2024 Resolutions

R3. For Rechartering the Youth Labor Committee, Student Worker Unions, and the Rank-and-File Strategy

Whereas, the working-class is the only force in society with both the interest and power to rupture with capitalism and build socialism. To realize this historical mission, the working-class must be organized and guided by a socialist vision for the transformation of society. However, the working-class today is largely disorganized, and decades of McCarthyite repression have separated the left from the worker’s movement. As socialists, our tasks are to help build a militant and independent worker’s movement, and to merge this worker’s movement with the socialist movement.

Whereas, the modern labor movement is still, as a whole, fragmented and weak. Union density and strike actions have steadily decreased for the past several decades. Instead of resisting this decline, the labor bureaucracy is overseeing it—pursuing class collaboration over struggle, negotiating concessions, and restraining working-class self-activity. Additionally, instead of resisting the neo-liberal politics of both parties, the labor bureaucracy has tailed the capitalist establishment of the Democratic party.

Whereas, in the last decade, particularly in the past few years, we have seen glimpses of a resurgent labor movement. Grassroots unionization efforts at Starbucks, Amazon, and beyond have spurred new and new forms of organizing. Reform caucuses like Teamsters for a Democratic Union and Unite All Workers for Democracy have pushed their unions left, executed or threatened large-scale strikes, and won significant contracts and material gains. On campuses, a number of undergraduate student worker unions and organizing drives have been— and continue to be— organized, many of which have been founded, led, and/or supported by YDSA chapters and members.

In the current moment, the United Auto Workers, under the leadership of newly-elected president and labor-militant Shawn Fain, is simultaneously running new organizing drives in the South, striking the University of California system in support of Palestine and free speech, and laying the foundation for a general strike in May 2028.

Whereas, a militant fighting labor movement must be rebuilt from the bottom-up. Owing to their structural position, occupying a space between the working and capitalist classes, the labor bureaucracy plays a role as mediators of class-struggle, restraining militancy and protecting the “labor peace.” Additionally, progressive unions staffers are constrained in their ability to reform their unions. Change must come from below– from the rank-and-file. Only through the self-activity of rank-and-file workers on the shop-floor can the labor movement be re-oriented towards class struggle.

Whereas, YDSA adopted the “Rank-and-File Strategy” (or ‘RFS’) as our guiding orientation towards labor organizing at our 2022 and 2023 conventions. RFS is a long-term strategy to rebuild a militant labor movement from the bottom-up and re-link that movement with the socialist movement through socialists organizing on the shop-floor as rank-and-file leaders. Rank-and-file socialist workers can build shop-floor power, reform their unions, spread socialist consciousness amongst their co-workers, and strengthen ties between their unions and mass movements as well as with DSA.

Whereas, YDSA can serve a vital role in furthering the rank-and-file strategy by encouraging young socialists to enter the labor movement as rank-and-file organizers, and by giving them crucial organizing experience and training during their undergraduate education. YDSA members are uniquely positioned to consider re-orienting their career paths and committing to being lifelong socialist organizers by ‘industrializing’— by taking shop-floor level jobs in strategic industries (such as healthcare, k-12 education, and logistics). This past year, YDSA’s Youth Labor Committee (YLC) has started laying the foundations for a “rank-and-file pipeline” between YDSA and the labor movement by developing pro-RFS materials and trainings for chapters and collaborating with DSA’s Workers Organizing Workers (WOW) committee and the Rank-and-File Project (RFP).

Whereas, organizing a student worker union is not only a feasible task for many YDSA chapters, but is among the most significant and important tasks a chapter can take on. Student worker unions create otherwise non-existent sites of working class power and activity for working students, spurring students (worker and non-worker alike) to become more class-conscious and pro-labor. Unionization campaigns themselves lead to accelerated political development and organizing experience for participants, which can build YDSA chapters and the campus left. Additionally, student worker unions form power bases that, through the threat of withholding labor, can enhance and empower other left-student demands, fight privatization and austerity, and transform higher education for the better.

Beyond the campus, student worker unions can influence and strengthen the broader labor movement; Experience in a union before graduating encourages young workers to stay involved in the labor movement post-graduation— promoting industrializing, participating in union reform movements, and/or organizing new unions. In tandem, student worker unions can affiliate with larger unions and actively participate in them, pushing them left and providing them with young and experienced organizers.

