Mike Prokosch

Mike Prokosch

Mike Prokosch is an economics educator.

Boston Global Action Network

According to Gavin Sherman, an activist in Boston Global Action Network and a member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization;

As in other parts of the country, after the anti-WTO demonstrations in Seattle, folks in Boston got excited and got moving. The few folks that went, such as a contingent from the International Union of Electrical Workers (IUE) Local 201, workers at General Electric, stirred up other people with their accounts of the actions—and victory—in Seattle. More people, different people, young people have joined the Boston Global Action Network (BGAN). As elsewhere, labor, environmentalists, students, socialists, and anti-corporate activists coalesced as they have never coalesced before.

And the Boston GAN quickly became one of the best organized GANs in the country. It has an excellent lead organizer, contributed by United for a Fair Economy, in Mike Prokosch, who has a long and well respected history in CISPES (Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador). Jobs with Justice also contributes significant staff time. Boston Global Action Network has a clear vision of why the IMF, WTO, and the World Bank are bad for the world.

Global Justice Conference

On February 2-3, 2001 the Boston Research Center for the 21st Century held a conference on “Building Post-Seattle Alliances for Economic Justice” at 396 Harvard St., Cambridge.

Speakers included Walden Bello, Charles Derber, Naomi Klein and Mike Prokosch. A Spring follow-up conference "will hear" Juliet Schor, Riane Eisler and Amartya Sen.

DSA awards committee

Boston Democratic Socialists of America presents awards annually in memory of Eugene V. Debs, Norman Thomas, Julius Bernstein and Michael Harrington.

The Awards Committee in 2001 consisted of:

Doug Butler, Kathy Casavant, Jack Clark, Harris Gruman, Julie Johnson, Eleanor LeCain, Marcia Peters, Mike Prokosch, Bruce Raynor, Bob Ross, Rep.Frank I. Smizik.

Yankee Radical

Mike Prokosch, of the Boston Global Action Network. wrote an article "Response" for the June 2001 issue of The Yankee Radical, newsletter of Boston Democratic Socialists of America.

DSA connection

Democratic Left, Winter 2002, page 15

Madison Area Democratic Socialists of America sponsored a workshop on equitable taxation at the Midwest Radfest, an annual event for community activists and progressive academics in late May, 2002.

Its workshop on Tax Literacy for Progressives included a preliminary tax quiz and a panel with Mike Prokosch (United for a Fair Economy), Mark Pocan (progressive legislator from Wisconsin), Jon Peacock (state budget analyst from the Wisconsin Commission on Children and Families), and moderator Frank Emspak from the University of Wisconsin School for Workers.

Committees of Correspondence 2002 Conference

At the Committees of Correspondence National Conference and Convention, July 25-28, 2002 San Francisco State University, the Plenary Panel and Discussion on Economic Justice and Globalization included; Manning Marable, with Linda Burnham, Mike Prokosch, a representative of [[Cuba Alternatives]] to corporate domination of globalization today

Better tactics needed

In 2004, Mike Prokosch coordinated the global economy program at United for a Fair Economy. He collaborated with Tony LoPresti on a critique (on Z Net) of the anti-FTAA demos in Miami in November 2003. They argued against "certain excesses of the direct action wing of the global justice movement", and for less focus on international summit hopping than nurturing local labor-community coalitions. “Often we don’t even talk about winning, we talk about ‘resisting’ or ‘speaking truth to power.’ Those are noble sentiments but not organizing strategies.”

University of Massachusetts at Lowell's Labor Education Program

Prokosch worked at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell with the Labor Education Program

Central America solidarity movement

Prokosch worked with the Central America solidarity movement.

Community Labor United in Boston

Prokosch worked with the Community Labor United in Boston.

