Help send 3 activists to national healthcare conference!
Posted by kimberly on January 6, 2012
Please consider making a secure donation through our website to help cover the cost of sending three Labor Party activists – Dr. Lynn Chacko, Kali Blount, RN, and myself – to the Healthcare-NOW! annual strategy conference in Houston at the end of this month. (Conference details available here.)
Total costs for the conference (plane tickets, hotel, conference fees) are roughly $1000; we have raised $300 so far, thanks to those of you who gave generously towards the conference at December’s holiday potluck and party honoring Mark.
Also, if you have not yet become a Labor Party member ($20/year) or would like to join the Committee of 100 ($20/month) to help us hire another staff person, you can also do that through our website. We have 85 Committee members so far but still need 15 more to meet our goal!
Thank your for your time & support. We hope to see you on the 14th (see below)!
Sat, Jan 14: Annual Strategy Meeting
Posted by kimberly on January 6, 2012
Please mark your calendars and make time to attend our upcoming Annual Strategy Meeting; at the beginning of every year, the Alachua County Labor Party meets to discuss our movement-building strategy for the upcoming 12 months. This year we are at a critical crossroads with the departure of Mark, who was not only a co-founder with knowledge and a co-chair with dedication, but also a part-time staffer for our organization. With Mark stepping down as co-chair, we now — more than ever — need everyone on board to help lead and grow the Labor Party and our local movement for single-payer, universal health care. Mark will be at this meeting to share his insight and help us plan ahead.
We will email you an agenda for the planning meeting early next week; I hope you’ll read it, consider it, and prepare your thoughts for how you might contribute your talents, energy, interests, and resources towards strengthening and expanding the Labor Party this upcoming year. This year we need to particularly focus on recruiting and building a core leadership and on expanding the Committee of 100 so we can bring on another part-time staff organizer. Here are the event logistics:
ACLP 2012 Annual Strategy Meeting: 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM; Saturday, January 14 at the Civic Media Center (433 South Main Street, Gainesville)
Mark will be back to participate in a two-part strategy session devoted to leadership development & building the Labor Party’s 2012 healthcare campaign; we will break for coffee & pastries. If you plan to attend, please RSVP by replying to this email or by joining the facebook event.
Fellow Worker Labor Social: Saturday, January 14th, 7:00 PM at Cafe Collete (in Wild Iris Books, 802 W. University Ave, Gainesville)
If you are a worker and support economic justice, come on out and raise a glass. Meet folks from other trades and learn more about their lives and work. We will celebrate victories, discuss strategy and build solidarity with one another. Sponsored by Gainesville IWW and the Alachua Labor Party
On Tuesday, January 10 at 2:30 PM in the Labor Party office (14 E. University Ave, Suite #204) we will be mailing out postcards to remind folks about the January 14 meeting; if you would like to help with this mailing, please also reply to this email or call the office at 352.375.2832 and let me know.
Want to learn more about single payer health care? Join our monthly reading group!
Posted by kimberly on January 5, 2012
The Alachua County Labor Party is now sponsoring a reading group that meets monthly to discuss books and articles on the efficacy of single payer health care. The first meeting was on Sunday, November 27, at the home of Marilyn Eisenberg.
At that session, we discussed a chapter from the book entitled Profit Fever by Charles Andrews. The chapter was devoted to learning the lessons of the failed health care legislation attempted in the Clinton administration. One thing emphasized in the reading was that all the major legislation in our country for expanded freedoms came not from the top down, but rather from wide grassroots’ demands for change. The readings went into particulars of organizing house parties and such to get the grassroots properly mobilized for this effort.
Group participants felt they wanted next to find readings that would help educate them on both the details of past legislation, and ways of cutting medical costs without cutting services to people who need them. At the next meeting, in fact, scheduled at 3 PM on January 8, we will be discussing a good summary of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) of 2009.
If interested, contact Marilyn at marilyneisenberg@bellsouth.net or call 376-1208. Group is limited to 10 people; 2 spots remain available.