Occupy plans US-wide general strike

[muesli23]

[url=http://da.nycga.net/2012/02/07/48/][B]Occupy Wall St. statement[/B][/url]
[release]
On December 19, 2011 Occupy Los Angeles put a call out to the world. Simply put, on May 1st, 2012, shut the world down. Here in New York, we concur. Occupy Wall Street will be standing in solidarity with our comrades in Occupy Portland, Occupy Seattle, Occupy Miami, Occupy Oakland, Occupy Chicago, Occupy Boston and other occupations on May 1st, 2012 in shutting capitalism down.
We will be supported by our brothers and sisters in the workers’ world, both unionized and non-unionized, in standing up for workers’ rights, immigrants’ rights, the right to food, shelter, healthcare and housing for all, women’s equality and social and economic justice.
No work !
No school !
No shopping !
No housework !
This May Day we will have a Day without the 99%
This May Day we will have a General Strike ! [/release]

[url=http://occupyoakland.org/2012/01/occupy-oakland-decides-to-participate-in-the-global-general-strike-on-may-day/][B]Occupy Oakland statement[/B][/url]
[release]
Occupy Oakland Calls for Participation in a May 1, 2012 Global General Strike

The General Strike is back, retooled for an era of deep budget cuts, extreme anti-immigrant racism, and massive predatory financial speculation. In 2011, the number of unionized workers in the US stood at 11.8%, or approximately 14.8 million people.

What these figures leave out are the growing millions of people in this country who are unemployed and underemployed. The numbers leave out the undocumented, and domestic and manual workers drawn largely from immigrant communities. The numbers leave out workers whose workplace is the home and a whole invisible economy of unwaged reproductive labor. The numbers leave out students who have taken on nearly $1 trillion dollars in debt, and typically work multiple jobs, in order to afford skyrocketing college tuition. The numbers leave out the huge percentage of black Americans that are locked up in prisons or locked out of stable or secure employment because of our racist society.

In December of 2011, Oakland’s official unemployment rate was a devastating 14.1%. As cities like Oakland are ground into the dust by austerity, every last public dollar will be fed to corrupt, militarized police departments in order to contain social unrest. On November 2 of last year, Occupy Oakland carried out the first General Strike in the US since the 1946 Oakland General Strike, shutting down the center of the city and blockading the Port of Oakland. We must re-imagine a general strike for an age where most workers do not belong to labor unions, and where most of us are fighting for the privilege to work rather than for marginal improvements in working conditions. We must take the struggle into the streets, schools, and offices of corrupt local city governments. A re-imagined general strike means finding immediate solutions for communities impacted by budget cuts and constant police harassment beyond changing government representatives. Occupy Oakland calls for and will participate in a new direction for the Occupy movement based on the recognition that we must not only find new ways to provide for our needs beyond the state; we must also attack the institutions that lock us into an increasingly miserable life of exploitation, debt, and deepening poverty everywhere. IF WE CAN’T LIVE, WE WON’T WORK.

May Day is an international holiday that commemorates the 1886 Haymarket Massacre, when Chicago police defending, as always, the interests of the 1% attacked and murdered workers participating in a general strike and demanding an 8-hour workday. In the 21st century, despite what politicians tell us, class war is alive and well against workers (rank-and-file and non-unionized), students, people of color, un- and underemployed, immigrants, homeless, women, queer/trans folks, and prisoners. Instead of finding common ground with monsters, it’s time we fight them. And it’s time we make fighting back an everyday reality in the Bay Area and beyond.

On May Day 2012, Occupy Oakland will join with people from all walks of life in all parts of the world around the world in a Global General Strike to shut down the global circulation of capital that every day serves to enrich the ruling classes and impoverish the rest of us. There will be no victory but that which we make for ourselves, reclaiming the means of existence from which we have been and continue to be dispossessed every day.

REVOLT FOR A LIFE WORTH LIVING!
STRIKE / BLOCKADE / OCCUPY
[/release]

For those with memory loss, here's a video of the general strike Occupy Oakland held on November 2nd, 2011:
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyJmS1fmSos[/media]

[Kazumi]

Holy shit. Will this take off the way the Occupy Wall St did? Anyone here going to strike?

[beanhead]

dont pay taxes?
try not to get arrested

[the rifleman]

I highly doubt that everyone will leave work, school, etc. for a strike

[muesli23]

[QUOTE=The Rifleman;34626937]I highly doubt that everyone will leave work, school, etc. for a strike[/QUOTE]

Who knows? The IWW has thrown their support behind this.

[QUOTE=Kazumi;34626921]Holy shit. Will this take off the way the Occupy Wall St did? Anyone here going to strike?[/QUOTE]

I live in a Republican, white trash suburbia unfortunately.

[Boba_Fett]

[QUOTE=The Rifleman;34626937]I highly doubt that everyone will leave work, school, etc. for a strike[/QUOTE]
I'm guessing that only a few people will do it, and then they'll get fired from their jobs or something.

[muesli23]

[QUOTE=Boba_Fett;34627035]I'm guessing that only a few people will do it, and then they'll get fired from their jobs or something.[/QUOTE]

Well, based off the sucess of the Oakland general strike, I'd imagine it'd go fairly well on the West Coast.

[Croshi]

At first I thought it was a bombing strike but then I read the full title.

[Dr.C]

I don't know, I actually like going to class on tuesdays, all I have are fun math, fun improv, and fun english

[muesli23]

[QUOTE=beanhead;34626930]dont pay taxes?
try not to get arrested[/QUOTE]

The only instance of the word 'tax' in this thread is in your post.

