In this week’s Roundup we’re talking about people’s struggles around the world. Keep reading to learn more about workers united against the Palestinian genocide, residents around the United States leading a just transition, and tenant run housing occupations turning into public housing in Brazil. 

PS: We’re looking for feedback on the Roundup as we change things up! Let us know your thoughts here.

Worker Powered Action for Palestine: On April 15th (A15), coordinated economic blockades took place across the world, with demonstrators blocking traffic and military-affiliated companies to “cause pain” to economic structures funding the Palestinian genocide. The Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions is calling for more workers to join the struggle against Israeli occupation, war, and genocide by organizing a labor strike this May Day (May 1) and Nakba Day (May 15). Taking more organized risks to end the occupation, genocide, and war requires people powered protection from law enforcement. Consider supporting a bail fund (before they’re completely criminalized), reading an action toolkit, and protecting comrades in The South impacted by the tax on mass protest.

Public Housing in São Paulo: In 2022, Brazilian census data showed that there are 12 times more vacant housing units than unhoused people in São Paulo. While people have the right to occupy vacant buildings for housing, they are systematically targeted. Tenants at Occupation Mauá, a socialist housing occupation that’s been around since 2007, say that they face criminalization and aren’t supported to make critical upgrades to their communities even with this program. Learn more about how low-income tenants are organizing to see their occupations turned into public housing in their lifetime.

A Just Transition to People Powered Utilities: Last week legislators in Rochester, NY, voted against funding a public utility study after an opposition campaign from the local utility. In Virginia, United Parents Against Lead and the Virginia Environmental Justice Collaborative established a Resiliency Hub providing classes to historically neglected community members– and its run on solar energy. This labor of love was made possible by a collaborative technical study, a crucial step towards community owned utilities. Despite sabotage from gas and electric investor-owned companies from coast to coast, residents are pushing back to take control of their bills and make way for a climate resilient future. Dive into more community-owned power stories with NEC member Cleveland Owns and Grist.

La Via Campesina marks April 17 as the International Day of Peasant Struggles, the annual action day that brings us together to commemorate the Eldorado do Carajás massacre in 1996 and to honor the resistance of peasants worldwide who persist in their struggle for social justice and dignity. La Via Campesina urges everyone to mobilize not just this week but throughout April, united in a single solidarity to support the struggles of peasants against global crises. Follow their communication guide to get involved with the calls to action and visit their website to learn about the peasant struggles around the world from Niger to Haiti.

• Art Is the Cure: A Black Arts Cooperative Story
• Bus Drivers Strike with Climate Activists in 57 German Cities
• Hawaii ban on short-term vacation rentals moves forward in state legislature
• Care Must Be a Collective Practice of Survival, Not a Site of Profit Extraction
• Chicago teachers union unveils contract demands vowing not to “cower” in proposals to fully staff school budgets amid budget shortfall 
• Cuando el ‘cohousing’ resiste a la especulación: así es la vida en una cooperativa de viviendas
• For a just transition to green energy, tribes need more than money
• Gerrymandering Denies Incarcerated People Fair Democratic Representation
• Google Workers Protest Cloud Contracts with Israel’s Government 
• Why Is It So Hard to Unionize a Bar? It’s Complicated.
• How one Mexican beach town saved itself from ‘death by tourism’
• Illegal real estate sales of Palestinian land are happening around the US
• New Cooperative, Labor, and Mutualist Coalition Calls on Mayor Adams to Prioritize Office to Residential Conversions to Affordable Housing Cooperatives
• What Organizers Need From Lawyers, Part 1: Help Block Authoritarians

NEW LISTINGS

Accounting Assistant, Clean Energy Group
Community Engagement Manager, 350pdx
Community Impact Fellow, Solar United Neighbors
Project Manager for Resilient Power, Clean Energy Group
Research Fellow, Participatory Budgeting Project
Senior Campaigner, Energy Finance at Rainforest Action Network
Summer Coordinator, Campus Climate Network

Check out the Post Growth Institute Job Board for more employment opportunities.

Decolonizing Economics 2024: Earth Day to May Day
The Decolonizing Economics 2024: Earth Day to May Day, is a groundbreaking summit that aims to reshape environmental and economic discourse and foster a more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable future! Register for the in-person events in McKinleyville, California and the online events. If you are unable to afford the registration fee or are part of a sponsoring institution, use this no-barrier registration link. (April 20 – May 3 – Hybrid)

Managing the Moment When Conflict Emerges
When conflict arises in community, it’s often unclear how to best tackle it or where it even began. In this one-hour webinar, Laird Schaub  will examine what’s happening in the moment when people become aware that someone – either themselves or others – goes into nontrivial reactivity. (April 23 – Virtual)

Co-ops and Unions
Co-ops and unions value worker rights, democratic processes, and fair wages. Explore examples from thriving union co-ops to learn how workers can leverage union organizing to buy a business and achieve long-term stability. In this session, led by Drew De Los Santos, Executive Director of the Austin Cooperative Business Association, participants will learn how to use the cooperative principles and business model to invigorate the cooperative labor movement. (May 1 – Virtual)

The Role of the Labor Movement in the Solidarity Economy
There has been increasing attention on the role of the labor movement in the solidarity economy as union leaders seek new ways to fight back against the increasing precarity caused by neoliberalism, automation and AI. How can these movements better collaborate?  Where are the success stories?  Where is there room for improvement? (May 10 – Virtual) 

2024 Cooperative Summit – Celebrating Democratic Ownership
Join New York Cooperatives for a day for cooperators – start-ups or conversions, consumer or worker, marketing or purchasing, agriculture or electric, food or financial, housing or anyone curious about how the cooperative model works to save legacy businesses, provide for social and racial equity by reducing wealth and income gaps, and create resilient communities today and into the future through democratic ownership. (May 4 – Syracuse, NY)

5 year Celebration with Cleveland Owns
This is our fifth year incubating economic democracy in Greater Cleveland – time flies when you are building people power! To celebrate five years we are throwing a party. This is also the kick-off of our fundraising campaign! We’re raising $1,000 in monthly recurring donations to accelerate our fight for economic democracy. If you believe in the power of collective ownership to build community wealth and power, we ask that you become a Sustaining Supporter of Cleveland Owns. Your monthly recurring donation will help keep economic democracy blossoming! (May 4 – Cleveland)

9th National Conference On Community and Restorative Justice
Join us in this defining moment as we envision, explore, and take action to ensure community and restorative justice principles not only survive but thrive within our own lives, families, and communities, and as we reimagine the systems and structures that underpin our society. By joining together, we will create impactful connections, enable the exchange of ideas and knowledge, and provide experiences that inspire tangible change. Together, we have the capacity to establish a legacy that is inherently restorative, leaving a profound and enduring mark on our world. (July 29 – Aug 1  – Washington, D.C.)