Be it therefore resolved, that YDSA affirms labor work as a core task of our organization, and will continue the work of our National Labor Committee (the YDSA NLC, “Youth Labor Committee”, or YLC) in 2024-2025. The YLC shall be staffed with no fewer than three co-chairs, appointed by YDSA’s National Coordinating Committee, and shall receive consistent support from no fewer than two members of the NCC.

Be it further resolved, the NCC and YLC will encourage well-positioned YDSA chapters to run labor campaigns, especially student worker unionization campaigns, and to build relationships with the local labor movement and lend strategic support to local union campaigns as need arises. Large and public universities shall be given additional attention and encouragement. The YLC will provide structured and ongoing training, mentorship, and support for these campaigns, and will be tasked with developing and cohering a base of YDSA members with labor experience to serve as labor organizing mentors. Building and maintaining a structured, one-on-0ne mentorship program shall be considered a core function of the committee. Furthermore, the YLC should continue to map labor work in YDSA and in the broader undergraduate student labor movement.

Be it further resolved, YDSA reaffirms our commitment to the Rank-and-File Strategy, and will continue to build out a rank-and-file pipeline between YDSA and the labor movement. The YLC will develop and distribute political education materials promoting RFS, will conduct outreach to identify members interested in industrializing or salting, and will map the state of the Rank-and-File pipeline. Furthermore, the YLC will work towards identifying and building support networks— particularly industry cohorts— for industrializing members, with the aim of providing long-term support, mentorship, and space for strategic discussion.

In this work, the YLC shall collaborate with DSA’s National Labor Committee (NLC), including its Workers Organizing Workers (WOW) program, and the Rank-and-File Project (RFP).

Be it further resolved, that YDSA and the YLC should engage positively and proactively with non-socialist organizations rooted in the undergraduate labor movement, namely the Student Worker Alliance Network (SWAN) and the United Auto Workers’ Youth Labor Organizing Corps (YLOC).

And be it resolved, that YDSA and the YLC shall, in mentorship, trainings, and wherever possible, aim to push against business and liberal unionist orientations, and encourage members to build democratic, militant, rank-and-file, class-struggle oriented unions. YDSA is encouraged to develop political-education materials to this aim, and to deepen understanding of labor politics and strategy in YDSA and its membership.

R5. Towards a National Student Strike for Palestine

Whereas…Palestine and the current political moment around it is the most important movement in our lifetimes. As tens of thousands of Palestinians are getting murdered by the IOF, students across the country are organizing for their schools to divest from Israel in the largest anti-war movement since 2003.

While the energy around this moment is exciting, we must look forward and harness it strategically. We cannot let this moment be self-contained or fade away. In the aftermath of the Gaza Solidarity Encampments in Spring 2024, campuses were left without much political direction, often being called out to rallies, pickets, or other actions with no long term strategy for escalation and no clear political analysis.

The Gaza Solidarity Encampments of Spring 2024 were an unprecedented moment of a surge in student organizing. However, many were not successful in achieving their demands. In the places where a strong democratic culture did not exist, it was easier for campus administrations to sweep encampments and win negotiations.

However, in the cases where a democratic organization was leading the encampment—such as San Francisco State University—students were able to win their demands and build a democratic organization that has lasted even after the students won.

Chapters across the country have noted the importance of the support of organized labor—such as UAW 4811—and campus unions in supporting students and maintaining the encampment.

Previous national campaigns proposed at YDSA convention have not supported local chapters adequately, due to a variety of factors such as missing the political pulse on campus, not providing the relevant trainings for local organizing conditions, or not doing adequate outreach to make chapters aware of the materials available to them.

Therefore be it resolved…YDSA chapters are encouraged to organize democratically-run campaigns demanding their school’s divestment from Israel, a ceasefire in Gaza, and free speech on campus. Chapters’ campaigns should be designed towards a National Student Strike.

A Palestine Committee (PC) will be created to help local chapters organize their campaigns and coordinate the student strike. The responsibilities of the PC will be to run Organizing Trainings to imbue students with the organizing skills they need, create political-education materials for chapters running Palestine campaigns, and maintain a space in YDSA for open political discussion and debate around Palestine and YDSA’s orientation towards the issue.

