Jennifer Alejo (She/Her)
Executive Director
“When workers are empowered, supported, and united by a clear vision for 21st-century labor organizing, they can lead themselves in direct action against the boss to demand, win, and sustain material gains in the workplace and beyond.”
Leading Edge Idea
Alejo’s Leading Edge idea is for exploited and excluded workers across California to establish worker centers to achieve material and workplace improvements, breaking free from the control of traditional labor unions and advancing more transformative, inclusive, and worker-led organizing efforts.
What is your vision for your community and California?
I envision a future where worker-led organizing models thrive across California, rooted in unity, class consciousness, and collective power to demand dignified working conditions. By addressing the shortcomings of traditional labor institutions, I hope to see a decentralized statewide network that honors worker autonomy while fostering mutual support and coordinated action against large corporations and billionaires.
How will the Leading Edge Fund support you in achieving your vision?
The Leading Edge Fund can best support us by providing the material resources needed to strengthen and expand our work while we deepen our analysis. Additionally, we need connections with networks and funders who can amplify our efforts, engage with our key questions, and align with our principled methodology to advance our mission.
Can you share a story that exemplifies the problem you are trying to solve (either personally or in your work)?
Rather than focusing on a single story, I want to highlight the broader national context. Unionization is declining across industries, federal oversight is being dismantled, and traditional labor institutions are becoming less accessible. Meanwhile, rising inflation, corporate exploitation, disease outbreaks, and climate disasters are deepening economic inequalities and social divides. In this moment, we must remind workers where true power lies. When workers are empowered, supported, and united with a clear vision for 21st-century labor organizing, they can confront the boss directly to demand, win, and sustain material gains.
Briefly share 1) Who needs to understand your work and 2) What is your call to action for them?
If you are curious, aligned with, or eager for a new vision of 21st-century labor organizing, we call on you to invest your time, energy, and resources in supporting autonomous worker efforts—moving beyond traditional representation to champion self-managed, grassroots workplace movements.