Strikes are Apart of the Job

By : Luther Bravo

Co-Written with Taylor Louise

What happens to the writing on the wall when no one is there to read it? When the time for warning passes and there is no longer time to prepare, what happens? Well, people will suffer. What happens when people who keep up society suffer? Well, society will start to fail. There is a way to avoid watching your society collapse and that is to embrace collective action. 

The most effective collective action that we can take is supporting workers. It has been proven that when we support those who take care of us , we all get better. When we support teachers more people learn. When we support nurses, more people heal. When we support farmers more people can eat. But, recently we have been making these people the enemy. Saying that they are too greedy, that they have more than enough resources and that they should be okay. Yet, we will complain that the roads are littered with potholes, that the kids cannot read and that our sick cannot heal. 

We are past the point of asking nicely. It is time that we support these workers who make our lives possible by allowing them to strike. By definition strikes will inconvenience you and cost the company, shareholders, or whoever money. That is the goal. This is simply because if consumers are satisfied and money is being made change will not happen. Consumers being unhappy may change company culture and practices. However, when money stops flowing in, that's when the real necessary change happens. 

I’m sure you have heard, “No one wants to work anymore,” whether that be from media outlets or at your local grocery store. This is a common rebuttal whenever any nursing staff or teacher’s union or any union starts to call for a strike. However, that is simply not true. The truth is, every generation is labeled as lazy and unwilling to work. The silent generation thought that of the baby boomers, baby boomers thought that of gen x , gen x thought that of millennials and millennials think that of gen z. In July 2022, Paul Fairie made a Twitter thread showing 14 real articles clippings spanning from 1894 to 2022 sharing the same “no one wants to work anymore” myth. The truth is, striking and supporting those who are on strike is what real Americans do. 

Labor Day is the first Monday in September in the US. It existsbecause of the Haymarket Riots of 1886.Thousand of workers, young and middle aged white factory workers, clashed with police demanding an 8 hour workday. In 1894, it became a national holiday in remembrance of the victims from those violent incidents. 138 years later and the  8 hour work day is still the standard. 

Today it is clear that we have failed to remember the sacrifices of those men. This is evident by the 12 hour shifts, often referred to as graveyard shifts, that some of us are still expected to work. We expect those in the medical field and emergency services to be able to work 24 or even 48 hour shifts. The Haymarket Riots occurred because the workers were tired of being exploited. They were tired of not having time to spend with their loved ones and to enjoy the simple pleasures of life such as spending a Tuesday morning in a local park. Today, we are starting to hear these same things from workers as they are working more than one job to make ends meet. As they are picking up extra shifts to stay above water. 

Today, we have to accept the reality that we aren’t just striking to see and feed our families. But, we are once again striking for the ability to do the sake our society. Striking is a form of collective action that says, “we are one people and we will not stand for this.” In Indiana, teachers are being joined by parents to speak out against a proposed $744 million cut to their school budgets over the next 3 years. Cuts that deep don’t just cut teacher’s salaries it removes teachers entirely from the classroom. It will jeopardize the state of public education. Teachers and parents are no longer taking the government’s supposed “budget” issues as commonplace. In order to fight for their communities, people joined teachers and the Indiana State Teacher Association to tell their state government that they have had enough. In order to achieve this goal, the teachers organized to have students learning online while they protested. This demonstrated how passionate these teachers are to their student’s education. 

Not every strike is centered around a local community, some have the power to impact the nation. In October 2024, the US Longshoremen were prepared to go on strike because of fear that automated machines would replace them and for an increase in salary. This was backed by their union, The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) , which gave them true power. The longshoremen staged a three day-strike in October which sparked national interest. Longshoremen are responsible for all goods coming in and out of the country via the ports. That means anything coming on or leaving on a ship has to go through longshoremen. If their strike continued for more than a week it would have seriously damaged the economy. Which is why the ILA was able to reach a deal that supported their workers and protected American consumers. 

Although, these specific strikes are important and move the needle , it is not enough to impact everyone. Which is why people are signing up for and preparing to join the General Strike 2028 .  This idea started because the contracts for Ford, General Motors and Stellantis (formerly Chrysler) all end on May 1, 2028. Something, Shawn Fain, the president of the United Auto Workers(UAW)  union did on purpose. First, is because it is the same day as May Day, which is an international day to celebrate workers rights. The second because if they are not able to get fair and even contracts for their workers, the workers would  go on strike. Which is incredibly smart because if they were to go on strike on that day the sentiment would spark international support. 

However, the General Strike of 2028 isn’t just going to be auto workers- it can include you as well. Currently, The Chicago Teachers Union AFT-IFT Local 1 is working with the  UAW to prepare to join the strike. In July 2024, the American Federation of Teachers, passed a resolution that would allow their 1.8 million members to join in the movement. The United States Postal Union also passed a resolution. As word gets out, as more people continue to be crushed by the current working conditions more unions will join. That means you can be vocal in convincing your union to join the movement as well. Or maybe you can be the voice that convinces your workplace to unionize and get them to join.

The National Labor Relations Board has many help tips for anyone looking to start a union. It is very scary, especially with certain workplaces such as Starbucks and Amazon who consistently engage in union busting but, it is necessary work. There are resources at Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) for people working in retail environments. The Teamsters are best know for unionizing blue collar workers such as UPS, construction workers and more. The United Food & Commercial Workers International Union is there for fast food , restaurant and retail workers. There is even the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Union for those who work in the public sector. 

If the numbers or the historical victories or the real stories from real people won’t convince you, may I present the proverb, “ closed mouths don’t get fed.” Striking is when workers open their mouths demanding to be fed. Supporting workers when they strike will help bring stability to your workplace. We need each other in order to reach our goals. That means if you want a better work place for you - then you have to stand with us. We win together when we stand together. 

Works Cited 

Lazare, Sarah. “The Call Is Out for Mass, Simultaneous Strikes in 4 Years.” Thenation.Com, 14

Oct. 2024, www.thenation.com/article/activism/general-strike-2028-unions-labor-movement/tnamp/.

“Retail.” The United Food & Commercial Workers International Union, 19 Sept. 2024,

www.ufcw.org/who-we-represent/retail/.

Smith, Casey. “Teachers, Parents, Students Demand ‘fully Funded Public Schools’ at Indiana

Statehouse Rally • Indiana Capital Chronicle.” Indiana Capital Chronicle, 15 Apr. 2025,

indianacapitalchronicle.com/2025/04/14/teachers-parents-students-demand-fully-funded-public-schools-at-indiana-statehouse-rally/.

“We Are AFSCME.” AFSCME, www.afscme.org/about/we-are-afscme. Accessed 1 May 2025.

Wiseman, Paul. “Longshoremen Reach Tentative Deal with Ports and Shippers, Averting

Potential Strike.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 8 Jan. 2025, www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/longshoremen-reach-tentative-deal-with-ports-and-shippers-averting-potential-strike#:~:text=The%20longshoremen%20staged%20a%20three,hub%20of%20the%20global%20marketplace.%E2%80%9D.

“Your Right to Form a Union.” National Labor Relations Board,

www.nlrb.gov/about-nlrb/rights-we-protect/the-law/employees/your-right-to-form-a-union. Accessed 1 May 2025.