Event: Economic Populism and the Future of the Rust Belt

Register and join us tonight for an online discussion with UAW president Shawn Fain about working-class politics and winning back the Rust Belt.

Shawn Fain addresses picketing UAW members at a General Motors Service Parts Operations plant in Belleville, Michigan, on September 26, 2023. (Jim Watson / AFP via Getty Images)

Join us tonight at 7 p.m. ET for the launch of a major new study on working-class politics in the Rust Belt, produced by the Center for Working-Class Politics and Jacobin in collaboration with the Labor Institute, Rutgers University’s Labor Education Action Research Network (LEARN), and YouGov.

The study surveyed 3,000 voters across Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin to better understand their views of the Democratic Party, their preferences on key economic policies, and their attitudes toward independent populist politics. Its findings shed new light on the challenges facing working-class communities in deindustrialized regions and the potential for bold economic proposals to unite voters across divides.

Tonight’s event will feature opening remarks by Shawn Fain, president of the United Auto Workers. The discussion will explore what this new research tells us about working-class political attitudes today and the possibilities for building a more responsive progressive politics.

The event is free but requires advance registration. Don’t miss this chance to hear the results of an important new survey and to take part in a timely conversation about the future of working-class politics.

The report will be publicly released later this week in Jacobin. Sign up for the event here.