The Organizing Trainings will define the nature of a student strike, explain why a student strike is strategic in terms of YDSA winning our demands, and help plan an escalatory campaign timeline for chapters. The Organizing Trainings will also emphasize the need for building mass democratic organizations on their campuses to fight for these demands. In addition, these trainings will teach the importance of coalition-building and building relations with campus labor unions, which is an imperative relationship to have in order to carry out a successful student strike. As YDSA, we should be fighting for militant structuralism: we fight for democratic decision-making in our coalitions, and YDSA chapters should be ready to propose democratic structures for the coalitions we enter into. This is to preserve the longevity of the movement, which will only help us in winning our demands and creating mass democratic organizations on our campuses that will last even after the campaign ends.

National YDSA will create spaces for coordinated organizing for YDSA chapters in public university systems. To further these cross-campus, system-wide relationships, National YDSA will host system/state-wide calls to foster relationships, coordinate actions, information-share, and campaign-build.

National YDSA will create and print materials to send to chapters that explain YDSA’s perspective on Palestine and YDSA’s theory of change.

The Communications Committee will be creating and posting materials that explain YDSA’s perspective and theory of change to the thousands of new student organizers that followed YDSA’s social media accounts during the Gaza Solidarity Encampments in Spring 2024.

YDSA acknowledges that organizing for Palestinian liberation is often done in coalition with other organizations. Thus, we as YDSA can and should work in conjunction with other organizations as we simultaneously organize around the resolved clauses. We must work in the movement while pushing our political vision for Palestine, against student repression, and towards liberation for all.

R12. Responsibilities for National Coordinating Committee Members

Whereas, it's crucial to build lasting connections between YDSA local chapters and their national leaders. This includes making sure local chapter members know who their elected leaders are.

Whereas, being a political Leader on our YDSA NCC entails taking action to organize their comrades into action. This includes presenting a distinctly political vision for the tasks of YDSA leadership.

Whereas, the act of leadership development is an inherently political one.

Whereas, NCC members have set a precedent over this past year of using stipended time to have regular 1:1 meetings with chapters to discuss political questions and provide support.

Therefore be it resolved, NCC members will continue to present a political vision and provide support for chapter development through regular 1:1 meetings with all active YDSA chapters. During these meetings, NCC members will discuss and advocate for strategies related to campaigns, coalition building, chapter structure, leadership development, political education, dues drive, and so on. They will also inform the representative leaders of upcoming national events and priorities. Each NCC member should send regular reminders to chapters to sign up for meetings. In order to facilitate this process, NCC members should create open appointment calendars on their preferred platforms.

Therefore be it further resolved, YDSA affirms that leadership development is intertwined with political development, and thus, NCC members should act in their capacity to demonstrate what effective political leadership development looks like through their 1:1s. This includes providing political education resources, opening discussions around organizing strategy, and giving chapter leaders the opportunity to articulate their political perspectives.

Therefore be it further resolved, it is up to individual chapter leaders to schedule appointments as they see fit, however, an appropriate schedule so as to keep up-to-date with national YDSA resources and support would be bi-weekly 30-minute meetings.

Therefore be it further resolved, YDSA NCC members should also adopt 1-3 priority OCs from HBCUs, public universities, and community colleges to support their growth during and after the Fall Drive.

Therefore be it further resolved, YDSA NCC members should conduct chapter visits throughout the year to facilitate trainings, discussions, political education presentations, and give dues pitches to members. NCC members would do roughly 3+ visits to chapters outside their own over the course of the year and be refunded for minor travel expenses (under $50) such as gas or public transportation tickets from the YDSA committee budget. Any larger travel refund may be voted on in advance by the NCC.

