CLEVELAND — It was a hot summer for the labor movement after auto workers and writers and actors in Hollywood gained national attention for striking and getting historic wins in contract negotiations. 

The pandemic put the spotlight on inequities in the workforce, as American corporations took in record profits while some working people said they saw little or no increase in pay or benefits. 

Labor organizers have since been trying to appeal to workers by tapping into frustrations about those inequities and taking action.

Here in Ohio, Former State Sen. Nina Turner has established a nonprofit called We Are Somebody just to help those efforts nationwide.

“We Are Somebody is a capacity building organization for the working class,” Turner said. “Our goal is to organize, amplify and fund workers on the front line, and that could be workers that are officially in a labor union, but also workers that are not in labor unions.”

Local organizers are also working to ride the momentum. 

One of those organizers, Andy Schumann, is the lead singer of the local punk band Total Downer. 

Schumann said it can be difficult for small, local bands like his to find shows that pay well, and that prevents some people from being able to pursue art, especially those who are already struggling to get by.

That’s why he and some friends started organizing to call for better pay for artists in Cleveland.

“It’s something that matters to a lot of people, and a lot of people can find joy in,” Schumann said. “So, I feel like the artists of Cleveland are super into it, but it’s just a matter of getting the local government to buy into it and hear us.”

That work eventually helped land him a job at the Northeast Ohio Worker Center a few months ago. 

It’s a worker-led organization that helps those who feel exploited on the job and educates workers about their rights. 

“People don’t realize that if you work at a fast-food restaurant, if you work in a grocery store, if you work at a laundromat, any person, any working person should know their rights,” he said. “Any working person can be a part of organized labor and join in solidarity with each other to improve our rights and working conditions.”

An August Gallup Poll found 67% of Americans approve of labor unions in 2023.

Support in recent years is the highest Gallup has reported since the 60s. 

“I think nationally, the labor movement is gaining a lot of power, because of all the coverage in the media about it, like with the UAW strike, with Amazon workers striking, with Starbucks workers striking,” Schumann said. “And now, everyday people who might not have traditionally seen themselves as part of the labor movement are feeling inspired.”

Turner said strong public support and recent union wins made now the perfect time to launch We Are Somebody, which is based in Cleveland but aims to help support union strike funds and other organizing efforts across the country. 

She said one of their first big partners will be the Amazon Labor Union. 

“Oftentimes, I think people are discouraged by what they see in the political sphere,” Turner said. “And We Are Somebody is just another example of how we do not have to wait for everything to get done electorally, even though we do need public policy that marries the things that people are trying to do in the streets.”

Schumann said more workers in the area have been coming to the NEO Worker Center with curiosity about their rights.

“I definitely see the worker center growing more and more every day,” he said. “More and more workers are feeling comfortable with reaching out excited about creating change for themselves and the people they love.”

Turner said she plans to support local workers with the nonprofit too, some of whom also saw wins this summer.

Nurses at Cleveland Clinic Lutheran Hospital voted overwhelmingly to strike in September and averted one after contract negotiations.