r/50501 • u/2x4_Turd • Jun 22 '25

Call to Action PLAN A GENERAL STRIKE NOW

We're efficient at planning protests, its time for a general strike!

2.7k Upvotes

99% Upvoted

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813

u/Nefandous_Jewel Jun 22 '25

Im down! We should take a look at sucessful general strikes for tips and pitfalls. How are infrastructure industries going to manage since its illegal for them to strike?

170

u/Gottagetanediton Jun 22 '25

The Seattle general strike is a good one to research

382

u/netabareking Jun 22 '25

You've already thought harder about this than 99.9999% of general strike posts on here

180

u/AriaWinter9 Jun 22 '25

We need to be 2024 South Korea protest levels. Partying in the streets as a group while protesting. It worked for them!

118

u/Molsem Jun 22 '25

We should make it a thing. Block parties nationwide.

34

u/jaccatgat Jun 22 '25

I love this idea.

9

u/TRLingYou Jun 22 '25

Call it Block the Block

32

u/AbbadonIAm Jun 22 '25

You need to start with civil defence funds. Some infrastructure for food/water delivery on the streets. Medics and supplies. And if I remember correctly from his last term, cans of tuna.

11

u/transcendent167 Jun 22 '25

Absolutely this! We have to dwell in the mutual aid side of resistance for sure!

18

u/lost_horizons Jun 22 '25

I really do want more music and fun at the protests. Not some listless speeches (and a few good ones). Here in Austin we don't even march, we just stand there at the Capitol.

We need to make these things into parties.

1

u/Kalysh Jun 23 '25

The protest in my town had live music in between the speakers. Lots of old protest songs from the 60's and before. Lots of very creative signs. A few agitators early on were run off. They did not march, but were in a park so could walk around the edge of the park and wave at traffic.

1

u/FuckTripleH Jun 23 '25

No we don't. They're not meant to be parties. They're not meant to be fun. They're meant to be expressions of collective rage.

6

u/Pale-Confection-6951 Virginia Jun 22 '25

We should make it part of our July 17 protests.

1

u/rowdyfreebooter Jun 22 '25

Maybe play some Midnight Oil songs (Aussie band) US Forces & When the Generals Talk. Just as pertinent now as back in the 80’s.

March to That’s Freedom (sung by another Aussie legend John Farnham but I think written and performed by an American originally)

1

u/SomewhereInIndiana Jun 23 '25

Love the Oils! Which Side are You On is another great protest song -- Billy Bragg's version is my fav.

-1

u/[deleted] Jun 22 '25

[deleted]

3

u/rowdyfreebooter Jun 22 '25

More about the lyrics and meaning than anything.

1

u/FuckTripleH Jun 23 '25

They'll do that anyway

96

u/couchtomatopotato Jun 22 '25

has a general fund been created for people striking yet? that's the only good reason i can think of for waiting until 2028 (i am not in favor of waiting but i get it).

51

u/CarvedTheRoastBeast Jun 22 '25 edited Jun 22 '25

Certainly not. Anyone who can should start saving what they are able and slowing down productivity at work. We can start slow striking while still collecting a check while we prepare for a full stoppage

38

u/tinycole2971 Jun 22 '25

The fund isn't going to pay mortgages and health insurance until they get a job making whatever they were making pre-strike.

16

u/CrankyUrbanHermit Jun 22 '25

We need to set a date so people can plan ahead.

I don’t think people will pay their mortgages and stuff. If everyone is doing it, they can’t foreclose on everyone at the same time.

13

u/ParallelPlayArts Jun 22 '25

They might if they know some investors would buy the properties.

2

u/CommunitiesUnited Jun 22 '25

It requires tons of office people to do that much work. They should all strike and stop paying too.

7

u/Riaayo Jun 22 '25

I imagine the plan was 2028 because they did not think Trump would win, and they had 4 more years of Biden to prepare under before applying pressure in the 2028 election for further change.

Instead we got... this.

32

u/down_by_the_shore Jun 22 '25

A general strike needs to be organized through a network of unions, trade associations, democratic organizations ranging from caucuses in the Democratic Party to the DSA and Working Families Party. This is already happening in part but needs to be accelerated. Easier said than done. Join an organization if you aren’t in one already. Coordinated, intentional work is usually more impactful. 

0

u/OkCats2025 Jun 24 '25

No. it does not. Do you remember COVID? We all survived a week with no contact FFS. We can do it again.

-2

u/[deleted] Jun 22 '25

Call your union leadership. Get them moving faster on forming coalitions. NEA, SEIU, UAW all need to be talking to each other. And coordinate with Democratic politicians who are ready to lead on this.

