Register Now To Attend This Event At The Following Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/.../tZwpfuGspz8vGdWKRcDMn7hcJegt...

The Vermont AFL-CIO and the Emergency Committee For Rojava would like to invite you to a virtual exchange with representatives of trade unions in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), commonly known as Rojava, joined by their counterparts from Vermont AFL-CIO, David van Deusen (President) and Katie Harris (Executive VP).

The people of the AANES have heroically defeated ISIS and have been building an innovative autonomous government based on values of pluralism, direct participatory democracy, social ecology (as articulated by Vermonter Murray Bookchin), equity, and women’s liberation. Their new revolutionary system of collective government and self direction, not unlike Vermont's tradition of Town Meeting democracy, offers a unique example of how these values can be put in practice and could be a model for a secular the Middle East and beyond.

Trade union organizing has been recognized by the AANES as one of the central spheres for the pursuit of social transformation. The unions’ umbrella TEV DEM does not just aim to defend workers’ rights, but to enact a broader social change by encouraging civic participation among diverse sectors of the society and enhancing people’s capacity for democratic self-governance in all spheres of life, including workplace.

But of course the Revolution in Rojava, which is as far reaching as the Paris Commune of 1871 and the asperations of the CNT/FAI during the Spanish Civil War, is not without its challenges. In fact at this very moment Turkey, who's autocratic government feels threatened by this social transformation on its southern border, has invaded and and occupied aspects of Rojava's north, and has been attacking the autonomous region with artillery and by other means on a regular basis. Yet the people and Unions of Rojava are continuing to defend their Revolution by force of arms.

Upholding the internationalist ethos of the AANES as a whole, TEV DEM is welcoming opportunities for knowledge exchange and cooperation with trade unions and labor organizations outside Rojava. The aim of this encounter is to offer an opportunity for unions from both parts of the world to share their experiences, approaches to organizing, successes and challenges, as well as to explore possibilities for mutual support.

The event will take place over Zoom on Saturday, May 20, 12:00 pm EST. Please spread the word!

Register Now To Attend This Event At The Following Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/.../tZwpfuGspz8vGdWKRcDMn7hcJegt...