Trump’s bombing of Iran, in partnership with Israel, is an illegal war of aggression that will kill thousands of innocent people, such as the school children of Minab. It signals another turning point in our battle against a growing fascist threat.
This administration hopes to paralyze us with a shock and awe campaign of endless war, attacks on federal workers and public services, and immigrants. Hoping to silence protest on the homefront, Trump is whipping up a domestic “war on terror” against journalists, students, labor activists, elected officials, and ordinary working people.
Build United Fronts for Mutual Defense. Regardless of differences, the time has come to build alliances of unionsand communities that are under attack to defend immigrant workers,refugees, communities of color, public worker unions, women, andtransgender people.
The General Strike is our Superpower. Trump and the capitalist class have the police, ICE, and military at their disposal. But workers have the power of withholding our labor. We can bring the entire system to a standstill if we strike together. Workers are already doing this: In the Philippines, truck and transport drivers are snarling traffic against spiraling gas prices. In the Strait of Hormuz, mariners are refusing to sail tankers through war-stricken channels. In the U.S., soldiers are becoming conscientious objectors.
Key International Unions oppose the war. SEIU International “stands with workers in Iran and all over the world fighting for better, safer lives.” And National Nurses United states “in any military conflict, working people and families suffer the most.” Outraged nurses are sick of seeing patients priced out of lifesaving medical care while their taxes fund “forever wars.”
But more is needed and rank-and-file union members can be a catalyst. Workers might start off with a one-day strike. There could be rolling strikes, one industry this day and another industry the next, still another the day after that. From Minneapolis to Manila, workers are “shutting it down” in the fight for a more just and humane world. Let’s find inspiration from their examples.
Come to the next OWLS meeting (Organized Workers for Labor Solidarity) to get news updates, discuss next steps and share your ideas.
OWLS meets the fourth Tuesday of each month.
The next meeting is Tuesday, April 28 at 6:30 pm
Meeting location:
Washington State Labor Council Offices
321 16th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98144 (Corner of 16th & Jackson)
OrganizedWorkers.org | OrganizedWorkersLS@gmail.com facebook.com/OrganizedWorkers
