We Are Somebody (WAS) is a left-of-center pro-labor-union group founded in October 2023 by Democratic activist and former Ohio state legislator Nina Turner. WAS aims to support unions and workers through policy advocacy and the building of labor funds.

Founding

We Are Somebody was founded on October 4, 2023, with a launch video on YouTube. Soon after, founder Nina Turner visited striking workers on the picket line from the United Auto Workers. ¹

Turner stated that WAS was inspired by continued anti-union policies in the United States, a growing income disparity between workers and CEOs (which Turner characterizes as a “second Gilded Age” ²), former President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s proposed Economic Bill of Rights, and a 700-worker Alabama coal miners’ strike that ended in November 2022. The goal of WAS is to amplify labor union influence, advocate for pro-union policies, and establish support funds for union activism. Left-wing media outlet The Intercept compared WAS to More Perfect Union, Labor Notes, and Justice Democrats. ^{3 4}

WAS intends to raise funds from supporters, foundations, and wealthy individual donors. ^{5 6}

WAS struck an early partnership with Amazon Labor Union to highlight labor conditions at Amazon, provide technical expertise, and potentially collect strike funds. ⁷ WAS is also partnered with Stuart Appelbaum, the president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union; Larry Cohen, the former president of the Communications Workers of America; former U.S. Representative Mary Rose Oakar (D-OH); and historian Harvey Kaye. ^{8 9}

Taylor has stated that WAS will also focus on fighting “racism and anti-Blackness” in addition to class issues. Taylor cited Black labor organizers Fannie Lou Hamer, A. Philip Randolph, and Martin Luther King, Jr. ^{10 11}

Another priority of WAS is creating solidarity between labor union workers and non-union workers, and educating non-union workers about the alleged benefits of union activism. ¹²

Policy Advocacy

We Are Somebody supports a government mandated four-day work week and an abolition of tips, as well as other economic and labor policies. ¹³

WAS supports the Protecting the Rights to Organize Act, which would enhance a wide range of union powers, particularly regarding the organization and activity of the National Labor Relations Board. ¹⁴

WAS supports the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act, which would set federal standards for all government workers to unionize. ¹⁵

WAS supports the For the People Act, a bill that would introduce stricter campaign finance laws. ¹⁶

WAS opposes right-to-work laws that permit workers to opt out of union membership. ¹⁷

Leadership

Nina Taylor is the founder and head of We Are Somebody, and a senior fellow at the Institute on Race, Power and Political Economy. ¹⁸ In 2022 and 2021, Taylor ran for U.S. Congress in Ohio but was defeated in the Democratic primary by U.S. Representative Shontel Brown (D-OH). Turner served as national co-chair of U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders’s (D-VT) 2020 presidential campaign and as a surrogate for his 2016 presidential campaign. In the intervening years, Taylor ran Our Revolution, an advocacy group that supported Sen. Sanders’s policies. Earlier, Taylor served as an Ohio State Senator and Cleveland City Council member. ¹⁹

1. “Nina Turner Has A Big Announcement.” YouTube. October 4, 2023. Accessed October 15, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yd5UpmEYqU.
2. “Nina Turner Has A Big Announcement.” YouTube. October 4, 2023. Accessed October 15, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yd5UpmEYqU.
3. “The Intercept: Nina Turner Launches Organization to Support Striking Workers.” We Are Somebody. October 4, 2023. Accessed October 10, 2023. https://wearesomebody.org/the-intercept-nina-turner-launches-organization-to-support-striking-workers/.
4. “Cleveland Scene: Nina Turner-Led Workers’ Rights Group Launches in Cleveland.” We Are Somebody. October 4, 2023. Accessed October 10, 2023. https://wearesomebody.org/cleveland-scene-nina-turner-led-workers-rights-group-launches-in-cleveland/.
5. Allard, Sam. “Nina Turner launches national worker organization in Cleveland.” Axios Cleveland. October 4, 2023. Accessed October 10, 2023. https://www.axios.com/local/cleveland/2023/10/04/nina-turner-national-worker-organization.
6. “Nina Turner Has A Big Announcement.” YouTube. October 4, 2023. Accessed October 15, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yd5UpmEYqU
7. “Nina Turner Has A Big Announcement.” YouTube. October 4, 2023. Accessed October 15, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yd5UpmEYqU.
8. “The Intercept: Nina Turner Launches Organization to Support Striking Workers.” We Are Somebody. October 4, 2023. Accessed October 10, 2023. https://wearesomebody.org/the-intercept-nina-turner-launches-organization-to-support-striking-workers/.
9. “Cleveland Scene: Nina Turner-Led Workers’ Rights Group Launches in Cleveland.” We Are Somebody. October 4, 2023. Accessed October 10, 2023. https://wearesomebody.org/cleveland-scene-nina-turner-led-workers-rights-group-launches-in-cleveland/.
10. “The Intercept: Nina Turner Launches Organization to Support Striking Workers.” We Are Somebody. October 4, 2023. Accessed October 10, 2023. https://wearesomebody.org/the-intercept-nina-turner-launches-organization-to-support-striking-workers/.
11. Kennedy, Kaitlyn. “Nina Tuner Launches Nationwide We Are Somebody Campaign To Support Striking Workers.” Tag 24. October 4, 2023. Accessed October 10, 2023. https://www.tag24.com/topic/labor-union/nina-turner-launches-nationwide-we-are-somebody-campaign-to-support-striking-workers-2973096
12. “Nina Turner Has A Big Announcement.” YouTube. October 4, 2023. Accessed October 15, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yd5UpmEYqU.
13. “Our Values.” We Are Somebody. Accessed October 10, 2023. https://wearesomebody.org/values/.
14. “Our Values.” We Are Somebody. Accessed October 10, 2023. https://wearesomebody.org/values/.
15. “Our Values.” We Are Somebody. Accessed October 10, 2023. https://wearesomebody.org/values/.
16. “The Intercept: Nina Turner Launches Organization to Support Striking Workers.” We Are Somebody. October 4, 2023. Accessed October 10, 2023. https://wearesomebody.org/the-intercept-nina-turner-launches-organization-to-support-striking-workers/.
17. “Our Values.” We Are Somebody. Accessed October 10, 2023. https://wearesomebody.org/values/.
18. “Nina Turner.” Twitter. Accessed October 15, 2023. https://twitter.com/ninaturner.
19. “The Intercept: Nina Turner Launches Organization to Support Striking Workers.” We Are Somebody. October 4, 2023. Accessed October 10, 2023. https://wearesomebody.org/the-intercept-nina-turner-launches-organization-to-support-striking-workers/.