MassUniting |
There are at least 99 reasons to grab a bullhorn this summer. Maybe you still have a smack of Occupy left in you, and are down for some urban camping. Perhaps you're angry with corporate tax evaders, and are considering an action outside of their downtown headquarters. Or maybe you just want to exercise for change — warm weather marches can go on for hours, and marathon activism gets the blood pumping more than most cardiovascular activities. Whatever it takes, just don't let the sun blind you to the fact that shit is still fucked up and bullshit. With that in mind, here's a list of causes to support this summer, from Boston to the Sunshine State.
United They Stand
Around this time last year, MassUniting was surveying tens of thousands of people around Massachusetts, asking what concerned them the most in these tenuous economic times. The majority of answers had something to do with how the rich are getting richer, and the poor are getting poorer. In the time since, MassUniting organizers have brought mass pickets to the doorsteps of Bank of America, as well as into Senator Scott Brown's offices in Boston and Washington, DC. Now their newly formed Economic Crime Unit is picketing publicly subsidized monsters like State Street, and will be rallying all summer to bring attention to the impact that bad loans from big banks have on the MBTA.
Sun Strike
Last June, Verizon made its now-notorious push to outsource more jobs, cut worker sick days, and gut benefits for those who get injured on the job. At the same time, executives announced plans to cut retiree packages — all this while the company's top executives banked hundreds of millions in compensation. Throughout 2011, thousands of union workers rallied against the company in major cities across the country, including Boston. Still a year later, they face continued contract disputes despite Verizon turning mega profits. So on June 22, Unionized Verizon Communications workers — along with Jobs with Justice and other allies — will hold anniversary pickets, including one at Post Office Square in the Hub.
