How is The Labor Party different from other third parties like the Green Party or Working Families Party?

A: The Labor Party shares some goals with other third parties but differs significantly in strategy and structure:

Green Party:
Both independent parties building movements and running candidates. The key difference is electoral strategy: the Green Party focuses resources on presidential campaigns every four years, criticized for failing to build consistent local power. The Labor Party builds from the ground up—school boards, city councils, state legislatures first—creating permanent electoral infrastructure.

Working Families Party (WFP):
The WFP primarily operates through fusion voting (where legal), endorsing and running Democrats and Republicans on their ballot line while maintaining some independence. The Labor Party is fully independent from both major parties, running our own candidates accountable only to working people, not establishment party bosses.

Other Progressive Third Parties:
While various parties advocate for progressive policies, The Labor Party's unique positioning is as electoral infrastructure for movements. We're not competing with DSA, unions, tenant organizations, or climate groups—we're providing the permanent electoral capacity (ballot access, campaign training, voter organizing systems) that all these movements can plug into.

Our Approach:

• Build from local races up, not presidential down
• Fully independent from Democratic and Republican parties
• Position as infrastructure that existing movements use
• Guided by democratic socialist values while building broad coalitions
• Focus on winning winnable races and demonstrating what's possible

We respect other parties' work and often share similar goals. Our difference is strategic: building permanent, ground-up electoral infrastructure that serves the broader movement for economic justice.

We don't need another membership organization or advocacy group—we need electoral infrastructure.

DSA, unions, climate groups, tenant organizations, and progressive movements have millions of members combined. What they often lack is the permanent electoral infrastructure to translate organizing into winning candidates and passing legislation.

The Labor Party is that infrastructure—the electoral engine for the broader movement. We're complementary to existing organizations, not competitive.

Electoral infrastructure is the permanent capacity movements need to win elections:

• Ballot access & legal compliance - Navigating complex requirements and campaign finance
• Candidate recruitment & training - Identifying candidates and providing campaign training
• Voter organizing systems - Databases, door-knocking infrastructure, volunteer management
• Fundraising infrastructure - Small-dollar systems, transparent finances, no corporate money
• Campaign support - Communications, digital organizing, research, coalition resources

Many great movements lack this infrastructure. We're building it so all our movements can use it.

The Labor Party is building electoral infrastructure to unite workers, unions, progressives, democratic socialists, and leftists in independent political power.

We're the electoral engine for movements fighting for affordable housing, universal healthcare, sustainable jobs, and worker power. Both major parties serve corporate donors—we're building a party that serves working people, guided by democratic socialist values.

Coalition politics has a long, successful history. The civil rights movement, labor organizing, Popular Fronts—all united diverse groups around shared goals.

We're clear about our direction (guided by democratic socialist values) while welcoming everyone committed to getting there. As electoral infrastructure, our job is helping the whole coalition win—not enforcing ideological purity.

Disagreements happen. We work through them democratically, focused on building power together.

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We're united by:

Shared Enemy: Both major parties serve corporations and billionaires, not working people

Shared Goals: Affordable housing, universal healthcare, sustainable jobs, worker power through unions and cooperatives

Shared Values: We're guided by democratic socialist values of worker ownership and economic democracy

Shared Strategy: Building independent political power is necessary for transformative change

Different groups in our coalition may emphasize different aspects, but we're united in these fundamentals.

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Coalition politics requires unity on core issues while respecting differences on others.

We're united by commitment to:

1. Independent political power for working people
2. Economy serving people and planet, not corporate profits
3. Shared policy goals (affordable housing, healthcare, sustainable jobs, worker power)
4. Democratic socialist values as guiding vision

We may disagree on tactics, speed, or specific approaches. That's okay. We focus on building power together around what we agree on.

Our coalition includes:

• Workers - People who work for a living, tired of wages not covering costs
• Labor unions - Organized workers fighting for dignity and power
• Democratic socialists - People committed to economic democracy
• Progressives - People fighting for bold change on healthcare, housing, climate
• Leftists - Radicals and revolutionaries wanting systemic transformation
• Community organizers - Tenant advocates, climate activists, racial justice organizers

You don't have to fit perfectly into one category. All are welcome who share commitment to independent political power for working people.

No. The Labor Party is a coalition of workers, unions, progressives, democratic socialists, and leftists.

We're guided by democratic socialist values—worker ownership, economic democracy—but you don't have to identify as a socialist to be part of our coalition. You just have to believe working people deserve independent political power and an economy that serves us, not corporate profits.

We do say we're guided by democratic socialist values. We're clear about that.

But we're also clear we're a coalition. Not everyone has to identify as socialist to be part of building independent political power for working people.