R21. Building Militant and Democratic Student Unions on College Campuses

Whereas, College and university campuses are a terrain of struggle alongside labor and electoral organizing with the potential to politicize masses of young people around the country;

Whereas, Students have a degree of power on their campuses as tuition payers which has not been built through lasting organizations in the United States;

Whereas, the inability of student government bodies to wield the collective power of students makes them ineffective in challenging university administrations;

Whereas, student org coalitions are able to effectively pool resources and offer political direction, but unable to build bottom-up mass organizations representative of their student bodies;

Whereas, Engaging in collective action and shared struggle facilitates rapid political development and consciousness-raising;

Whereas, Millions of students across the country are being rapidly politicized and mobilizing against the genocide in Gaza;

Whereas, YDSA, as a socialist organization, cannot become a majoritarian student organization on campus given the current state of mass political consciousness in the United States;

Whereas, Student Unions, organizations of students across programs, departments, and schools exist around the world to channel the power of students on their campuses into long-term organization;

Whereas, Militant and democratic student unions have secured significant victories internationally;

Whereas, YDSA members at San Francisco State University (SFSU) won divestment, disclosure, and other demands by building a militant and openly democratic encampment across departments and schools;

Be it therefore resolved, YDSA commits to building militant and democratic student unions on campuses across the United States;

Be it further resolved, YDSA recognizes that these Student Unions shall not be built as coalitions of student organization leaders; but as independent, democratic mass organizations that focus on building the power of rank-and-file students;

Be it further resolved, YDSA recognizes that the path to viable student unions in the US starts with campaigns around widely and deeply felt issues that build power for students on campus;

Be it further resolved, The YDSA NCC will identify five campuses with the potential to establish a new student union in the next 3 years, taking into account factors to consider such as:

• Size and development of YDSA Chapter;
• Success of recent YDSA/Student pressure campaigns;
• Political consciousness of students on campus;
• Existing activist organizations;
• Power and credibility of current student government;

Be it further resolved, The NCC will work to support these chapters through:

• 1:1 mentorship;
• Political education resources;
• Communications support;
• In-person visits from NCC member(s);
• Meetings with chapter leadership to generate buy-in and work with chapter leaders to bring a proposal to rank-and-file YDSA chapter members;

Be it further resolved, the NCC will cohere mentorship committees for each of the campuses identified consisting of:

• Current/former chapter leaders;
• NCC members;
• Experienced student organizers;

Be it further resolved, YDSA will create political education resources about student unions, including a national political education event about student unions;

Be it further resolved, YDSA will work to build relationships with established student unions in other countries to learn from their structures and share organizing strategies.

R22. Class Struggle Internationalism

Whereas, Capitalism is a global force that exploits and oppresses billions of working-class people across the globe while continuing to enrich the capitalist class.

Whereas, only the organized international working class can facilitate a revolutionary break from capitalism and replace it with socialism.

Whereas, the main enemy is at home. Workers in the United States - the Belly of the Beast - have a distinct responsibility to build an international mass working-class anti-war anti-imperialist movement that can not only pause the destructive American war machine but destroy it entirely.

Whereas, Capitalism is a system of class exploitation. An important part of this global economic system is the exploitation of workers and the subjugation of governments in the global periphery to capitalists in the imperial core. However, the central division in capitalism is between a global capitalist class and an international working class, not between competing nation-states. Workers in imperialist and imperialized countries and competing imperial powers must be united in their struggles against their ruling classes.

Be it resolved, YDSA seeks to learn from and stand in solidarity with movements around the world fighting for democratic socialism against all states that engage in the oppression of working peoples and side with capital over workers, regardless of the political character of the government. Our main target is our own state and U.S. imperialism, but as consistent anti-imperialists and internationalists, our starting point for establishing solidarity is the rights of workers and all oppressed peoples, not geopolitical bargains and rivalries.

Resolved, YDSA shall support countries in the global periphery in their struggle against US domination and fight the jingoism and militarism of our own ruling class against competing capitalist power. This is inseparable from supporting working-class movements around the world seeking to achieve democracy and socialism at home, at times in conflict with their governments and ruling classes.

Resolved, YDSA will continue campaigns to divest and end all ties between our universities and military contractors and all other corporations complicit in human rights violations around the world, including the US-sponsored genocide in Gaza.

Resolved, YDSA establishes that our primary task is not “Diplomacy” and apolitical contact with parties around the world, but purposeful and intentional internationalist organizing. Our task is to facilitate political relationships and learn from comrades across the world fighting for socialism.

Resolved, we continue maintaining and putting out anti-imperialist materials, both in digital and written form, that highlight the horrors of the U.S. Empire and the complicity of both Republican and Democratic administrations. As well as the role of student and worker movements in the domestic anti-imperialist struggles.

