Student-Worker Solidarity - USAS Local 12

Columbia Student Worker Solidarity stands in solidarity with our Black comrades fighting the institutions and forces of Anti blackness in this country and internationally. We collectively mourn the Black lives who have been stolen by the racist carceral state. George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Nina Pop, Tony McCade, Dion Johnson, and so many other Black lives violently cut short by a policing system designed to maintain white supremacy and protect our deeply oppressive capitalist system which values the property of the elite over human life, especially Black lives.

We recognize that these tragedies did not occur in isolation, but as a product of the deeply entrenched anti-Blackness foundational to the history and structure of the United States. We also understand that capitalism is fundamentally racist and Anti Black, and that racial hierarchies have been developed and solidified to protect the interests of the ruling class. Thus, Economic liberation is not possible without Black liberation. This country was built on the backs of Black people and the brutal injustice of slavery has never been addressed, let alone rectified economically or otherwise. This country continues to rely on their exploitation and dehumanization, as Black workers are disproportionately employed in the essential labor force. Despite the essential labor they perform, these workers are disgustingly undervalued, underpaid, and underprotected from COVID. In the midst of a global pandemic their exploitation has become even more glaring as employers fail to provide PPE or social distancing protocols for essential workers. These workers are quite literally on the frontline of this pandemic, yet many still don’t make a living wage.

We stand with those protesting across the country against the carceral state and the prison industrial complex. Furthermore, we recognize that the police are a fundamentally white supremacist institution. There is no place for police in our House of Labor. As part of United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS) we demand that the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) disaffiliate with the International Union of Police Associations (IUPA). We stand with those calling on Columbia and Barnard to diverge from the NYPD and end all relationships with the Police, economic or otherwise. Police have no place on our campus, in our communities, or in our labor movement.

As an organization, we are committed to the fight to dismantle white supremacy and capitalism Though this fight will require long term collective action, we can all do the work on an individual level to unlearn internalized systems of oppression and redistribute our wealth. We have compiled a list of resources, and if you are able, funds to donate to -- this is by no means an exhaustive list:

List of Resources and Funds - BLACK LIVES MATTER As an organization, we are committed to the fight to dismantle white supremacy and capitalism Though this fight will require long term collective action, we can all do the work on an individual level to unlearn internalized systems of oppression and redistribute our wealth. We have compiled a lis...

Bail Funds/Legal Help by City CITY ROLL CALL - ALL NIGHTS Permanent File: bit.ly/2020rollcall Atlanta - https://actionnetwork.org/groups/atlanta-solidarity-fund http://atlsolidarity.org/ Austin - https://reparation.atlas.thrinacia.com/campaign/24/400-1-bail-fund Baltimore https://www.baltimoreactionlegal.org/community-ba...

As ’s shareholders meet today, we stand in solidarity with warehouse workers demanding hazard pay, facilities sanitation & more. meet their demands now! Sign+share: bit.ly/amzncovid Read more: usas.org/studentworkerwednesdays

Tell Amazon: Act NOW to protect public health and safety Coronavirus outbreaks are spreading at Amazon warehouses across the country, and workers are dying as a result. Amazon must reverse course and take immediate action to ensure our health and safety during this global pandemic.