{"id":14457,"date":"2020-04-30T11:11:56","date_gmt":"2020-04-30T18:11:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=14457"},"modified":"2020-04-30T11:12:43","modified_gmt":"2020-04-30T18:12:43","slug":"workers-gear-up-for-major-may-day-strike-in-pushback-against-unsafe-conditions-amid-pandemic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2020\/04\/30\/workers-gear-up-for-major-may-day-strike-in-pushback-against-unsafe-conditions-amid-pandemic\/","title":{"rendered":"Workers Gear Up for Major May Day Strike in Pushback Against Unsafe Conditions Amid Pandemic"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

April 29, 2020 by Common Dreams<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One organizer explained that the goal is to “push back with large numbers against the right-wing groups that want to risk our lives by reopening the economy.”<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

by Andrea Germanos, staff writer<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

 6 Comments<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Amazon<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Amazon employees hold a protest and walkout over conditions at the company’s Staten Island distribution facility on March 30, 2020 in New York City. (Photo: Spencer Platt\/Getty Images)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Workers at some of the nation’s biggest companies including Amazon and Target are preparing to symbolically lock arms Friday for a May 1 strike and demand better protections on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the lead organizers of the action, Motherboard<\/em> reported<\/a> Wednesday, is Chris Smalls, the Amazon worker who was fired<\/a> last month from his job at a fulfillment center in Staten Island after organizing<\/a> a protest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We formed an alliance between a bunch of different companies because we all have one common goal which is to save the lives of workers and communities,” Smalls told Motherboard<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Right now isn’t the time to open up the economy,” Smalls added. “Amazon is a breeding ground [for this virus] which is spreading right now through multiple facilities.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adam Ryan, who works at a Target store in Virgina, is another lead organizer of the May Day action. He explained to Motherboard<\/em> that the goal of the strike is “to shut down industry across the board and push back with large numbers against the right-wing groups that want to risk our lives by reopening the economy.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Motherboard<\/em> reported:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the mass strike action might not be enough to shut down society, the collective action certainly echoes the calls for a general strike<\/a>\u2014a coordinated work stoppage across businesses and industries in pursuit of a common goal\u2014the likes of which have not been seen in the United States since World War II.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The workers are demanding their profitable employers provide increased pay and paid leave, health insurance for all workers, and for Covid-19 affected stores to be shut. The workers are also calling on customers to show solidarity by not shopping at the stores on May 1, according to a flier shared on social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Intercept<\/em> also reported<\/a> on the upcoming strike, with Daniel Medina writing Tuesday:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The May 1 strike is the latest in a wave of actions led by union and nonunion front-line workers. Last month, Amazon workers<\/a> in New York City and more than 10,000 Instacart workers<\/a> across the country staged a walkout. Whole Foods employees led a national sickout<\/a> on March 31, while upwards of 800 workers skipped their shifts at a Colorado meatpacking plant<\/a> as coronavirus cases were confirmed among employees. Sanitation workers<\/a> in Pittsburgh and bus drivers<\/a> in Detroit both staged wildcat strikes.<\/p>

“These workers have been exploited so shamelessly for so long by these companies while performing incredibly important but largely invisible labor,” said Stephen Brier, a labor historian and professor at the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies. “All of a sudden, they\u2019re deemed essential workers in a pandemic, giving them tremendous leverage and power if they organize collectively.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

“May 1 is a celebration of working people around the world,” Margaret Kimberley wrote<\/a> Wednesday at Black Agenda Report<\/em>. “It is the perfect moment to begin the fight for economic justice which has accelerated due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License. Feel free to republish and share widely.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

April 29, 2020 by Common Dreams One organizer explained that the goal is to “push back with large numbers against the right-wing groups that want to risk our lives by reopening the economy.” by Andrea Germanos, staff writer  6 Comments Amazon employees hold a protest and walkout over conditions at the… Continue reading → <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14457"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14457"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14457\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14459,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14457\/revisions\/14459"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14457"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14457"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14457"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}