Being guided by democratic socialist values while welcoming broader coalition is how we build the power to actually win.

Our immediate policy demands—Medicare for All, affordable housing, living wages—might look like social democracy. The difference is direction and ultimate vision.

Social democrats see these as end goals—making capitalism work better.

Democratic socialists see these as steps toward economic democracy—building worker power to eventually transform ownership and control of the economy.

Same policies, different vision of where we're going. We're guided by the goal of worker ownership and economic democracy, not just reformed capitalism.

Important distinction:

Social Democracy (Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Nordic countries):

• Regulate capitalism + strong welfare state
• Better bosses through government rules
• Reforms within capitalism

Democratic Socialism (The Labor Party):

• Transform capitalism into economic democracy
• Workers own cooperatives—no bosses
• Economic system fundamentally transformed

We don't want better capitalism. We want worker ownership and economic democracy.

Democratic socialist values guide our vision and direction:

• Worker ownership - Businesses owned by employees through cooperatives, not billionaires
• Public ownership - Essential services like healthcare publicly controlled by communities
• Economic democracy - Working people have real power over economic decisions
• Collective power - Strong unions and democratic organizations challenge corporate control

These values show us where we're going. Some in our coalition are committed democratic socialists. Others share the vision without the label. All are welcome.

Absolutely not. We're trying to provide infrastructure they lack.

We're not replacing:

• DSA's education and organizing work
• Unions' workplace organizing
• Climate organizations' movement building
• Tenant unions' community organizing
• Any other progressive organization's core work

We're providing the electoral infrastructure all these movements can use. Think of us as common infrastructure, not competition.

We support progressive Democrats where it makes strategic sense. Many do courageous work pushing against corporate control.

We're not trying to primary every progressive Democrat. We're building independent infrastructure so that:

• More progressives can run without compromise
• Existing progressives have independent power base supporting them
• Movements can win even when establishment opposes us

Progressive Democrats and independent infrastructure are complementary strategies.

We provide electoral infrastructure for unions to translate workplace power into political power.

Unions organize workers in specific workplaces and industries—essential for building worker power.

The Labor Party provides independent electoral infrastructure unions can use without compromising with corporate-controlled parties.

We're not competing with unions. We're providing electoral capacity connected to union values and accountable to working people. Many unions already work with us.

Some people should work within the Democratic Party—progressive Democrats do important work pushing it left.

But the Democratic Party is structurally controlled by corporate donors. Even progressive Democrats face constant pressure to compromise. Independent infrastructure is necessary for:

• Running candidates without corporate compromise
• Building permanent power not dependent on establishment approval
• Forcing both parties to respond to working people's movements
• Creating viable alternative when Democrats fail us

History shows major victories came from independent organizing that forced establishment parties to respond.

DSA does important work, and many people are active in both. The differences:

DSA:

• Membership organization
• Works primarily within Democratic Party
• Focused on education and organizing
• Local chapter structure

The Labor Party:

• Electoral infrastructure
• Independent from both major parties
• Focused on running and winning elections
• Provides infrastructure DSA members/chapters can use

We're complementary, not competitive. DSA members can use our electoral infrastructure. We work together.

This is generational work, but we're moving fast. We're building permanent infrastructure with aggressive near-term goals:

Immediate (2025-2026): Build infrastructure in initial communities, win local races, demonstrate the model works

Short-term (1-3 years): Expand to additional states, win state legislative seats, establish sustainable funding base

Medium-term (3-5 years): Viable independent party in multiple states, congressional candidates, transformative local policies enacted

Long-term (5+ years): National presence at all levels, worker ownership expanding, economic democracy taking root

We're not waiting decades to build power. We measure success by infrastructure built, races won, and policies enacted—not just by long-term vision. Every election cycle should show tangible progress.

We're building electoral infrastructure in communities where:

• Strong union presence provides organizational base
• Progressive movements have momentum but lack electoral coordination
• Communities are ready for independent alternative to corporate parties
• Local conditions allow us to win and demonstrate what's possible

We're focused on building working models before expanding everywhere. This is long-term infrastructure building, not a quick campaign.

By building permanent electoral infrastructure and broad coalitions:

Infrastructure: Professional campaign capacity, voter organizing systems, fundraising infrastructure

Coalition: United front of workers, unions, progressives, socialists, leftists—millions of people combined

Strategy: Focus on winnable races, build from local to state to federal, demonstrate what's possible

Values: No corporate money ever, accountability to working people, clear platform

Success comes from combining professional infrastructure with mass movements.

Strategic decisions about where to run candidates are made locally by coalitions who know their conditions.

We run candidates where:

• We can win
• Building infrastructure matters more than margin between corporate Democrats and Republicans
• Strategic opportunities exist to build independent power

We don't run spoiler campaigns. We build where it makes strategic sense for the movement.

