Folks,
Greetings from the Burgh, where I just got back from an exciting week covering preparations for May Day in LA.
I just turned in a long story to a major publication looking at how the LA Labor Federation and others are preparing for May Day, which hopefully will be out soon.
65 Cities Hosting May Day Strikes
According to Payday Report’s Strike Tracker, we have now found that unions will be hosting walkouts in at least 65 cities across the United States. Hundreds of unions are involved, and the list is growing as groups like Indivisible lead their support to the movement. (See our most recent story “May Day General Strike Movement Continues to Grow”)
This shows that the movement is growing rapidly, with hundreds of local unions and community groups signing on to support the group.
The list is still growing, and we would appreciate it if you could email melk@paydayreport.com with any tips on the growing movement
See our interactive map tracking the May Day Strike movement, already scanned by over 30,000 viewers.
Help Raise $6,000 to Track May Day Strikes
While the corporate media is ignoring the May Day Strikes, Payday Report is one of the few publications covering preparations for these massive May Day Strikes.
During the pandemic, we got the corporate media to pay attention to the massive strike wave. The Washington Post even gave us credit in a front-page story for our strike tracker.
Now, we need your help to change the media narrative once again, and we only need $6,000 to do it. Donate to help us change the corporate media narrative.
Mike Elk
1,000 New Orleans Nurses to Strike
Nationwide, the National Nurses union is one of the few major unions to support the May Day Strike.
“Nurses never back away from a fight,” National Nurses United President Mary Turner told Payday Report in a story earlier this month. (Read our story from earlier this month “May Day General Strike Movement Continues to Grow”)
Over 1,000 nurses at the University Medical Center New Orleans were inspired to begin a five-day strike on May Day. They say that they are frustrated by the employer’s refusal to agree to a first union contract after nearly two years of bargaining.
“I never would’ve imagined that UMCNO and LCMC management would drag this out for as long as they have,” says nurse Umer Mukhtar, RN. “We want a contract that allows us to provide the best care possible to the people of New Orleans. LCMC apparently doesn’t believe that laws about good-faith bargaining apply to them, so we are striking to hold them accountable to get what our patients deserve.”
For more, check out the National Nurses United website.
Wichita Nurses to Picket on May Day
Nurses at Ascension Via Christi St Francis and St Joseph in Wichita, Kansas also intend to hold a one-day informational picket on May Day. Nurses say that they are protesting unsafe and unnecessary cost-cutting by the hospital system.
“The hospital must do more to protect patients and staff. Dangerous weapons find their way into the hospital all the time,” says Carol Samsel, an RN in the critical care unit at St. Joseph. “This month, a live grenade was found in a patient room. We need a weapons detection system now.”
Many Small Businesses Will Participate in the May Day Strike
Finally, many small businesses are expected to participate in the strike.
During the MInnesota General Strike, 100,000 marched in -30 temperatures as major school districts, and at least 700 businesses closed across Minnesota. More than 300 solidarity actions were held nationwide, according to Payday Report’s strike tracker.
Now, many businesses, particularly businesses in immigrant communities, which have been negatively affected by the decline in customers, plan to close their businesses in solidarity.
“I’m writing today in the hope that it encourages others to join us — because protests require participation to be effective,” wrote bicycle store owner Kelly Mack in a letter to the Evanston Roundtable. “Choosing not to open our doors on a day ‘in season’ is not a decision we take lightly — especially as we emerge from a year in which we’ve faced ongoing challenges, including increased costs due to tariffs, higher operating expenses, and the constant pressure of competing with Amazon, alongside the broader decline of small brick-and-mortar businesses.”
For more, check out the Evanston Roundtable.
Links & News Headline Elsewhere
- 700 defense contractors in upstate New York stripped of their union rights by Trump
- US warns it will run out of money to pay airport security workers in coming weeks
- Virginia governor’s amended collective bargaining bill would leave workers’ rights optional and large public-sector pay gap unaddressed
- Wisconsin judge rejects motion to block union elections at Madison, West Allis clinics
- Argentine airport workers go on a 24-hour strike
- Domestic workers legally recognised in Indonesia after '22-year struggle'
- Finally, a study finds that Minnesota workers lost $240 million during the ICE surge there due to fear of working and shopping
Alright folks, that’s all for today. Keep sending links, comments and complaints to melk@paydayreport.com
Mike Elk