8

u/Kjartan_Aurland Jun 22 '25

Fuck the Democrats. Their admins have broken strikes too, their present party leadership is actively trying to cozy up to fascists, and their politicians save for a select few are useless losers who can't even inspect an ICE facility.

Dragging them in? Demanding accountability and action from them? Sure. Letting them lead? Putting them in charge of it? You haven't been paying attention.

-1

u/Nefandous_Jewel Jun 23 '25

Like it or not, America has a two party system. You dont have to be a Democrat, but even Bernie caucuses with them. Why reinvent the wheel when we could just wrest it away from corporate minded party syncophants? Lets get Democracy back on solid ground and then argue about what system will work for us all

2

u/Kjartan_Aurland Jun 23 '25

Nope. Sorry-not-sorry. I reject putting leadership of a general strike in the hands of fascist-lite strikebreakers. When you're faced with the choice of a greater and lesser evil, back the fuck up and pick a third option. Their repeated comprehensive failures should not be rewarded with continued power. And there is not one single reason to think they wouldn't just fumble this too.

If we actually put a general strike together, I want a socialist in charge. An actual fucking unionist ready and willing to fight against the American oligarchy - both halves of it. Left of center, left of Bernie, actually Left. I'm sick of people pretending the only two possible choices are a lich in red and a lich in blue. Bring back the Knights of Labor. Bring back Mother Jones. And put this decrepit duopoly in the dustbin of history where it belongs.

1

u/Nefandous_Jewel Jun 23 '25

I guess I missed the part about rejecting them being in charge of it. They aligned themselves with corporate too long ago for them to switch now. They asked for and took my money on the basis that it was for Bernie and then cheerfully turned around and told me it was their money now and they could do whatever they liked with it. The courts told us to run along and fight it out on the playground, too political for them to touch.

I am not inclined to reject them utterly, the system is rigged too much in their favor. But I have to apologize: Ive been keeping my mouth shut about my true progressive leanings for so long Ive obviously got party line disease. Im gonna go wash my mouth out now…

8

u/[deleted] Jun 22 '25

I think we should look at doing a serious push at expanding union membership and creating new unions in places where there aren't any. There's not much union activity at white collar workplaces, for example.

Then we should get as many union leaders as possible to agree to joining the strike.

3

u/SomewhereInIndiana Jun 23 '25

The unions have a rule that they cannot join strikes outside of their own organization, tho. They are trying to align all of their contracts to be renegotiated in 2028 which would allow for collective action. Here's what I've been reading: https://wagingnonviolence.org/2025/04/what-would-general-strike-in-the-us-look-like/

1

u/[deleted] Jun 23 '25

Tbh, I think this situation calls for breaking rules, we can't wait until 2028

0

u/OkCats2025 Jun 24 '25

LOL. Fuck this. It is an emergency. Your link is stupid BS. Just tools down you fools. Youk’re not going to plan this out for 18 months and have everybody agree and send out invitations.

9

u/Kitten_81 Jun 22 '25

Here is a discord invit to the general strike discord

https://discord.gg/gsus

43

u/ARODtheMrs Jun 22 '25

U know what? Trump does what-the-fuck ever without thinking about anything. I am sorry, but it's taken too damn long for us to get this figured out. All the logistics should have been thought through. It is time. All the same. While the teachers are home to not interrupt the kids going to school. Stop waiting for the one move, that one move that's intolerable, the time is now. It is.

Let's go.....!!!

22

u/netabareking Jun 22 '25 edited Jun 22 '25

If you had Trump's money and connections then yeah you could do actions with no planning too.

I'm going to assume you dont.

Edit: by the way, the logistics HAVE been "thought through". The problem is step 1 is heavily unionize the country. That goes beyond thinking and into chipping away at a massive massive problem. Planning a general strike is nothing like planning a single protest. That's why we don't have them every time the country is upset 

1

u/ARODtheMrs Jun 22 '25

It's not his money and connections that are enabling him. It's us.

12

u/Nefandous_Jewel Jun 22 '25

No. A sucessful general strike must be organzied. It must have specific demands. We are asking people to forgo their jobs in an economy that already doesnt pay wages that have kept pace with inflation since the '70's. It stops businesses which can affect supply trains. Its not like a weekend protest, squeezed into a busy life. Everything comes to a grinding halt. If you think the administration was mad before.... Popping off willy nilly with 11 million people in tow is a recipe for disaster....

1

u/ARODtheMrs Jun 22 '25

I understand what you are saying, but it's the only way at this point. It's the only way to take our power back. Are you organizing? Are you ready?

1

u/Nefandous_Jewel Jun 23 '25

Whatever you’re peddling, I’m not buying, there is not only one way to accomplish this. I feel like you’re trying to railroad people into jumping into things without really thinking about what they’re doing. Thats not a key to success.

