Folks,
Greetings from the Burgh, where we are celebrating the US Supreme Court decision that demands that the Trump Administration release SMART Union member Kilmar Abrego Garcia.
SMART Union Fought for Release of Garcia
Payday covered extensively how SMART Union organized a coalition of union members to fight for the release of Garcia. The Supreme Court ruling is a major victory for the labor movement and could lead to more unions organizing for immigrants’ rights.
On May 1st, unions and community groups plan to mobilize more than 1 million immigrants to strike for immigrants’ rights.
More than a million people are expected to participate in the “Day Without Immigrants” strike on May 1st. Efforts are underway to prepare for these strikes, but they are getting little attention in the mainstream media.
While Payday Report tracked smaller “Day Without Immigrants” strikes in 120 cities and 40 states in early February, neither The Washington Post, The New York Times, CNN, or any of the big three TV networks did.
Donate to help us keep fighting for immigrants’ rights.
ICE Targets UE Members
As many of you know, I come from a multi-generational union family. My great Uncle Herb Nichol was called before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1957 and fired from his job as a teacher. My dad was later elected as UE’s Director of Organization
At Indiana University, ICE is now targeting activists in the UE graduate employees union. The union said it was baffled when several of their members had their visas revoked.
“I think the biggest problem is that no reasons have been given for anything that's going on,” union leader David Garner told WTIU news. “It's hard for me to speculate. I just don't know.”
For more, check out WTIU news.
200 GE Louisville Workers to Be Deported
At Appliance Park in Louisville, Kentucky, over 200 immigrant workers from Cuba, Nicaragua, Haiti, and Venezuela have received notices that their work authorizations are being canceled, and they face deportation ..
Now, their union, IUE-CWA. and the Kentucky labor movement are rallying for their release.
“What is happening to our members at Appliance Park is unfolding at workplaces and in communities all across the country,” IUE-CWA President Carl Kennebrew told Labor Notes. “We cannot allow those who are sowing division to win. Blaming immigrants is an age-old trick to create fear and distract us from the takeover of our economy by billionaires.”
For more, check out Labor Notes.
$1,140 Raised in Bluesky Blitz
Good news folks, $1,140 has been raised in a 24-hour fundraising blitz on Bluesky. This shows that Payday can survive on another social media site.
Donate to help us keep the momentum going. Please, sign up as one of our recurring donors today.
UAW Prez Calls for More Tariff Action by Trump
In a Facebook Live broadcast to UAW members today UAW President Shawn Fain called for the Trump Administration to take more tariff action against the heavy truck industry.
In his remarks, Fain also defended himself against charges from critics within the labor movement of his support for tariffs. Both the Steelworkers and Machinists have opposed Trump’s tariffs and Canadian union leaders have criticized Fain at length
“We’re not aligning everything we do with the Trump Administration,” Fain told union members. “We’re negotiating with the Trump Administration.”
However, a new survey shows that 73% of Americans are financially stressed, and two-thirds of them say that tariffs are the cause of the stress.
For more on working class resentment against the tariffs, check out CNBC.
Argentina to Have its 3rd General Strike Against Millei
Trump allies have said that they have taken much inspiration from Argentina's fascist president Javier Millei. Perhaps American unions should look at how Argentianian unions are responding to Millei.
This week, unions announced that they would engage in their third General Strike since Millei took power.
“In the face of an intolerable social inequality and a government that does not attend to the demands for better income and a decent quality of life for all, the workers are going on strike,” Argentina’s General Labor Federation said in a statement.
For more, check out Merco Press.
Why Palestinians in Israel Didn’t Join General Strike?
Finally, earlier this week, many Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza joined in a general strike. However, Palestinians working in Israel did not participate in the strike. Haaretz has a look at why:
N., a 24-year-old nurse originally from Taibeh and now working at a hospital in Jerusalem, spoke to Haaretz during her shift to explain why she wasn't among those taking part in the strike. (Like everyone interviewed here, N. spoke on condition of anonymity.)
"I couldn't strike today simply because I'm on duty," she said. "But being here while so many others are out striking leaves me feeling helpless. The strike is the bare minimum we can do – and seeing so many commit to it just intensifies that feeling."
N. described the quiet but heavy burden of working in a predominantly Jewish-Israeli environment, where voicing even the most personal opinion about Gaza or the war can prove dangerous.
"Most of the management and staff around me are Jewish Israelis. Saying anything, even something small, can have serious consequences," she said, referring to the legal scrutiny and backlash Palestinians in Israel often face for expressing solidarity with Gaza.
"Even if I had joined the strike, I wouldn't have dared explain why," she added. "Even lying about it would make me anxious. We've all seen what can happen."
News & Headlines Elsewhere
- Strike risk grows as Trump cuts labor mediators From 143 to four
- U.S. bishops back bipartisan effort to keep foreign religious workers in United States
- Colorado teachers battle ICE raids and school cuts, look ahead to May Day 2028
- Inter-union battle to represent Fairfax County government workers heads to court
- New book spotlights San Antonio pecan shellers strike
- Côte d’Ivoire: A unionist sentenced to two years imprisonment must be released and the right to strike guaranteed for everyone in the country
- Wolfsburg on edge: Volkswagen’s hometown workers fear ‘idiocy’ of America’s trade war
- Finally, Microsoft terminates jobs of engineers who protested use of AI products by Israel’s military
Alright yinz, that’s all for today. Keep sending tips to melk@paydayreport.com
Donate to help us cover immigrants rights and the fight back. Please, if you can, sign up as a recurring donor.Thanks again for all the support.
Love & Solidarity,
Melk
