Labor organizers plan to hold a public forum to discuss how unions can come together to fight racism and oppose the divisive tactics linked to the Trump administration’s agenda.
Their forum, called “Fighting MAGA and Fighting Racism — Working Toward 2026,” will take place on December 3 at 6 p.m. at 1199SEIU’s headquarters (498 Seventh Avenue in Manhattan). Organizers from various unions and networks want to unite members, activists, and allies into a broad coalition that supports democracy and workers’ interests.
Hosted by 1199SEIU, the Communications Workers of America, the Federal Unionist Network, and the NY Left Labor Project, the forum will look at how white supremacist and race-based movements aligned with MAGA are exploiting racial divisions and threatening democratic values and workers’ rights.
Speakers will include Dr. Alethia Jones from CUNY’s School of Labor Studies; Nadine Williamson, senior executive vice president, 1199SEIU; Chris Dols, co-executive director, Federal Unionist Network; and Hae-Lin Choi, area director, Communications Workers of America. Each speaker will highlight the importance of fighting against and defeating the MAGA agenda for workers to build a strong, multiracial working-class majority. Those who attend will be encouraged to think of ways to unite across racial and economic lines to defend democracy and improve the lives of working Americans.
In speaking with the AmNews about the forum, Jones emphasized that “union membership is as diverse as America itself,” and noted the wide range of political views in labor ranks. Both left- and right-wing populism can easily appeal to voters frustrated with the Democratic and Republican parties, she said, by framing political issues as a battle between the common people and the corrupt elite.
Jones recalled that, “When [Donald] Trump was first elected, a percentage of voters who previously supported Obama also voted for him,” and Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has often mentioned that some New York City voters who supported him had also supported Trump in the last presidential election. Jones suggested that many voters are frustrated with the status quo and will look to leaders of whatever political persuasion who promises change, even if they might have doubts that the person they vote for can really advance their interests.
That is where the work in labor unions plays an important part: “If unions aren’t speaking with their members, someone else will,” Jones said. “The union’s role is not just to be a mirror to what members already believe; it is also a place where people learn more about society and how to change it beyond the realm of themselves as individuals or their individual families.”
While the forum will focus on racial and class solidarity, it will also address the growing openness among Americans under 50 to candidates who identify as socialists, provided they offer practical solutions to real problems.
“One of the significant things about unions is that the membership is whoever is there, and engaging in conversations with people who are not like you is really important,” Jones said. “You’re finding ways to be in community for a greater good and a greater social vision, and with actual work. And that work is really present, especially when unions are first being formed.”
“There can be a way in which, in an established union town like New York City, the urgency of those conversations may fade, but the truth of the matter is, we still need those conversations, we still need those spaces. It’s called organizing, and you’re not a good organizer if you’re just going around condemning everyone in the first flush. We have to find ways to find out where people are and engage them.”