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Of course. Here is a study guide for Kali Akuno's presentation, developed using a Freirean pedagogical and problem-posing framework.

Study Guide: Building Our Power - A Problem-Posing Dialogue on Worker Organizing

Inspired by the work of Kali Akuno & Cooperation Jackson | Framed by Paulo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed

Introduction: The Freirean Approach

This guide is not for passive reading. It is a tool for dialogical action—a process of learning through dialogue, critical reflection, and action with others. We move away from the "banking concept" of education (where facts are deposited into empty minds) and toward a "problem-posing" model, where we collectively analyze the problems of our world to transform it.

Our goal is to decode Akuno's presentation, relate it to our own realities, and generate collective praxis (informed action). The questions below are designed to be discussed in a group.

Part 1: Naming the Problem - What is Our Reality?

Concept from Presentation: The crisis of the official trade union movement, low union density, and the rise of fascism as a response to capitalist crisis.

Problem-Posing Questions:

  1. Personal Experience: In your own life, at your job, or in your community, what is the reality of worker power? Have you or anyone you know been part of a union? What was that experience like?
  2. Decoding the System: Akuno shows a map of low union density that mirrors a map of states attacking Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). Why do you think these two things are connected? What does this tell us about how power operates?
  3. Identifying the "Them": Akuno argues that the current system does not work for us. Who does it work for? Name the forces (e.g., specific politicians, corporate leaders, ideologies) that benefit from keeping workers unorganized and divided.

Part 2: Critical Reflection - Why is This Our Reality?

Concept from Presentation: The limitations of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), the history of capitalist outsourcing, and the role of the Democratic Party.

Problem-Posing Questions:

  1. Historical Analysis: Akuno says the NLRA framework is now a limitation. Can you think of a time when a rule or law that was supposed to help people actually ended up restricting them? How does this happen?
  2. Connecting the Local to the Global: The presentation discusses how companies moved production overseas for cheaper labor. How have you seen the effects of outsourcing, supply chain breakdowns (like during COVID), or automation in your own community? What jobs have disappeared? What has become more expensive or scarce?
  3. Challenging Myths: Akuno is very clear about the role of the Democratic Party ("the graveyard of social movements"). This is a challenging idea for many. What arguments does he use? Do you see evidence of this in your own life? Have you ever supported a candidate or party that promised change but failed to deliver? What happened?

Part 3: Visioning a New Reality - What Could We Build?

Concept from Presentation: Worker Self-Organization, Self-Management, Class-Conscious Cooperatives & Unions, and the "Build and Fight Formula" as a whole.

Problem-Posing Questions:

  1. Imagining Power: What would "worker self-management" look like at your job or a job you know well? Who would make the schedules? How would profits be distributed? How would decisions about what to produce or what service to provide be made?
  2. Concrete Examples: Cooperation Jackson is a real-world example. Can you identify a need in your community that could be addressed by a class-conscious cooperative (e.g., a community-owned laundromat, a cooperative repair shop, a collective urban farm)? What would be its social mission beyond making money?
  3. The Scaffold: The Build and Fight Formula is a "scaffolding." Why is the order important? Why do you think mutual aid and food sovereignty (episodes 2 & 3) must come before large-scale worker organizing? How do they build the foundation for power?

Part 4: Praxis - What Can We Do? (Thematic Action Projects)

Choose one of the following themes to develop a concrete action plan.

Theme A: Investigation & Mapping

  • Action: Form a research group to map power in your community.
  • Guiding Questions:
    • Who are the largest employers? How do they treat their workers?
    • What are the biggest community needs? (e.g., food access, housing, childcare)?
    • What land or abandoned buildings are unused and could be used for community good?
    • Are there any existing worker co-ops or collectives? What can we learn from them?
  • Goal: Produce a "Community Power Map" to share with others.

Theme B: Dialogue & Popular Education

  • Action: Organize a reading or discussion group using this study guide.
  • Guiding Questions:
    • Who in our community needs to be part of this conversation? (Go beyond the usual activists).
    • How can we make these concepts accessible to everyone? (Use plain language, stories, and examples).
    • Can we use Akuno’s presentation to create a simple pamphlet or zine?
  • Goal: Facilitate a dialogue that names shared problems and builds a shared analysis.

Theme C: Direct Action & Prefigurative Politics

  • Action: Launch a small-scale mutual aid or "community production" project.
  • Guiding Questions:
    • What is one immediate need we can address together? (e.g., a community garden, a tool library, a weekly meal share).
    • How can we run this project democratically, practicing self-organization and self-management now?
    • How can this project be a living example of the world we want to build?
  • Goal: Create a tangible example of solidarity and collective power that meets a real need and inspires others.

Conclusion: The Cycle Continues

Praxis is a cycle: Action -> Reflection -> New Action. There is no final answer. After you complete an action, come back together as a group and reflect:

  • What did we learn?
  • What worked? What didn't?
  • Who did we connect with?
  • What problem should we pose next?

This continuous process of dialogue, action, and reflection is how we become the authors of our own reality and build the power to transform our world.

Additional Resources for the Facilitator:

  • Cooperation Jackson's Website: For original documents and the "Class-Conscious Unions" text.
  • Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire: The foundational text for this method.
  • "How to Be an Antiracist" by Ibram X. Kendi: For parallel lessons on identifying and dismantling racist power structures.
  • The Next Installment: Watch and discuss Episode 5 on "Community Production" to continue the cycle.