Both strategies matter, but independent infrastructure is essential because:

Structural Problem: Democratic Party is controlled by corporate donors at institutional level. Even good people within it face constant pressure to compromise.

Historical Lesson: Major victories (8-hour day, weekend, Social Security, civil rights) came from independent movements forcing establishment parties to respond.

Electoral Reality: When we have independent power, establishment parties respond. When we only work within establishment, we get co-opted.

Long-term Strategy: Building permanent independent infrastructure creates lasting power that can't be compromised.

Climate action creates millions of good-paying jobs - they're the same fight, not competing priorities.

Our Green Jobs Program:

Renewable Energy: Build wind, solar, geothermal - all union jobs with prevailing wages

Public Transit: Expand high-speed rail and fare-free transit in every city - construction, maintenance, operation jobs

Green Infrastructure: Retrofit buildings, upgrade grids, build climate-resilient infrastructure

Publicly Owned Energy: Community-controlled clean energy creating local jobs, not corporate profits

Just Transition: Federal support for fossil fuel workers - retraining, wage support, priority hiring. No worker left behind.

Why this creates good jobs:

• Union wages required on all federal green programs
• Can't be offshored - solar panels on American roofs, turbines in American fields
• 5-10 million jobs in renewable energy and infrastructure
• Permanent employment in operation and maintenance

This is economic democracy: Publicly owned renewable energy serves communities, not shareholders. When communities control their energy, we prioritize protecting our planet AND creating sustainable union jobs.

See "Climate & Environmental Protection" in our platform.

Worker cooperatives are businesses collectively owned by the employees who work there.

How it works:

• Every employee is an owner-member with voting rights
• One worker = one vote (not one share = one vote)
• Profits shared among worker-owners
• Workers democratically elect leadership

Real examples: Mondragon Corporation (80,000+ worker-owners in Spain), Ocean Spray, Bob's Red Mill, Equal Exchange

Why it matters:

• Workers can't lay themselves off to boost stock prices
• Profits shared equitably, not extracted by distant shareholders
• Democratic workplace control
• Better job security and community stability

The Labor Party fights for:

• Federal cooperative bank for startup financing
• Bankruptcy reform giving workers first right to purchase failing companies
• Tax incentives for cooperative conversions
• Development grants for training and support

This is democratic socialism in practice: Workers collectively own and control their workplaces instead of negotiating with bosses for crumbs. Economic democracy means working people make the decisions.

See our full "Expanding Cooperative & Employee-Owned Businesses" section in our platform.

Our coalition includes people who prioritize different issues. That's a strength, not weakness.

Union members may prioritize labor rights.
Climate activists may prioritize green jobs.
Tenant organizers may prioritize housing.
Healthcare workers may prioritize Medicare for All.

All these priorities are connected—they're all about working people having power over economy and essential services. We fight for all of them together.

Our coalition is united around policies that make life affordable, build sustainable economy, and give workers real power:

Make Life Affordable:

• 3% rent caps and tenant protections
• Universal healthcare (Medicare for All)
• Living wages indexed to cost of living
• Free public transit
• Food security programs

Build Sustainable Economy:

• Green jobs program with union wages
• Publicly owned renewable energy
• Expanded public transit infrastructure
• Just transition for fossil fuel workers
• Climate justice

Give Workers Real Power:

• Worker cooperatives and employee ownership
• Repeal Taft-Hartley
• Card check union recognition
• Sectoral bargaining
• Worker representation on corporate boards

Read our full platform here.

The Labor Party is governed by the National Executive Committee (NEC) - a 50-member body democratically elected from across our coalition.

NEC Composition:

• 17 Elected Officials (Congressional Representatives, Governors, Party Leader, Executive Nominee)
• 15 Trade Union Representatives (Labor Inclusion Organization)
• 13 Policy & Administration Leaders (Committee Chairs, Secretariat)
• 5 General Party Membership Representatives
• 1 NEC Chair (elected by NEC, non-voting)

Key Features:

• Members elected through Single Transferable Vote by their constituencies
• Bloc vote system: Major decisions require approval from each member type (elected officials, unions, general membership) - preventing any single faction from dominating
• National Convention: Convenes during election years to nominate candidates and adopt platform
• Full transparency: All meetings open to public, annual financial reports published

As a democratic coalition, power is shared across elected officials, unions, and general members - ensuring accountable governance that represents the whole movement.

