Actions expected to exceed 3,000 as unions and groups expand protests inspired by Minnesota ICE crackdown
Labor unions, democratic organizations and community groups are organizing an economic blackout this year to commemorateMay Day, International Workers Day, inspired by the economic blackout in Minnesota during the massiveICEoperation in the state.
May Day Strongevents are being planned across the US, with organizers calling for “no school, no work, no shopping”, in protest of government policies they say put billionaires’ needs above those of workers.
Neidi Dominguez, founding executive director of Organized Power in Numbers and an organizer, said that the number ofMay Dayevents this year had more than doubled compared with last year.
“Last year, there were about 1,300 May Day actions across the country. This year, we think there’s going to be more than 3,000,” said Dominguez. “Minneapolis really gave us the biggest push in real time to do it. We have a long way to go to take massive disruption actions like in other countries, where people will go on general strikes and they can shut down their country, but I think we’re getting more and more close to people having consciousness about their own power as workers.”
Dominguez said the protests were a reaction to actions and threats from theTrump administration, including theproposalto send ICE agents to polling places during the midterms, and unilateral military actions on Venezuela and Iran.
She said the actions this year were a step towards building a bigger movement.
“We’re really trying to actually start organizing people to see that the power that we collectively have to do economic disruption is really the power that we need in this moment to not just defend ourselves, but defend democracy,” she added.
Dominguez noted that several cities, includingLos AngelesandChicago, are preparing for city-wide economic blackouts.
In Chicago, several local labor unions and community groups, including the Chicago Teachers Union, SEIU Healthcare Illinois & Indiana, Indivisible Chicago and the Chicago Federation of Labor, jointlyannouncedan economic blackout for Chicago for 1 May.
Source: Drudge Report
