WOW, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez emailed her followers this week, introducing Worx Printing and our founder Kevin O’Brien to her followers as the worker-owned union cooperative that prints her Tax the Rich merch!

The email (copied below) let AOC followers know that the campaign merch in her store is made in the USA and printed by a 100% union supply chain. We’re not gonna lie, we’re pretty much bursting with pride. We also think it’s amazingly cool how she called out other “agents of change like the Amazon Labor Union, Starbucks Workers United, [Ben & Jerry’s] Scoopers United, UNITE HERE!, Working Families Party, DSA, and the broader labor and cooperative communities.” Of course that includes the United Steelworkers Union Worx #1 partner.

About AOC’s Tax the Rich Swag

We’ve been printing swag for AOC since she first ran for Congress, and we couldn’t be more proud of her amazing work. Hope more will support you and the Labor and Cooperative movements by picking up their own Tax the Rich t-shirt, mug, totebag, etc.!

Here’s the email AOC’s team sent:

From: Team AOC <speak@ocasiocortez.com>
Date: Thu, May 4, 2023 at 5:28 PM
Subject: Tax the Rich.

Meet the union cooperative behind our campaign store.

All of Alexandria’s merchandise is made in the USA and printed by a 100% union supply chain.  Today, we wanted to introduce you to Kevin O’Brien, co-founder of the worker-owned union cooperative that prints Alexandria’s Tax the Rich Collection:

“I’ve been in the garment industry since 1995, but I joined my first union in 2001. The project ended in 2004 and I worked in the industry for another decade as a non-union worker making and distributing union merchandise. Over the years, I have seen the worst of the worst of how non-union corporate print shops and warehouses are run — from wage theft and toxic chemicals, to rampant bullying and harassment.

Right now, [Worx Printing Cooperative] is working with so many agents of change like the Amazon Labor Union, Starbucks Workers United, [Ben & Jerry’s] Scoopers United, UNITE HERE!, Working Families Party, DSA, and the broader labor and cooperative communities.

Every person at Worx is a member of the United Steelworkers Union, a vital partner in our commitment to civil, human, and workers’ rights.  The United Steelworkers have revived the modern union co-operative movement in the US, and we’re lucky that we have joined with others like AOC who see the value in that. Ethical labor and high quality is at the center of everything we do — from our worker owners to our environmental impact.

When we say ‘Tax the Rich’, it also means that we need to recognize the essential role that working people play in creating wealth. Everyone should see the benefits of the successful business they help to create.

Stand not just with AOC, but the Labor and Cooperative movements with your purchase — and directly support a worker-owned, union cooperative.”

Shop the Tax the Rich Collection→

Thank you for standing with fair wages and the direct support of American businesses.

In solidarity,

Team AOC