Layoffs. Concessions. Benefit cuts. Corporate America has created the biggest crisis for workers in a hundred years, and we are paying the price.

How do we protect what we have--and lay the foundation to fight for more?

Workers and organizers from New York and beyond met Saturday, March 21 for an inspirational one-day school on how we can fight back and win.

Some of the best organizers and activists from unions and workers centers across the Northeast led workshops and shared strategies for dealing with tough times and hands-on skills for how to get it done.

The New York Troublemakers School showed just how motivated union activists are to respond to the economic crisis. The standing-room-only crowd of over 200 participants was as spirited and energetic as any seen in years.

They came from CWA, TWU, AFT, NYSNA, IBT, AFSCME, ILA, IBEW, IATSE, and several worker centers. The Black Workers Network, founded at the national 2008 Labor Notes conference, met during lunch, as did other impromptu groups, such as teachers and nurses.

The mood of the room radiated enthusiasm. One CWA participant said, “I like the fact that we were able to relate with people from other unions who were fighting the same fight…It was very powerful to me.”

A staffer from a worker center said, “I'm so glad I was able to be involved Saturday. It was a very profound experience to be in a room full of people fighting for a real, powerful labor movement.”