April 2017
March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
J20 Labor Rising Call
Attention Bay Area Workers: All Out On January 16th, 20th and 21st!
Trump, as U.S. president, represents a further step in the ongoing assault against working people, in particular women, immigrants, and people of color. The cabinet appointees of the future Trump administration are planning to launch an all-out attack on unions, labor rights, the LGBTQI community, the fight for $15 movement and, in general, pensions, reproductive and abortion rights, public services and education, and many other crucial sectors.
Trump’s anti-environmental position of continued reliance on fossil fuels coupled with his open hostility towards climate change research and funding will continue to destroy our planet, polluting water sources and lands, contributing to global warming and sea level rising, and displacing indigenous communities as has been proven by the Standing Rock struggle.
Furthermore, the white supremacist ideology and program his administration defends and his threats of massive deportation of immigrants, of creating a Muslim registry, and of increasing the militarization and power of police are going to increase the repression, discrimination, and violence endured by the Black, Latinx, Arab, and Muslim sectors of our class.
Because we consider all of these attacks to be attacks on working people; because we consider the working class to be racially, gender, and sexually diverse and believe we must stand with each other against any attack or manifestation of bigotry; and because we have a crucial stake in the defense of our rights, public services, and land, we call on workers in the California Bay Area, where we are located and have been organizing, to:
-Reject Trump’s presidency by joining in action and “inaugurating” worker and community unrest, resistance, rebellion, and opposition in order to defend our right to a future free of exploitation and oppression;
-Participate and join in labor actions on MLK Day January 16th (for workers’ rights and racial justice), on January 20th (to protest -Trump’s inauguration), and January 21st (for women’s and LGBTQI rights);
-Participate with us in forming labor contingents, coordinating activities and action across the Bay Area, and building a base for a new revitalized, democratic, and bold labor movement. There is a growing disillusionment of working people with the two traditional parties of the establishment, and we believe we must rely on our own power to fight for our rights.
We know the majority of workers do not belong to unions, and we know most unions do not find themselves in a position to call a legal strike because of the existing anti-strike and anti-labor federal legislation. These laws were imposed in the 1940’s to defeat the greatest wave of strikes in our history and unfortunately have gone unchallenged ever since .
Luckily, some locals, like the UAW 2865 [the ILWU Local 10 and UESF] are showing the way by taking labor action on J20. Furthermore, on Dec. 5th 2016, the Alameda County Labor Council, representing more than 100 local unions and 100,000 workers in the East Bay, issued a very important resolution which “encourages each of its affiliates to use the day of action on Friday, January 20 to display our power, unity and solidarity by planning an action around an existing labor dispute and inviting all of its members to participate as well as support their members who want to participate in inauguration protests.”
We know other locals and workplaces will join in the strike. We call on all workers, union and non-union, to organize collectively and democratically and decide the best way to join and participate in labor actions on J16, J20, and J21 by all possible means until we defeat the existing anti-worker legislation. This means regular strikes, wildcat strikes, collective sick-outs, workplace actions, informational pickets, walkouts, workplace meetings, and other means of creative labor resistance.
We also call on workers in other cities or regions of our country and around the world–for the U.S. is an imperialist country and our government’s policies often have a devastating impact on workers all over the world–to join in this collective grassroots effort and mobilize for J20 and J21.
At this moment of the struggle, all forms of worker actions are invaluable, even the smallest ones, especially when they are organized collectively and democratically and become a step forward in building worker power and confidence. We want to build relations of trust, commitment, and solidarity to develop a base that will have the capacity to take strong strike actions against the coming attacks by the Trump administration. We plan to start from where we are and develop a strategy to escalate. We plan to build our collective power. Mr Trump: We will not be silent! We will not be quiet! We will strike!
Let’s Build Worker Power Through United Labor Action!
An Injury to One is an Injury to All!
Not Our President!
Labor Rising [Against Trump]
Timeline of events:
- Participate and join the March on MLK Day January 16th (for workers’ rights and racial justice). We’ll meet at 11am in Oscar Grant Plaza, Oakland
- Participate through work actions on January 20th (to protest Trump’s inauguration) and in the Labor Rising contingent in the following rallies/marches:
- Oakland: 12pm Latham Square, Oakland
- San Francisco: 5pm U.N. Plaza
- Berkeley: 12pm Sproul Plaza, UC Berkeley
- Join the Women’s March on January 21st (for women’s and LGBTQI rights)
J20 Endorsements
List of unions and workers’ organizations that have endorsed J20 calls and are planning demostrations/actions:
- UAW 2865 (the academic student workers’ union at the UC) voted to endorse J20. http://www.uaw2865.org/wp-content/uploads/J20-Full-Text.pdf
- IBEW Local 6 passed resolutions based on the Alameda Central Labor Council J20 resolution.
- United Teachers of Richmond passed resolutions based on the Alameda Central Labor Council J20 resolution.
- UC-AFT 1474 endorsed J20 teach-in actions at UC Berkeley. Approved “Resolution against Trump“
- UPTE-CWA 9119 has decided to participate in local inauguaration day protests. Send information about January 20 protests to info@upte-cwa.org
- Bay Area Branch of the Industrial Workers of the World passed a resolution in Protest of the Inauguration of President Donald Trump
- IATSE Local 16 E-Board endorsed funding, material supplies, and support for J20 5pm at UN Plaza and J20 in general. It is also encouraging the general membership endorsement of J16 – J21.
- Alameda County Labor Council endorsed “MLK day Action J16 and J20 Action”
Labor Rising Against Trump 