[Triumph Forks]

Might as well join in too. Everything in my city is either on strike already, or it's looking like they will.

May Day seems like a good enough time to do it too

[Second-gear-of-]

Wait, they're saying they will have a day without the 99%? Last time I checked, billionaires aren't in highschools.

[muesli23]

[QUOTE=Triumph Forks;34627128]Might as well join in too. Everything in my city is either on strike already, or it's looking like they will.

May Day seems like a good enough time to do it too[/QUOTE]

Generally, outside the US, left-wing political parties and their assosiated unions plan demonstrations on May 1st. So a general strike isn't even needed. For this reason, the European movements have planned a general strike on [url=https://n-1.cc/pg/groups/1010883/15m-global-strike/]May 15th[/url] (anniversary of the #15M movement).

[Zeke129]

General strikes are the best form of protest because people have no choice but to notice

[Megafan]

It's possible that this could have a bigger impact than past events, but the idea of not paying taxes is unhelpful and walking out of school is more than likely not an option.

[SPESSMEHREN]

Well damn, looks like I won't be able to get a coffee from Starbucks that day. :v:

[JakeIsWin]

I'm getting sick of hearing about this Occupy shit..

[mobrockers2]

[QUOTE=SPESSMEHREN;34627208]Well damn, looks like I won't be able to get a coffee from Starbucks that day. :v:[/QUOTE]

You will, you might have to wait some longer, but there are always people too scared of losing their job, or generally not caring who will still go to work.

[muesli23]

[QUOTE=Megafanx13;34627189]walking out of school is more than likely not an option.[/QUOTE]

There have been sucessful school walkouts in NYC in solidarity with OWS.

[QUOTE=JakeIsWin;34627226]I'm getting sick of hearing about this Occupy shit..[/QUOTE]

I'm sure as hell not. On the other hand, I'm glad the Tea Baggers are no longer public with their stupidity.

[Triumph Forks]

[QUOTE=muesli23;34627157]Generally, outside the US, left-wing political parties and their assosiated unions plan demonstrations on May 1st. So a general strike isn't even needed. For this reason, the European movements have planned a general strike on May 15th.[/QUOTE]

That's what I'm saying, there's usually demonstrations in in downtown Halifax every year, but a general strike goes a bit beyond what might be misconstrued as a bunch of Marxists agreeing with each other over a megaphone.

I just hope they don't bring tents, or HRP are gonna wallop some ass like when they broke up Occupy back in November.

[Megafan]

[QUOTE=muesli23;34627238]There have been sucessful school walkouts in NYC in solidarity with OWS.[/QUOTE]
I'm well aware of that, but in general high school students are either too apathetic, are already cutting school, or don't want the risk to strike.

[mobrockers2]

[QUOTE=JakeIsWin;34627226]I'm getting sick of hearing about this Occupy shit..[/QUOTE]

That's the whole point, to get heard. To voice our concern, anger. To make them so sick of it that they have no choice but listen.

[muesli23]

[QUOTE=Triumph Forks;34627249]That's what I'm saying, there's usually demonstrations in in downtown Halifax every year, but a general strike goes a bit beyond what might be misconstrued as a bunch of Marxists agreeing with each other over a megaphone.[/QUOTE]

The only general strike in Canada planned [I]so far[/I] is in Freidricton.

[QUOTE=Megafanx13;34627285]I'm well aware of that, but in general high school students are either too apathetic, are already cutting school, or don't want the risk to strike.[/QUOTE]

It all depends on the community.

[Megafan]

[QUOTE=JakeIsWin;34627226]I'm getting sick of hearing about this Occupy shit..[/QUOTE]

yeah man what are problems??

economic inequality, unemployment, and political corruption prevalent in our country? pff

[thisispain]

[QUOTE=JakeIsWin;34627226]I'm getting sick of hearing about this Occupy shit..[/QUOTE]

right, i mean fighting injustice and wealth inequality gets so boring sometimes

[Bobie]

[QUOTE=JakeIsWin;34627226]I'm getting sick of hearing about this Occupy shit..[/QUOTE]

if you're only interested in it because it's 'what everyone else is doing' or 'its in the news', then it clearly isnt for you.

ill be taking a part in the european general strike

[Megafan]

[QUOTE=muesli23;34627293]It all depends on the community.[/QUOTE]

True.

[muesli23]

[url=http://www.occupymay1st.org/resources/imagery/]If any comrade needs a poster...[/url]

[Craig Willmore]

I haven't held strikes in very high regard since I worked in UPS.
The strike started over some Union disagreement and lasted for 2 months. A good 75% of the workers were on the picket line. I had to go back to work because I really didn't have a choice in the matter.

As I passed through the picket line, people who I would normally call my friends and coworkers yelled insults and threw vegetables at my windshield, all the while calling my house and leaving threatening messages. The strike ended, none of the demands were met, and over half of the people that did go on strike were fired or put under review.

[Triumph Forks]

[QUOTE=muesli23;34627293]The only general strike in Canada planned [I]so far[/I] is in Freidricton.

It all depends on the community.[/QUOTE]Makes sense, Every other Occupy seems to have been shut down in some way or another. I know may day's happening here, but with the backlash over our bus strike, it may stay as just a May Day event.

It'll be interesting to see what goes down across the country though, a lot of people seem to be sick of Harper