A presentation and zine release of stories by queer, trans*, and women workers of dealing with shit on the job.
Dealing with harassment, abusive and oppressive language and actions, and other bullshit from coworkers, managers, and/or customers, is a nearly ubiquitous experience for queers, trans* folks, and women workers. And yet, much of the writings and discussions around patriarchy, hetero-and-cissexism, homophobia and transphobia leaves us with little in the way of tools for dealing with...
A presentation and zine release of stories by queer, trans*, and women workers of dealing with shit on the job.
Dealing with harassment, abusive and oppressive language and actions, and other bullshit from coworkers, managers, and/or customers, is a nearly ubiquitous experience for queers, trans* folks, and women workers. And yet, much of the writings and discussions around patriarchy, hetero-and-cissexism, homophobia and transphobia leaves us with little in the way of tools for dealing with these situations in a practical, "how do I deal with this?" kind of way. YOU BETTER WORK is a collection of pieces on this subject from queer/trans*/feminist writers, workers, and organizers that address how we struggle with these issues at work, he we deal with them, and how we've learned to fight back and build workplace struggles that fight against all forms of oppression and for the dignity of all workers.
Whether it is at a small cafe or a large distribution center, we as workers constantly deal with oppression and find ways to work together to fight against it, at levels ranging from individual interactions to large-scale confrontations: Queers at a large warehouse learn to combat a homophobic and sexist work culture and in doing so, build a culture of solidarity against management harassment. Women working at a liquor store help each other as they deal with sexual harassment from customers and supervisors alike. Flight attendants threaten a strike in an assertion of the rights of queers of all kinds in the workforce.
Proceeds from zine sales at this event will go to the Sato Fund of the Industrial Workers of the World, which helps women, trans*, and gender non-conforming organizers attend, participate, and put on events nationwide. More on the Sato fund can be found here: http://www.iww.org/projects/gec/iww-sato-fund