Lessons from the Union of Southern Service Workers (USSW) Worker Summit 

By: Michelle Sauve & Jasmine Okokhere

At the beginning of Black History Month, Michelle Sauve, an organizer with 9to5 Georgia, and Jasmine Okokhere, 9to5 GA Member Leader, attended the Union of Southern Service Workers Summit in Greensboro, North Carolina— a city with deep historical significance as the site of the Greensboro Sit-ins. The summit brought together grassroots workers from the South to organize and strategize for a more equitable future. Michelle and Jasmine reflect on their experience below. 

The Union of Southern Service Workers is built by and for low-wage service industry workers and unites across workplaces to build strong, self-determining unions in the South. Their work is organizing to transform low-wage, high-turnover jobs into stable, union jobs—taking collective action to shift the South’s power balance. We were excited to learn from frontline service industry workers organizing for better conditions and bring those lessons back to 9to5 as we work to organize working women and nonbinary people of color in the South and across the country.  

The summit featured workshops where we learned directly from workers on the organizing frontlines. They shared powerful tactics that have been used to make serious gains, including organizing strikes, letter campaigns, and engaging in conversations with coworkers. These workers provided invaluable insight into how to build collective action in communities that foster real growth. We were reminded of three key lessons:

  1. Unity in Our Differences Makes Us Stronger – Talking to coworkers, meeting them where they’re at, and building trust through shared concerns strengthens collective power.
  2. Organizing Requires Courage – Workplace organizing takes courage, strategy, and commitment to collective action.
  3. 1:1’s & Follow-Ups Build Power– Consistent follow-up helps maintain momentum, reinforce relationships, and turn conversations into action.

In addition to the educational sessions, there were art showcases, a talent show, worker testimonials, and a gallery on union history, where workers had the opportunity to express their fighting spirit and solidarity through art while reflecting on the powerful legacy of worker movements in the South.

Throughout the summit, we grounded in our reality: The U.S. South has the lowest unionization rates in the country. Our region has historically been a battleground for worker suppression, with anti-union laws and corporate influence keeping wages low and workplace protections weak. The direct consequences of low union density are glaring—states with fewer unions have higher rates of working poverty, racial and gender wage gaps, workplace safety violations, and lack of access to paid leave. The South also leads the nation in maternal mortality, a crisis driven by a lack of labor protections, inadequate healthcare access, and economic instability—conditions that disproportionately impact Black and Brown women. Without unions to fight for higher wages, safer conditions, and paid time off, too many workers are forced to choose between their health and their jobs.

As an organization committed to advocating for working women and families, we stand in solidarity with these workers, whose struggles and victories shape our policy and advocacy work. Their fight is our fight as we work towards our shared goal of organizing and unionizing the South. 

All Power to the Workers!