Steve Early

Steve Early

Steve Early retired, in the mid 2000s, after 27 years with the Communications Workers (now CWA-IUE 201). He is now working on a book about ‘60s radicals who became trade unionists.

Steve Early (SE) was a national staff member of the Communications Workers of America (CWA) in New England for three decades. He has been active in the labor movement since 1972 and is the author of three books about union issues and problems. He is the author of a forthcoming book entitled Refinery Town: Big Oil, Big Money, and the Remaking of an American City (Beacon Press, 2017), which reports on progressive policy initiatives and electoral campaigning in Richmond, CA. He is a Labor for Bernie volunteer and has been a member of Jill Stein’s Green “shadow cabinet.” He belongs to Solidarity, the Democratic Socialists of America, and the Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism. Married to Suzanne Gordon.

Socialist Scholars Conference

Cal Winslow, Michael Harrington Center, Steve Early, CWA, Region #1, Susan Jenicks, Association for Union Democracy, Ted Katsaros, Teamsters Local 282 and Mike Ruscigno, Teamsters Local 138 were speakers on the Revolution in the Teamsters: Lessons for Labor panel sponsored by the Michael Harrington Center at the Tenth Annual Socialist Scholars Conference. The conference was held April 24-26, 1992 at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, New York City

How Class Works

At the How Class Works - 2002 Conference, panels included; 6.2 Recent Strike Experiences

• Steve Early, Communications Workers of America Region 1

“ CWA and the Verizon Strike”

• Joel Ochoa, International Association of Machinists, California

“ The 1996 California Drywallers’ Strike”

• Peter Olney, UC Berkeley – Institute for Labor and Employment

“ Resurrecting the Strike as Labor’s Primary Weapon”

• Triana Silton, Service Employees International Union

“ Justice for Janitors in Los Angeles”

• Rand Wilson, Service Employees International Union

“ The Teamsters and UPS”

• Peter Olney, Chair

Lui Cheng 2007 American tour

The American Center for International Labor Solidarity and the National Labor College recently hosted Professor Liu Cheng for Shanghai Normal University to discuss the evolution of the new draft contract labor law in China. Cheng’s visit to the NLC on March 27th was the culmination of a multi-state tour meeting with union leaders and members of Congress.

For the report by Global Labor Strategies analyzing the impact of transnational corporations on the first draft of the Contract Law go to: UNDUE INFLUENCE: Corporation Gain Ground in Battle Over Chinas New Labor Law

Liu Cheng's tour included nearly 45 events over 17 days, in the Bay Area, Boston, Amherst, New York and Washington DC. A partial list of the many sponsoring organizations, and their key contact, includes:

IUE-CWA Local 201, Lynn - Jeff Crosby, Steve Early & Rand Wilson.

"Support Bill Ayers"

In October 2008, several thousand college professors, students and academic staff signed a statement Support Bill Ayers in solidarity with former Weather Underground Organization terrorist Bill Ayers.

In the run up to the U.S. presidential elections, Ayers had come under considerable media scrutiny, sparked by his relationship to presidential candidate Barack Obama.

We write to support our colleague Professor William Ayers, Distinguished Professor of Education and Senior University Scholar at the University of Illinois at Chicago, who is currently under determined and sustained political attack...

We, the undersigned, stand on the side of education as an enterprise devoted to human inquiry, enlightenment, and liberation. We oppose the demonization of Professor William Ayers.

Steve Early, of the NWU/UAW Member signed the statement.

Center for Labor Renewal

In 2009 Steve Early was listed as an endorser of the Center for Labor Renewal.

Labor Notes

In 2009 Steve Early, Former CWA District 1, administrative assistant to the vice-president, Boston was a member of the Labor Notes policy committee.

Democratic Socialists of America

DSA member

In 2009, Steve Early was a member of Boston Democratic Socialists of America.

Debs-Thomas-Bernstein Awards Reception

On June 30, 2009, Boston Democratic Socialists of America presented its annual Debs-Thomas-Bernstein Award to Professor, author, and health care reformer Rashi Fein, along with the winners of a union election at St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center in Brighton, accepted by Sonia Marshall, the key organizer of the campaign. Sheila Decter of the Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action presented the award to Rashi Fein. The event was held at the home of Marcia Peters and David Karaus. Mike Fadel of SEIU Local 1199 (formerly Boston DSA staff person) and the AFSCME-affiliated New England Organizing Project were benefactors of the event.

Steve Early and Suzanne Gordon were supporters of the event.

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 Steve Early of NWU and UAW.

Campaign for Peace and Democracy

Early is listed as an endorser of the Campaign for Peace and Democracy, as of March 15, 2010.

"Real World Labor"

In August 2009 Dollars & Sense, produced an anthology entitled "Real World Labor", edited by Immanuel Ness, Amy Offner and Chris Sturr and the Dollars & Sense Collective.

Contributors included David Bacon, Kim Bobo, Aviva Chomsky, Steve Early, Bill Fletcher, Jr., Staughton Lynd, Arthur MacEwan, John Miller, Frances Fox Piven, Robert Pollin, Jane Slaughter.

New Labor Forum

New Labor Forum is published by Center for Labor, Community, and Policy Studies, Joseph S. Murphy Institute for Worker Education & Labor Studies.

Editorial Board members listed, as of March 2013; were; Elaine Bernard, Ron Blackwell, Barbara Bowen, Kate Bronfenbrenner, Arthur Cheliotes, Mike Davis, Amy Dean, Steve Early, Hector Figueroa, Janice Fine, Bill Fletcher, Jr., Juan Gonzalez, Marie Gottschalk, Gerald Hudson, Lisa Jordan, Tom Juravich, Robin D G Kelley, Jose LaLuz, Nelson Lichtenstein, Manning Marable, Ruth Needleman, Ai-jen Poo, Katie Quan, Adolph Reed, Daisy Rooks, Andrew Ross, Kent Wong.

"Refinery Town"

Steve Early , a member of Democratic Socialists of America, is the author of Refinery Town: Big Oil, Big Money, and the Remaking of an American City, Beacon Press, 2017. Veteran labor reporter and DSA activist Steve Early tells the story of 15 years of community organizing that curbed the power of Big Oil in a California town.

Endorsing Fetonte

Democratic Socialists of America members who endorsed Danny Fetonte when he ran for DSA NPC in 2017 included Steve Early, East Bay.

DSA Labor Statement of Support for Danny Fetonte

In August 2017 a group of Democratic Socialists of America labor activists issued a joint statement of support for newly elected DSA NPC member Danny Fetonte. The group was fighting back against other DSAers wanting to remove Fetonte for his past work for a Texas law enforcement union.

Signatories included Steve Early, Communication Workers of America. Democratic Socialists of America since 1982

Labor for Our Revolution leaders

Labor for Our Revolution April 6;

More than 50 union leaders participated in the Labor for Our Revolution national meeting in Chicago. — with Clem Balanoff, Gene Bruskin, Matthew Graham, David W. Campbell, David Duhalde, Peter Hart, Tony Flora, Brenda Bosworth Rodrigues, Carey Dall, Penelope Jennewein, Joe Lawrence, Gene Elk, Dana Simon, Mark Dudzic, Kenneth Zinn, Zachary Pattin, Mike Parker, Kyle Machado, Peter Knowlton, Donna DeWitt, Brian Skiffington, Peter Olney, Jared Hicks, Marcelle Grair, Steve Early, Al Cholger and Erin McKee.

External links

• Campaign for Peace and Democracy website

References

Template:Reflist Template:Center for Labor Renewal endorsers