You can help start one! We provide support for chapter formation:

• Organizing materials and training
• Connection to coalition partners in your area
• Electoral infrastructure support
• Access to national resources

Contact us at contact@votelabor.org to discuss starting a chapter. We prioritize areas with:

• Existing progressive movements and unions
• Local organizers committed to building
• Strategic opportunities to win

Apply for a chapter VoteLabor.org/chapter-application

Yes! Most of our volunteers have no prior political experience.

We provide training for:

• Door-to-door organizing
• Phone banking
• Social media volunteering
• Event organizing
• Campaign support roles

Electoral infrastructure includes infrastructure for training volunteers. You don't need experience - just commitment to independent political power for working people.

Multiple ways to build with us:

Volunteer: Help build electoral infrastructure locally—organizing, door-knocking, phone banking, digital work, design, writing

Run for Office: We're recruiting candidates at all levels—city council, school board, state legislature, Congress

Partner: If you're a union local, DSA chapter, progressive org, or community group—let's work together

Donate: Fund electoral infrastructure with small-dollar donation—no corporate money ever

US campaign finance law only allows donations from US citizens and permanent residents. If you're outside the US, you can support the movement by:

• Sharing our work on social media
• Connecting us with potential coalition partners
• Providing solidarity and moral support

International solidarity matters, even when direct financial support isn't possible.

Your donation builds electoral infrastructure:

• Candidate training and support
• Voter organizing systems and databases
• Campaign staff and organizers
• Digital organizing tools
• Legal compliance and ballot access
• Coalition coordination
• Communications and outreach

We publish financial reports showing exactly where resources go. Full transparency.

Small-dollar donations from working people. That's it.

We take no money from:

• Corporations
• Corporate PACs
• Billionaires
• Any source that could compromise our independence

We're funded by:

• Individual donations from working people
• Small-dollar fundraising ($5, $10, $25, $50)
• Transparent, accountable to donors

Our independence is non-negotiable. We answer only to working people.

Healthy skepticism is good. Electoral politics alone won't liberate us.

But electoral work combined with movement building is powerful:

• Winning elections changes material conditions for working people
• Elected officials can pass legislation supporting worker ownership
• Electoral victories demonstrate movement power
• Campaign infrastructure builds organizational capacity
• Winning provides resources for broader movement work

We're not saying "electoral politics is everything." We're saying electoral infrastructure is one necessary component of building working class power.

We flip them to economic populism:

Attack: "They're socialists who want government control!"

Response: "We want working people—not billionaires—to control the economy. That's democracy. They want to keep letting billionaires buy politicians and rig the economy for themselves. That's oligarchy. Which side are you on?"

Attack: "Socialism doesn't work!"

Response: "What's not working is billionaires getting richer while working people can't afford rent. What's not working is medical bankruptcies. What's not working is climate crisis. We're fighting for affordable housing, healthcare, and good jobs. That's what working people need."

We turn every attack into conversation about who economy serves.

Being guided by democratic socialist values while building broad coalition is how we win.

What hurts: Hiding values, being vague about vision, pretending to be something we're not

What works: Clear values, practical policies, broad coalition, no corporate money, accountability to working people

Mamdani won NYC district as democratic socialist. Bernie nearly won Democratic primary. Polls show majority of young people support socialism.

We can win by being clear about democratic socialist values while welcoming broad coalition.

Republicans call every Democrat a socialist anyway. Obama, Biden, Harris—all called socialists regardless of reality.

We're called socialists whether we use the label or not. We choose to:

• Own the term and define it clearly
• Explain what democratic socialism actually means
• Lead with policies people support (which they do—in large numbers)
• Build coalition that includes but isn't limited to socialists

Recent successful campaigns (like Zohran Mamdani in NYC) won as democratic socialists by leading with affordability while being clear about values.

Yes. History shows working people can build power and win transformative change.

Skepticism is understandable—billionaires and corporations are powerful. But:

• We have numbers (millions of workers, union members, progressives, leftists)
• We have organizing experience (decades of movement building)
• We have clear vision (economic democracy)
• We have electoral infrastructure (building it now)
• We have history (working class movements have won before)

Success requires patience, strategy, coalition-building, and sustained work. It's possible—if we build together.

An economy where working people—not billionaires—control economic decisions:

• Most businesses are worker cooperatives owned by employees
• Essential services are publicly owned and democratically controlled
• Strong unions have real power over economic decisions
• Communities democratically plan production to serve human needs
• Resources allocated based on human and ecological needs, not profit

This is our direction. We're building electoral infrastructure to get there.

Short-term: Permanent electoral infrastructure in multiple communities, local election victories, growing coalition

Medium-term: State legislative wins, expanding worker cooperatives with government support, shifting political discourse

Long-term: Viable independent party at all levels, transformative policies enacted, significant portions of economy democratically owned and controlled by workers

Success is measured by power built and lives improved, not just elections won.