Defending Democracy: The Role of South Korean Labor Unions

This webinar, part of the Albert Shanker Institute’s Defending Democracy: How to Stop a Backsliding Democracy series, and in partnership with APALA and AFT’s AAPI Task Force, will focus on the role of labor unions in mobilizing protests in response to the South Korean president's martial law declaration; the call for the resignation of the president and the move to elect a new government. The discussion will feature first-hand, on-the-ground observations from leaders of the teachers' union, the metal workers' union and the South Korean labor federation who were in the street mobilizing their union members and the public.  They will also talk about what comes next: what steps must the new South Korean government take to protect Korean democracy from another would-be dictator, and how are South Korean unions engaging with the government to ensure these needs are met. The goal is to provide a deep understanding of the challenges faced and the strategy and tactics used by these Korean trade unions in restoring their democratic order in the short and long term, thus helping the audience gain insights into how they can adapt similar strategy and tactics to mobilize union members within the U.S.