Adam Keller, co-host of the Valley Labor Report and member of the North Alabama Area Labor Council, discussed recent labor organizing efforts in the South. He shared insights on a victory against surveillance technology in Huntsville, the potential privatization of the Tennessee Valley Authority and the challenges faced by workers in organizing unions in the region.
Keller highlighted a recent win for workers' rights in Huntsville, Ala., where the North Alabama Area Labor Council successfully mobilized community opposition to a proposed AI surveillance system. He said the city planned to install cameras on garbage trucks to monitor property code violations, raising concerns about privacy and targeting of low-income residents. Keller detailed how, through a coordinated email campaign and coalition-building efforts, the labor council and its allies pressured the city to withdraw the contract, demonstrating the power of collective action at the local level.
The potential privatization of the Tennessee Valley Authority emerged as a significant concern for workers and communities in the region. Keller explained that the TVA, which was created during the New Deal era, provides affordable electricity and employs thousands of union workers across seven states. Privatization threatens to increase energy costs, reduce environmental stewardship and jeopardize good-paying union jobs. To combat this threat, he discussed how his organization formed a diverse coalition of labor, environmental and community groups to advocate for the preservation of the TVA as a public entity.
Organizing unions in the South remains challenging, with many workers still supporting anti-union politicians. Keller emphasized the importance of labor media in providing accurate information and countering corporate propaganda. He stressed the need for widespread engagement and growing the labor movement on a much larger scale to address the crises facing workers. Despite the challenges, Keller remains hopeful that each attack on workers' rights will bring new people into the labor movement coalition.
Listen to the full episode to hear more about labor organizing strategies in the South and the ongoing fight for workers' rights.
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