Working Group for Peace and Demilitarization in Asia and the Pacific

Working Group for Peace and Demilitarization in Asia and the Pacific released a "Statement Opposing U.S.-South Korea Joint Military Exercises Key Resolve Foal Eagle" circa 2008;

Christine Ahn, Gretchen Alther, Rev. Levi Bautista, Jackie Cabasso, Herbert Docena, John Feffer, Bruce Gagnon, Joseph Gerson, Subrata Goshoroy, Mark Harrison, Christine Hong, Kyle Kajihiro, Peter Kuznick, Hyun Lee, Ramsay Liem, Andrew Lichterman, John Lindsay-Poland, Ngo Vinh Long, Stephen McNeil, Nguyet Nguyen, Satoko Norimatsu, Koohan Paik, Mike Prokosch, Juyeon Rhee, Arnie Sakai, Tim Shorrock, Alice Slater, David Vine, Sofia Wolman, Kevin Martin.

United for a Fair Economy

As of Dec. 30, 2009, Mike Prokosch was on the Board for United for a Fair Economy.

He was also a member of UFE's creative action troupe, Class Acts.

Publications

• The Global Activists' Manual (2003)

Labor for Palestine

On December 14, 2009 Labor for Palestine released an "Open Letter from U.S. Trade Unionists to AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka: Boycott Apartheid Israel".

Signers of the letter included Mike Prokosch of IUPAT, DC 35.

Center for Labor Renewal

In 2009 Michael Prokosch was listed as an endorser of the Center for Labor Renewal.

CLU

As at April 12, 2010, the following served on the staff of Community Labor United:

• Lisa Clauson - Co-Director
• Darlene Lombos - Co-Director
• Mary Jo Connelly - Research Director
• Soledad Boyd - Senior Organizer
• Jeremy Shenk - Senior Organizer
• Mike Prokosch - Communications and Training

Town Meeting for Jobs Not Wars

A Town Meeting for Jobs Not Wars, was held Saturday, October 30th, 2010, from 9 AM to 3 PM. Community College of Philadelphia, Bonnell Hall, Auditorium BG-10

Speakers were:

• Rep. Chaka Fattah, US congressman, 2nd district
• Mike Prokosch, community organizer and co-author of The Global Activist's Manual: Local Ways to Change the World
• Jerry Mondesire, President Philadelphia NAACP
• Gwen Snyder, Exec. Director, Jobs with Justice
• Henry Nicholas, AFSCME
• Joe Minott, Executive Director of the Clean Air Council
• Pedro Rodriquez, Philadelphia Civil Service Commissione
• Nijmie Dzurinko from the Philadelphia Student Union
• Chris Hellman, National Priorities Project
• John Bruhns, Iraq combat veteran will speak firsthand on war & jobs
• John Dodds, Director, Philadelphia Unemployment Project

Tax Day forum

Saturday, April 12 2014, a Tax Day Forum was held in Boston's Emmanuel Church, 15 Newbury St., with speakers: Mel King,Congresswoman Katherine Clark, Congressman Jim McGovern, Harris Gruman SEIU, Carolyn Federoff AFGE, Local 3258, Lew Finfer Raise Up Mass., Rep. Jay Livingstone, Grace Ross, Tilly Teixeira MA Senior Action, Joe Kebartas Veterans for Peace, Joann Thomas & Alan Booth MAHT, Amy Tighe 350MA, Andrew Fish Mass PIRG, Nathan Proctor Mass Fair Share, Ed Woll, Jr. MA Sierra Club, M.K. Merelice Green Rainbow, Dr. Richard Fine Medical Researcher, Robert Folan-Johnson ACT UP, Phyllis Evans NEU4J, Michael Kane National Alliance of HUD Tenants, Don Berwick, candidate for Governor, Molly Hannon, Massachusetts Alliance of HUD Tenants, Warren Pepicelli, UNITE-HERE New England Joint Board, Mike Prokosch, Dorchester People for Peace, Rev. Vernon Walker.

A framework for action included a diverse set of initiatives, including immediate measures like collecting signatures for the Raise Up Massachusetts minimum wage and earned sick time ballot initiatives, as championed by Harris Gruman of the SEIU State Council, to medium-term measures like lobbying the six Massachusetts congressmen who voted NO to the Congressional Progressive Caucus’ Better Off Budget last week, as championed by Michael Kane, to more long-term initiatives like proposals to wipe out childhood poverty in Massachusetts, as championed by gubernatorial candidate Don Berwick.

References

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