Summer 2023 Organizing Academy
Build Worker Power. Organize the South.
This summer, we are holding the 2023 USSW Organizing Academy in Columbia, South Carolina, June 6 – July 31.
In November 2022, workers from across the South convened in Columbia, SC to launch the Union of Southern Service Workers. Now our worker-led union is digging in to build our power in numbers and ignite new levels of worker organizing.
Do you want to help build the Union of Southern Service Workers?
We are currently accepting applications to join the Academy as an Organizing Fellow. Here’s what you need to know before you apply: The goal of this Academy is to engage thousands of not-yet-organized service industry workers by canvassing working class neighborhoods around Columbia, SC. As an Organizing Fellow, you will be knocking on doors and talking to low wage workers about the issues they face at their jobs and in their communities.
You will have organizing conversations, collect survey information and introduce workers to the Union of Southern Service Workers.
Throughout the Academy, you will:
- Learn the basics of organizing, canvassing & data collection
- Elevate your knowledge of labor movement history in the South
- Sharpen your skills as an organizer
- Build the Union of Southern Service Workers’ base in a crucial geography
- Lay the groundwork for future campaigns.
The USSW Organizing Academy is an 8-week, paid canvassing program. It will run June 6 – July 31, 2023. Organizing Fellows will work 40 hours per week on a Tuesday – Saturday schedule.
A car is required. Housing will be available for participants from outside the Columbia metro area who relocate for the full 8-week program.