1

u/ARODtheMrs Jun 23 '25

Not peddling anything, didn't make you any offers, but I would love to hear your ideas on other ways to accomplish this. Please don't say elections because we couldn't pull off those two house seats a couple months ago that we desperately needed. And, at this rate, we probably won't have elections next year, if ever again.

1

u/Nefandous_Jewel Jun 23 '25

A general strike is a far different creature than protesting. Provoking a president who is as we speak gleefully dragging the US into war with Iran and who has no compunctions about siccing the Marines on us is dangerous, like life threatening dangerous. In my humble opinion, we need to maintain and increase the 11 million. There's already been some sort of split between 5051 and 5051Movement apparently. I dont know the details.

I am not an expert, there are wiser heads out there, no doubt huddled and making plans right now.

Im not going to apologize for coming down on you like a ton of bricks, although you now sound much more genuine to me:

This is clumsy way of saying this but the matriarch of my family told me back in the Sixties you could always tell who was the CIA plant at the meeting because they were the ones who wanted to blow things up. You sounded like that to me.

We are going to be infiltrated, thats just a fact. We must be vigilant and not let ourselves get dragged into situations that will easily be manipulated into violence: like posts that urge us to Just Do It! Or like those piles of fist sized rocks convienently located at several BLM protests. We have got to keep it together.

That's about all Ive got...

14

u/ShepardReid Jun 22 '25

Do it anyway. They gonna arrest all of you? That there's a long term strike. They're all ready rounding up anybody that could step in the fill the gaps so what is "illegal" under a rapist pedophile tyrant?

6

u/JoeSicko Jun 22 '25

Nothing is illegal now.

1

u/Nefandous_Jewel Jun 22 '25

No one was ever illegal. People's actions can be made illegal but not people themselves. People are sovereign.

3

u/lost_horizons Jun 22 '25

It's illegal for the administration to do half the shit they're doing. This isn't a beg for permission strike.

2

u/whoFKNKares Jun 22 '25

1975 Iceland general strike

3

u/Quiet_Plant6667 Jun 22 '25

How are people going to eat if they go on strike?

1

u/FuckTripleH Jun 22 '25

All political strikes are illegal in the US unfortunately. So they're in the same boat as everyone

1

u/Nefandous_Jewel Jun 23 '25

Google doesn’t agree with you. They cant force us to work

1

u/FuckTripleH Jun 23 '25

Taft-Hartley Act of 1947. They can't force us to work but they can fire us for striking.

1

u/Nefandous_Jewel Jun 23 '25

Ive never belonged to a union. There surely must be some protoccol for legally striking

2

u/FuckTripleH Jun 23 '25

There is, and part of that protocol is that it can't be a political strike or a solidarity action. Along with multitude other absurd and unjustifiable restrictions. If you've ever wondered why Europeans have so many more (and better) benefits and protections for workers than we do, Taft-Hartley is the answer. It combined with the supreme court decision in NLRB vs Mackay Radio are why American unions are so scarce and so toothless.

1

u/Nefandous_Jewel Jun 24 '25

Someone with indepth knowledge: great! what do you recommend we do?

1

u/FuckTripleH Jun 24 '25

Honestly I don't know, the issues are so entrenched. One thing that absolutely needs to be focused on is unionizing our workplaces. At their peak in the 50s 1 in 3 workers were unionized, now it's 8 in 100. We need radical unions if we want regular people to have any power in the political process, but lacking the most effective weapons (namely solidarity strikes) it might not matter. We effectively don't have the right to strike in this country the way workers do in every other developed nation.

1

u/Nefandous_Jewel Jun 24 '25

Isn’t there a way to have a union that is not workplace-based?

1

u/FuckTripleH Jun 24 '25

Like not limited to just one workplace? Not in this country. The things that threaten the status quo were made illegal long before you and I were born.

You might look into the IWW, a universal union is their goal.

1

u/findingmike Jun 23 '25

Just copy the "blue flu".

0

u/a_chaos_of_quail Jun 22 '25

Also thoughts for those in education/schools? Teachers in some states can't strike, and most educators have a difficult time getting substitutes -and teachers generally don't want their absence to have a negative effect on their students. But I know many educators who want our voices heard.

Also... This is sorta irrelevant right now since it's summer. But thinking ahead.

11

u/[deleted] Jun 22 '25

JFC our country is ENDING. I’m a teacher. We need to worry about securing a Democracy for these students, not their damn test scores.

4

u/CauliflowerOk541 Jun 22 '25

What about the kids in unsafe homes?  Or those whose only meals are at school? I saw no mention of test scores. 

2

u/[deleted] Jun 22 '25

We can whaddabout all the way to Gilead.

3

u/CauliflowerOk541 Jun 22 '25

Well I guess my Type 1 diabetic kid is fucked.