Resolved, YDSA commits to supporting democracy and rank-and-file control within working-class organizations—trade unions and political parties—and the struggle of the working class against self-serving bureaucratic layers within these organizations.

R23. For an Independent Youth International Committee

Whereas, Capitalism is an international force and we, as socialists, are required to participate and engage in international issues in order to defeat it.

Whereas, YDSA is an autonomous organization, functioning as a youth wing of DSA and the future youth wing of an independent Workers Party.

Whereas, The annual YDSA convention is our highest decision-making body that sets our political and organizational direction. This includes questions of political orientation toward different international movements.

Whereas, We, as YDSA, decide our own political priorities through convention, political leadership, and independent committees. Currently, YDSA’s international work is carried out through a subcommittee of the DSA International Committee, limiting the ability of YDSA to make direct connections with student movements and party youth wings around the world, removing YDSA’s international work from direct oversight by YDSA members and elected leaders.

Whereas, engaging in anti-imperialist struggles and building a robust militant anti-war mass movement of workers and students is the prime task of US Socialists today.

Whereas, in fall of last year, the IC Steering Committee voted down an IC-YLC statement in solidarity with striking students at the University of São Paolo. In September, thousands of students from across various departments at the University of São Paolo went on strike to protest faculty shortages and underfunding of public education. Student organizers from the University of São Paolo sent a request for YDSA to express solidarity with their struggle by releasing a public statement in support and encouraging members and chapters to send videos of solidarity. The IC-YLC unanimously approved a statement in solidarity with the striking students but the IC Steering Committee voted down the statement. They cited concerns that the faculty wasn’t in support of the strike, despite the faculty union publicly releasing a statement that they support and will participate in the strike.

Whereas, in mid-April, YDSA made a popular post on multiple social media platforms calling for the US to not sanction or further fund war with Iran, in response to Iran’s retaliatory strike on Israeli military targets. In the aftermath, YDSA Comms Committee was told to not post on such international affairs without first receiving approval from DSA IC Steering.

Whereas, the recent Campus Encampments for Palestine sparked a mass movement across the world for Palestinian liberation and activated thousands of students, teachers, and community members into action and radicalized them against the Status Quo capitalist ruling class. Limiting structures, particularly the capped membership, and the prolonged, multi-body appointment process, impaired the IC-YLC’s ability to turn into an organizing body.

Resolved, the YIC will be open to all YDSA members in good standing via an application process as with any other YDSA committee, overseen by YDSA convention resolutions and the YDSA NCC.

Resolved, YDSA requests that the DSA International Committee dissolve its IC Youth Committee, transfer its responsibilities to the YIC, and accept a representative from the YIC to the IC Steering Committee modeled after the relationship between the YDSA Labor Committee and DSA NLC.

Resolved, the Committee will consist of 2 co-chairs, an NCC liaison, and an open membership body that will be set and seated by the NCC.

Resolved, YIC will function independently of the current DSA IC and will be accountable to our national leadership and the will of the convention.

Resolved, members are encouraged to remain involved in DSA IC and its subcommittees. YIC chairs will be encouraged to facilitate elections of subcommittee liaisons to help maintain lines of communication.

Resolved, newly established YIC will be encouraged to take on the following tasks:

• To track, oversee, and support projects related to international solidarity and political education on high school and college campuses and in our youth section broadly,
• To assist YDSA chapters as pertain to international solidarity and political education projects in coordination with the YDSA NCC,
• To bring statements regarding YDSA internationalist work to the YDSA NCC and prepare work summaries and quarterly reports for YDSA and DSA’s membership,
• To encourage and facilitate meetings between the YIC and YDSA NCC and the youth sections of left parties and other organizations
• To advise the IC on all matters related to international student and youth-wing organizing,
• To build the institutional memory of YDSA’s international work and regularly inform YDSA membership of ongoing internationalist efforts.
• To establish methods of working on anti-war projects that connect international socialist movements.
• Work closely with YPEC and the Communications Committee to help create Political Education materials about the anti-imperialist mass movement struggles in the U.S. and the World. And continue to expose the complicity of Biden and the Democrats in the ongoing genocide and help put forward outward-facing communications of our socialist analysis.

