Platform

[Ratified by General Body, November 2022]

Although it seeks to cultivate and serve the political will of the working class of Buffalo, Buffalo DSA is not a political party, we are a membership association. A key distinction is that Buffalo DSA is 100% funded by member dues, which liberates us from the ruling-class influences in our political parties, not-for-profit organizations, workplace affinity groups, and other outlets for political expression.

This freedom means that Buffalo DSA can express a positive vision for the future that the working class deserves, rather than settling for the negotiated table scraps we are used to. This vision takes its form as the 2022 Convention Platform. The planks of our Platform are purposefully over-ambitious, because they are intended to be points of unity rather than boxes to check or flags to plant.

Let’s get out of the habit of understanding political life and our political timeline by the urgency of each election/legislative cycle. We want to broaden our horizons and see the durable work it will take to struggle together and win a socialist program. We set goals that require long-term organizing as well as building our class consciousness and capabilities, and the strategic intent of listing them in our Platform is to wave a friendly hand in the air that says, “if this sounds good to you, join us, because we think it does too!”

Keep this in mind as you read the planks of the Platform, and remember that the actual work required is going to be done by the membership of the chapter, at the direction of its democratically-elected Steering Committee.

1. Universal, public, free health care, including sexual and reproductive care – starting with the passage of New York Health Act
2. Affordable, sustainable housing for all – City of Buffalo tenants unions, good-cause eviction legislation, and a tenants bill of rights
3. A strong labor movement – building solidarity with and supporting efforts to organize unorganized workplaces, particularly in strategic sectors, as well as supporting class conscious, democratically directed political activity in unions where it does not exist 
4. Build and rebuild green public infrastructure for jobs and people to thrive – expand public transportation, high speed rail, and updates to bridges and roads
5. Free, high-quality education from early childhood to tuition free college for everyone – including cancellation of all student debt