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Much as I like this idea, it's not going to catch on. You think the average non-union retail or office worker will risk being fired? We are locked into the system we have, and sadly, that's that. Unless and until a plurality of workers lose the entire life they have.
Without existing strong organization you're probably right, but it's more likely that the wheels will come off and a general strike would happen naturally with rising inflation and unemployment.
The shitter things get, the less tight your social ties need to be for collective action. Everyone's implicitly on the same page when you start missing meals.
Yeah, the average commuter will have to lose their house in the burbs (just 50 miles from work), the kid's private school, and the Tundra. When Frank Freeway is living in a rented shipping container and eating slop from the church food bank, MAYBE a few years of that will wake us the fuck up.
Me? I'm retired. I could lose everything any time.
Well you have to remember that Franks house is on an adjustable rate mortgage and his Tundra still has 80 months left on the loan. If the income gets cut, the rug gets pulled on everything and people wake up real quick.
Would be too late
I hope this is the tip of the iceberg for what's to come.
Seize your country back!!
The first step is always the hardest after decades of oppression and misinformation!
It doesn't say which unions have signed onto this "General Strike." Do they even plan on involving the unions in this? -is it like last time when they said they were having a "General Strike" but it wasn't a real General Strike?
It's illegal for unions to coordinate a general strike. If they were signed on they would be pretty careful about it. That's why the UAW president was making waves by suggesting that everyone set their contracts to end on the same date.
oh now we are talking. and it’s for more then one day and with a list of demands yes?
I'm glad that after Minnesota general strikes are on the table again. Especially now that we're bringing May Day back.
We need to shut it all down for weeks before they realize we’re serious. But to foster change we’d have to shut it down for months.
Bullshit
COVID killed the economy in a couple days
That's why a Government Shutdown makes much more sense. Europeans are always pushing us for a General Strike, but that won't work here. For one thing, many employers will just fire people for not showing up that day. The rest will just dock their pay. In Europe, workers have protections, unions, and worker friendly governments. We have none of that here.
Whatever economic impact will be minimal. Whatever people didn't buy that day, they'll buy the next.
A General Strike hurts us, and is intended to make the government feel empathy for us, and give us what we want. The MAGA government won't budge after weeks of a government shutdown, you think they'll budge after a General Strike of ONE DAY?
IN America, we have a mechanism that European nations don't have - we can literally turn off the government a spigot, and EVERYTHING comes to a halt very quickly. We keep going to work, collecting our paychecks, stimulating the economy, but they stop their atrocities, for the most part.
We can do that, Europe can't. General Strikes will work for them, they won't work for us. Why hurt ourselves, when we can hurt those who are causing the problems?
MAGA isn't going to act to alleviate our pain, exactly the opposite. They are sadistic, if they see someone in pain, their very first impulse is to increase that pain.
But inflict pain on them, and they scream like the cowardly little weenies they are. And nothing is more painful to these corrupt traitors that taking away their money. Let's make them scream real loud.
As if a company will wire 100% of their staff when nobody is showing up.
The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. It's cliché, but true and applies here.
"One day at a time" works for people who are recovering from addiction to substances. Why couldn't it help people recover from addiction to capitalism? Consumption is consumption.
"Just for today, I won't drink alcohol" can easily become "Just for today, I won't consume corporate products", "Just for today, I'll hold the picket line", "Just for today, I'll tighten my belt and live off bare essentials."
One day gives people a taste of what's possible without being a major deterrent or barrier to folks who can't afford to miss work for a week or a month. If it's successful, it demonstrates proof of concept and makes similar future actions more likely. It also shows the structures of power what we're capable of, puts them off balance a bit, and builds worker power.
People saying "what we really need is ______" are a bane to the movement that's happening. I'm not saying you're doing it on purpose, but don't fall for that rhetoric. A lot of it is coming from plants attempting to discredit and derail the movement.
Actions being done now are always more effective than hypothetical actions that "should be done," and they build towards greater action. Don't expect immediate perfection, because you'll always be disappointed. It's necessary to start somewhere, and this is a great place to start. If you want to be part of it, grab ahold and run with it. Otherwise, stay out of the way, and above all don't cross the picket line.
Ok let’s try one day first. You know, get our legs under us.
Hahahaha I'll believe it when it happens. Americas response has been very lackluster. We well have to start calling the the land of the meek I hope this shatters their cowboy image they have of themselves. And they definitely have to stop calling the French cowards and should be looking at to them for how to protest.