Chicago Unions Building a Left-Labor-Community Coalition, United Working Families, to Restore Working-Class Democracy

Bibliographic Data

ID11230210
AuthorsStephanie Farmer (0009-0008-7319-3778, Roosevelt University, Chicago, IL, USA, corresponding author), Sean Noonan (Harper College, Palatine, IL, USA)
Year2019
Volume44
Issue4
Pages388-395
Publication date2019-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueLabor Studies Journal (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0160-449X • E-ISSN: 1538-9758
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/0160449x19887244
OpenAlexW2985602654
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited1

Neoliberal political institutions are beholden to the interests of capital and professional classes, leaving working people and communities of color without a voice to shape priorities that benefit their interests. To counteract this elite-dominated political system, the Service Employees International Union Health Care Indiana and Illinois (SEIU-HCII) and the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU), worked with community organizations to form the United Working Families (UWF) Party of Illinois in 2014. UWF is a model of labor-led working class organizing in the electoral system. UWF brings together a left-labor-community alliance under an independent political party formation to champion a left-wing social democratic platform to empower working class people in their workplaces and communities, and to fight against Black and Brown oppression. UWF has provided leadership trainings for a cadre of working class, people of color and women and has been successful electing their leaders to municipal, county and state level government offices

Alliance · Champion · Democracy · Economic growth · Economics · Elite · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Working class · Labor Movements and Unions · Law · Public Administration

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