Before the current global pandemic crisis began, we were already being attacked, not just as workers, but as mothers and fathers, tenants and homeowners, patients and debtors, caregivers, students and community members, and so many other aspects of our identities. We were living on the edge, one paycheck away from financial ruin, while corporations and billionaires increased their wealth. Now, in the midst of COVID-19, we must be ready to organize together at the local level and bring our combined efforts nationally. We must stand, arm in arm, as sisters and brothers, and build a movement to transform our world, for us and for future generations.  

We propose a simple idea: let’s use the natural alignment of contract expirations and reopeners around the country to make common good demands in every sector of the economy and geography of the country. With this in mind, the Bargaining for the Common Good (BCG) network has undertaken a new project to support and connect activists nationwide. We are officially launching an ambitious effort to collect and map as many union contract expirations as we can across the United States. We plan to overlay this data with community and worker organizing campaigns and budget cycle information to create a powerful tool for our collective work.

You can check out the full coverage of our May Day roll out in our special BCG edition of The Forge. We hope that you will share this work with other organizers and activists in your networks.

If you have information about a union contract you want included in this map, please share using this form. If you want more information about how to support this project, contact Sara Myklebust, BCG’s Research Director, at Sara.Myklebust@georgetown.edu.  

The world we knew before COVID-19 is quickly passing. We are seeing incredible acts of hope, love and generosity, and a dedication to the collective – the common good. We need to build on this energy to confront those that seek to further systemic inequality and racism – this map from Bargaining for the Common Good is an essential tool in that effort. When we work together, we have the power to transform our world into the one we deserve.