MaryBe McMillan: We Can Provide Hope #OrganizetheSouth

http://aflcionc.org/marybe-mcmillan-we-can-provide-hope/




Change is possible, but we need your help

“Organize the South – that’s my mantra,” says MaryBe McMillan with the NC State AFL-CIO, one of seven panelists Feb. 17 at Duke who talked about how a southern workers movement can change the nation. “It’s what I say over and over again because I believe that for the labor movement and for worker justice, it is ‘Organize the South or die’.”

Why should New Yorkers and Californians care about the South? Whether it’s low wages, high poverty, or exploitation of workers, “Unfortunately, the problems of the South are quickly becoming the problems of the nation,” explains McMillan.

“This is the birthplace of the Tea Party and right-to-work (for less). Our low wages drive down wages everywhere. Our southern Tea Party conservatives block legislation in Congress. And because of ALEC, our union-busting laws are spreading across the country to places like Wisconsin and Michigan.”

Look closer, and you’ll see the potential for a bright future in the South. “If you look at the South, you see the fastest growing, most diverse movement for economic justice in this country.”

FULL story at link.