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By Joe Sims
Change sometimes occurs so quickly that it’s hard to keep up. What once was is no longer; life is stood on its head, and what seemed impossible is suddenly within grasp. Is the country now in such a moment? And if so, how is such progress gauged?
One measure might be big shifts in mass attitudes as reflected in public opinion polls, another the frequency of protests, and a third the quality and character of various forms of struggle. Take strike actions, for example. Last year, 485,000 workers went out on strike, the highest number since the 1970s.
This year the trend has continued. Workplace and strike actions are taking place all over the country. Witness the struggles of Unite HERE to organize workers at Marriott, the Amazon workers who went on strike against Jeff Bezos, the 50,000 who are walking the UAW’s picket lines against GM, the strike of Mack Truck workers against Volvo, the janitors who went out against Aramark, the United Steelworkers’ strike in Arizona against ASARCO, and now the strike of Chicago teachers. Clearly there’s a new level of class struggle militancy and activism at work. Not only are workers going out on strike, but they are also increasingly confident they can win.
Is the country in the middle of a strike wave?
Do the quantity and quality of these strikes merit calling them a strike wave? Something new clearly is occurring, and it’s important to not only take note of it but also give these strikes every support whenever possible.
The month-long strike of the UAW against GM is of particular importance...
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