The historic autoworkers strike—and Taylor Swift—are my kind of solidarity

The MoJo Daily newsletter, Monday through Friday. [View in browser]( [Mother Jones Daily Newsletter](     September 20, 2023 Hello there. This is editorial fellow nia t. evans jumping into the wild world of newsletter writing for the day. As my colleague Sophie Hayssen noted last week, [hot labor summer]( has officially given way to [hot labor fall](. On Monday, just days after launching a historic strike at the Big Three automakers (General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis), the United Auto Workers’ walkout entered a new phase with UAW President Shawn Fain announcing a potential [strike expansion]( if contract negotiations fail to improve by Friday. Their goal is to translate the Big Three’s [record profits]( into livable wages for UAW workers. So is change really possible? History indicates that it is. Documentarian Greg Mitchell [is out today with a deep dive]( into the first major autoworkers strike of the 1930s, which, thanks to key tactics such as "sit-down strikes," won workers widespread victories and helped unions remain powerful for decades. These striking workers saw labor power as a tool for democracy building. “Democracy is not restricted to voting for someone for president once every four years," UAW organizer Victor Reuther told Mitchell. "It is something that you can utilize and participate in where you work eight hours or 10 hours a day.” Their struggle calls to mind the strikes of Black washerwomen in the late 19th century, women who, [in the words]( of historian Blair Kelley, came out of slavery and immediately organized unions. TL;DR: In this era of rising authoritarianism, union and labor power might just be the key we desperately need for democratic restoration. And speaking of solidarity, do yourself a favor and check out Sophie Turner, who is in the process of divorcing Joe Jonas, [out on the town]( with the one and only (and former Joe Jonas beau) Taylor Swift. Nothing like dating and divorcing the same man to bring two women (and us all) together! —nia t. evans Advertisement [St. Martin's Publishing Group Title: Punished for Dreaming]( [Top Story] [Top Story]( [Nikki Haley and Tim Scott Are Here to Remind You Republicans Hate Unions]( "'You strike, you’re fired.' Simple concept to me." BY NOAH LANARD SPONSORED CONTENT FROM ST. MARTIN'S PUBLISHING GROUP   Discover the read Ibram X. Kendi calls “a landmark book” In the tradition of Michelle Alexander, an unflinching reckoning with the impact of 40 years of racist public school policy on generations of Black lives. Michael Eric Dyson, bestselling author of Tears We Cannot Stop, calls it, “The intervention America needs.” [Check it out here.]( [Trending] [Autoworkers staged their first big strike in the 1930s. Here’s how they won.]( BY GREG MITCHELL   [Illinois is the first state to eliminate cash bail]( BY ARIANNA COGHILL   [Pennsylvania is making it easier to register to vote]( BY ARIANNA COGHILL   [Migrants' DNA is fueling a massive expansion of the FBI's genetic database]( BY NINA WANG Advertisement [St. Martin's Publishing Group Title: Punished for Dreaming]( [Special Feature] [Special Feature]( [Inside scientists' race to create safe refuges for animals]( Climate crisis is destroying habitats. Can technology help create new ones? BY MARTA ZARASKA [Fiercely Independent] Support from readers allows Mother Jones to do journalism that doesn't just follow the pack. [Donate]( Did you enjoy this newsletter? Help us out by [forwarding]( it to a friend or sharing it on [Facebook]( and [Twitter](. [Mother Jones]( [Donate]( [Donate Monthly]( [Subscribe]( This message was sent to {EMAIL}. To change the messages you receive from us, you can [edit your email preferences]( or [unsubscribe from all mailings.]( For advertising opportunities see our online [media kit.]( Were you forwarded this email? [Sign up for Mother Jones' newsletters today.]( [www.MotherJones.com]( PO Box 8539, Big Sandy, TX 75755