Recently we have heard so much about the “economic blackout,” which was organized by a coalition of liberal politicians, activist groups, and business union leadership in response to the occupation of Minneapolis by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the murder of Renee Good. Business owners were asked to close for the day. Shoppers were asked to delay their purchases until the next day.
And the workers? While several unions signed on to the action in order to give it the appearance of a general strike, the message given to the rank and file was that they were not going on strike, since doing so would break their collective bargaining agreements and violate the law. Instead, individual workers were told they could call in sick or take a “mental health day” to attend the protest.
Therefore, despite appearances and the use of the term “general strike,” workers were asked to participate as individuals rather than taking collective action by uniting industries and unions across Minneapolis in a strike.
The coalition also provided workers with advice on how to talk to “friendly” employers about closing for the day. Those who advocated for the effectiveness of the so-called strike claimed that the city was completely shut down. However, this was likely due more to employers choosing to close, possibly to protest revenue losses caused by Operation Metro Surge, than to workers refusing to supply their labor. If businesses closing for a day is what counts as a general strike, then the next action should be planned for Christmas. That way we could call it a national general strike.
With remarks made by Trump and others pointing toward a decrease in the number of agents deployed to the city, it would be easy to say, “Look, we did it. We marched around Jericho and now the walls are crumbling.” But anyone with even a slight tendency toward cynicism, as many workers have these days, probably finds it easier to believe that Trump and his associates are more terrified of the polls than of protests. The writing is on the wall for the Trump administration, with historically low approval ratings pointing toward the likelihood that Democrats will return to power. In this context, flooding cities with armed agents has not been a good look for the administration.
So where does this leave us, workers, toiling away day after day for paychecks that buy less each year? We find ourselves in exactly the same position as before the supposed Minneapolis general strike. There was no generalized strike action, no uniting of the working class across sectors and unions, and no class-based demands for higher wages or better working conditions at the forefront of the “economic blackout.”
How could there be, when workers were marching alongside their “friendly” employers? The only demand was for ICE to leave Minneapolis, which it may do partially, but only to continue its work elsewhere. Despite the struggle and the blood that was shed, the lives of immigrants and other workers are no less precarious than they were before.
It would be wrong to say that the action in Minnesota achieved nothing. However, the real objective was to channel genuine frustration into the false solution of electoral participation. Workers cannot consider this a victory.
History offers many examples of what can happen when workers stand together to fight back against the bosses and the bosses’ state through a combative, class-based general strike. One such example occurred in Minneapolis. On May 16, 1934, Teamsters Local 574 went on strike after the trucking firms employing their members refused to recognize the union. The strike quickly shut down most commercial transportation in the city. On May 19, police were called to disperse striking workers who were attempting to block scab drivers from making deliveries. A fight ensued, and many workers were beaten. Soon after, workers from other unions, particularly in the building trades, joined the strike in solidarity. After months of persistent and often violent struggle, employers were forced to concede through generalized strike action across the city. The union was recognized, and many of the workers’ major demands were accepted.
Now you might ask, “Union recognition is great, but we want to stop ICE from terrorizing our coworkers and families. How can workers’ economic struggles end decades of fear and displacement?”
The struggle of undocumented and other immigrant workers is primarily an economic struggle. The fear of the state and deportation hanging over immigrant workers’ heads, creates a section of the working class that is kept in a more vulnerable position in order to enforce their higher exploitation and to put downward pressure on wages for all workers.
Historically, the capitalist class has used immigration to expand the labor supply during economic booms. When economic crises hit, immigrants are scapegoated to redirect working-class anger and justify repression, which helps bosses tighten control, contract the labor supply, and further discipline the working class. For example, in the years following the 2008 economic crisis, the Obama administration deported more than 2 million people.
And politicians claim immigration enforcement protects jobs and wages, trying to pit native-born and immigrant workers against each other.
From this, we can see that attacks on immigrant workers are attacks on the entire working class. Unfortunately, many workers do not recognize this. Many do not even see their own interests as aligned with those of their coworkers. This is not a lesson that can be taught through pamphlets alone. It must be learned through struggle.
Our labor is what keeps the wheels of this system turning and allows the ruling class to accumulate profit. When that labor is withdrawn on a mass, generalized basis and the wheels stop turning, the ruling class is hit where it hurts most and can be forced to concede to working-class demands on a class-wide basis, such as halting attacks on immigrants, raising the average wage, and shortening the average working day, not just workplace- or industry-specific demands. That is what makes general strike action so powerful.
Maybe you are a worker who cares deeply about what is happening and wants to act, but every pathway offered has led to a dead end. Or maybe you are a worker who feels distant from these events, focused only on paying rent and surviving. In either case, the answer is the same. Our power as workers comes from our ability to collectively withhold our labor, the lifeblood of the bosses, and bring production to a halt. If we want a better life and to defend ourselves from the ruling class, we must learn to use that power.
Workers Need Real Generalized Strike Action!