R24. Budget Autonomy for YDSA

Whereas, YDSA has chartered dozens of new chapters and grown by thousands of members in the past several years. YDSA chapters are building mass struggles on their campuses, developing lifelong socialist organizers, and educating classmates and the broader community.

Whereas, YDSA is increasingly playing a leading role nationally and locally in the fight for Palestinian liberation and the youth and student labor movement;

Whereas, student organizations throughout US history and around the world typically have control over their own budget, such as the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) during the US Civil Rights Movement and Juntos in Brazil. Many of these organizations use their budgets to hire staff and create paid political leadership and cadre positions;

Whereas, since 2021, YDSA Conventions have repeatedly called for an expanded YDSA budget and the 2023 DSA Convention passed the YDSA consensus resolution which granted YDSA an expanded budget;

Whereas, stipends for elected and appointed leadership have greatly expanded the capacity of YDSA at the national level and allowed members of the NCC to hold regular 1:1s with chapter leaders;

Whereas, in their efforts to balance DSA’s budget, the NPC has cut YDSA Committee Chair stipends and considered proposals to eliminate NCC stipends multiple times;

Whereas, the NPC has also voted to move all future YDSA national gatherings online. Being unable to meet in-person in the midst of the most significant student mobilizations in decades will have a disorganizing effect on YDSA and limit our ability to intervene nationally and locally in the Palestinian liberation movement;

Whereas, YDSA has only one staffer and the NPC has freezed hiring of YDSA interns, down from 2 staffers and 2 interns in 2022. These staff positions were created after years of pressure from YDSA Conventions and YDSA Co-Chairs on the NPC. Decisions about when and who YDSA hires are ultimately made by the NPC, with limited input from YDSA.

Whereas, in spite of these cuts, YDSA continues to carry out important work that could benefit from the increased scale and sophistication that an expanded staff and budget would provide;

Whereas, cuts to the YDSA budget are not the fault of any individual or group, but instead represent a structural issue of YDSA not being able to control its own budget, raise its own money and collect dues, hire its own staff, and determine stipends for paid political leadership positions as it sees fit;

Whereas, separate incorporation is a legal process that allows subsidiaries of an organization to manage their own finances and operations

Whereas, models for separate incorporation in DSA already exist and many DSA chapters have their own bank accounts, hire their own staff, collect local dues, and launch dynamic fundraising initiatives all while receiving support from DSA through staffers, OrgTools, and other resources;

Whereas, as socialists struggling in the heart of empire, we cannot limit our imagination and should experiment with organizational structures and approaches that best grow and cohere the socialist movement;

Be it therefore resolved, the NCC will explore separate incorporation for YDSA based on input from the DSA's NPC and Budget and Finance Committee. The NCC will publish any findings from this exploration, including findings about the feasibility of separately incorporating YDSA, to YDSA membership in the first quarter of 2025.

Be it further resolved, YDSA will explore establishing optional national dues, similar to DSA chapters’ local dues, a fundraising plan, and a budget. However, YDSA will continue to request its budget from DSA in addition to any optional dues and additional fundraising that may result from the incorporation exploration;

Be it further resolved, YDSA’s Treasurer will deliver a financial report to each YDSA Convention, and financial information will be included in Convention materials;

Be it further resolved, if the process of incorporation is developed and agreed upon, once sufficient funds are raised, the YDSA NCC will explore re-establishing stipends to previous levels and positions, and would be empowered to use the funds to support national and local organizing through hiring staff and interns, purchasing organizing materials, contracting artists, and other tasks mandated by the YDSA convention;

Be it further resolved, the NCC will request to work with the NPC and DSA’s Budget and Finance committee to explore a plan to slowly transfer the funding of YDSA expenses from DSA to YDSA, depending on the results of the exploration;

Be it further resolved, the NCC will investigate the possibility of increasing and improving paid political leadership in YDSA and will present a proposal to improve YDSA paid political leadership and a YDSA staffing plan at the 2025 YDSA Convention;

Be it further resolved, YDSA requests that the NPC respects the democratic decisions made by this Convention and requests that the NPC works in good faith with YDSA leaders to implement this plan.

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