“The solidarity we are showing out in this world is the only thing between us and fascism and between us and an inequitable distribution of this society’s income. The fight is for an America that sees our humanity . . . ” — Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates
The successful autoworkers’ strike has focused national attention on issues like the cost of housing, gas, and groceries, low wages, the inequality of wealth, unbearable working conditions, and the quality of workers’ lives. It has been a central front in a fight breaking out in many forms all over the country and world. More recently the struggle in Palestine has galvanized people around the world. Below are other examples of rising resistance:
Other labor actions – The UAW strike is among the latest in a series of strikes and organizing efforts in recent years, including by workers at Amazon and Starbucks, students, teachers, health care workers, flight attendants, screenwriters, actors, hotel workers, and others. So far this year, at least 411,000 workers have been involved in actions with more than 1,000 participants each, the highest number since 2019.
The homeless – The U.S. unhoused population is estimated at 8 to 10 million or more and rising, and they are fighting to demand housing as a human right. They are also defending their right to establish self-governing tent encampments and challenging police harassment and laws that criminalize the homeless. Crystal Sanchez, president of the Sacramento Homeless Union, said, “Various factors, including rising rents, stagnant wages, and a lack of available housing, have caused this crisis. The homeless and housing crisis cannot be swept away or ignored. We must fight to end them. We must put our money towards solutions that will bring real, lasting change.”
Migrants and refugees – “The last thing border communities need are more walls that endanger the lives of migrants and destroy pristine habitats. President Biden needs to center the humanitarian needs of asylum seekers, and Congress must create fair and humane processes to welcome people safely in the U.S.,” said Pedro Rios, Director of AFSC’s U.S.-Mexi Border Program. Immigrants and their supporters are struggling to have the human rights of migrants and refugees respected, including the rights to seek asylum, to be treated humanely, not to be detained, not to have to live in the shadows, and to keep their families together. They are also fighting to stop and even reverse the border wall building.
Environmental and climate fights – In September, 75,000 marched to End Fossil Fuels in NYC. “Together, we’re calling on Biden to stop approving fossil projects, phase out drilling, and declare a climate emergency, and we need you with us,” said a young activist. From confronting chemical companies in Louisiana’s Death Alley to fighting pipelines in Appalachia to demanding clean water for all to cutbacks in fossil fuels as in protests at the Cop28 Climate Conference held in Dubai in December 2023, activists are coming together, struggling everywhere to defend life and the planet.
The struggle for democracy – In every state and at the federal level, democracy is under attack, and people are fighting to preserve and expand the right to speak, publish, and vote and to end racist attacks and all forms of discrimination. Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates said at a recent UAW rally in Chicago, “The solidarity we are showing out in this world is the only thing between us and fascism and between us and an inequitable distribution of this society’s income. The fight is for an America that sees our humanity, invests in our people, and makes sure that what they got on top is spread about down here. We ain’t never just fighting for a contract, we are fighting for transformation!”
Editor’s Note: This article appeared in the People’s Tribune Special Edition on the UAW strike. See that edition at https://peoplestribune.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/PT_2023_10_UAW_flyer_forWeb.pdf
