| We face a major political crisis and we face a pandemic of racist police violence, the highest COVID-19 deaths in the world, and an economic meltdown.
A growing movement for a general strike / shutdown signals a new day in the class struggle.
The labor movement is asserting its power. The Rochester Labor Council called on the AFL-CIO to call a general strike if President Donald Trump refuses to leave office. Soon after, the Central Wisconsin Area Labor Federation passed a similar resolution, followed by the Seattle Labor Council and Troy, NY Labor Council. On the West Coast ILWU Longshore workers and teachers’ unions are passing resolutions and making plans. The Southern Workers Assembly called for “No business as usual at work, school, wherever you are!
More than 60 local, regional and national labor unions declared that the labor movement must organize work stoppages and general strikes against racism and police terror. (www.laborforblacklives.org)
This can go far beyond the organized labor movement. We are ALL workers — and we can push forward with mass actions.
Tens of millions of working people have been in the streets against racist police violence and attacks on migrants.
The uprising in Philadelphia over the killing of Walter Wallace shows again that only the people’s movement can be relied on to confront white supremacy. Why not merge the dynamic people’s “intifada” against racist police killings with organized labor into a broader movement to shut down racism?
The November 7 Workers Assembly Against Racism has the potential to help make this idea a reality.
On Oct 18 a Workers Assembly Against Racism at Union Square, with participation from 70 community and labor organizations and activists, made a strong call for workers to intervene decisively with a mass rally on Saturday, November 7.
We need to be in the streets in this moment of national crisis. |
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