[Will McMahon @willmcmahon36]

@ESOLallstars I’m talking more about “don’t show up to organize ‘professional’ workers in a ratty t-shirt but also don’t show up to organize fast food workers in a suit” or “don’t be going off about the proletariat and bourgeoisie in a typical U.S. workplace.”

[Will McMahon @willmcmahon36]

@ESOLallstars Sounds like great work! I would venture that people saw you as within the broad spectrum of socially normal for the workplace (i.e. not out of touch or off-putting in behavior). That’s all I’m saying, not that you have to “conform” in every way. Everyone has differences.

[Will McMahon @willmcmahon36]

@ESOLallstars I’ve seen people in both situations be good organizers, but the general answer is that to organize people to take action, they have to trust you, and if factors outside your control mean they don’t, you either try to change that or you contribute to the movement another way.

[Will McMahon @willmcmahon36]

@NondescriptRed That said, there has been an uptick in organizing among higher wage, “professional” workers in some industries, like healthcare. Often tied to their losing traditional benefits/courtesies of “professionalism” and being treated more clearly like workers.

[Will McMahon @willmcmahon36]

@NondescriptRed In states with collective bargaining rights, or the federal government pre-Trump, it’s easier to unionize because there is often state-mandated neutrality or less of an anti-union campaign. Private sector employers will heavily union-bust, making it more difficult.

[Union Jobs @UnionJob]

RUNAP (Rochester Union of Nurses and Allied Professionals) seeks an Internal Organizer / Staff Representative to be based in Rochester, NY. Details can be found at: https://t.co/RqP8GSSymG #1u #UnionStrong @RUNAPunion

[Benjamin Dictor @BenjaminDictor]

🚨 APPLY FOR THIS JOB 🚨

Labor needs good people on-the-ground at the NLRB. This could be an excellent opportunity to advance the rights of working people by helping to enforce what little legal protections exist.

Rare opportunity. Don’t miss it!

[More Perfect Union @MorePerfectUS]

BREAKING: The REI union is asking customers across the country to boycott the chain.

The workers of @reiunion have been trying to negotiate a first contract for 4 years.

They're tired of the stonewalling and union busting. Now they're escalating, and asking you to join them.

[Will McMahon @willmcmahon36]

@yassifiedaloy Thomas the Rhymer by Ellen Kushner, then.

[Will McMahon @willmcmahon36]

@stoneandthestar @TheLincoln Well, if they’re not as good, then readers will decide that. If this language is a big enough flaw to need correction, then maybe not. These may be children’s books, but “I want my old favorite, but I don’t want it to remind me that it’s old, so change it” is maybe too childish.