The Chicago-based labor-community coalition the Grassroots Collaborative formed 10 years ago at Manny’s cafe just South of the Loop. It started with a bunch of executive directors from some key community organizations and a few labor union leaders coming together to really get to know each others interests. From these modest beginnings, where the conversation ranged from how to build better to coalitions to how to challenge politics in Chicago came their landmark big box living wage ordinance.

I first met with the Collaborative in 2005, and came to my first breakfast meeting at that time. They were in the early stages of preparing the living wage ordinance – building the base ready for a fight. They had been doing lots of one-to-one meetings with community-based organizations and labor unions across the city, and had developed a postcard campaign to build awareness about this radical idea of a living wage ordinance for big box workers.

A year later in July 2006, they passed the ordinance – to the shock of the Mayor and the large retailers. It was a well planned, well timed campaign that shared power and resources that made it happen. Organizations activated their strengths – action now was in the field knocking on doors, labor unions walked the halls of city council lobbying aldermen, different community organizations moved targeted aldermen they had established relationships with, members of these organizations did press around the ordinance. And it worked a charm.

But politics in Chicago is never easy, and a threatened capital flight by the retailers helped encourage the Mayor to veto the ordinance in September – the first time in 17 years he had used his veto. But while they may have not won the battle, the Collaborative’s campaign shifted politics in Chicago. The campaign was timed to coincide with the February Council elections and 7 hostile aldermen lost their seats.

The shift in the goal posts  is evident many times over – the increasing of Illinois’s minimum wage and the fact that Wal-Mart came and sat down with labor unions this year when it wanted to build a second store in the city. This is a huge shift. Wal-Mart has traditionally played a strategy of ignoring unions – yet strong labor-community coalition work has brought Wal-Mart to the table. And the workers there will benefit – being paid above minimum wage – again a precedent set in a political climate where the success of coalition power is felt even after a campaign has been waged.

So, on Tuesday it was great to sit down and have breakfast with the collaborative team. And tonight, i will be launching Power in Coalition with them at their 10 year anniversary.