In Northampton about 75 people attended a rally on October 22. The goal was to defend democracy in light of the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. capitol building by Trump supporters. "It went really well," Northampton organizer Debby Pastrich-Klemer told the Valley Post.

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On October 18 in Northampton about 30 people attended a rally to support drivers' licenses for undocumented people in Massachusetts, Jeff Jones told the Valley Post. He's president of a Springfield union that had a web site at www.ufcw1459.com. Thanks to the work of immigrant rights activists, the state passed this law a few years ago. Now conservatives are trying to overturn it. "We support a yes vote on the ballot question," Jones said.

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In Hadley, Massachusetts on October 18 about 30 people attended a rally to save trees from logging. Hadley borders Northampton. Eversource Corporation wants to cut 370 acres of trees in Franklin and Hampshire counties, both of which are in the Pioneer Valley. Details are at:

https://climateactionnowma.org/stop-eversource-from-massive-tree-cutting/

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At Smith college on October 21, about 25 students occupied the college president’s on-campus house to demand the college provide affordable healthcare for its dining hall workers, among other demands, Smith student Priya Dalal-Whelan told the Valley Post. The protesters left when ordered to by police. The workers have a web site at www.seiu.org.

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On October 15, Maeg Yosef told the Valley Post the 80 or so workers at the Trader Joe's supermarket in Hadley, Massachusetts are “waiting for the company to comply in full with our request for information, which we need in order to move forward in the negotiations process.”

On July 28, the federal government announced the results of a union election at the store. The workers won. Yosef is a leader in the union. She has worked at the store for 20 years. The workers have a web site at https://traderjoesunited.org

After the workers get the information they need from the company, they will elect a committee of workers to negotiate a union contract.
Federal law regulates the process of workers forming a union, and negotiating contracts with employers. Ultimately a union's power comes from its members' willingness to go on strike. The Valley Post will update this article at least monthly until the workers have their first contract.