What is a Strike? Reflections on May Day

What this episode covers

Is the United States in a strike wave? Some sources say that over 150 strikes have occurred since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in March. With once-overlooked workers in grocery stores, restaurants, and warehouses now deemed “essential”, nurses forced to advocate for proper PPE at their worksites, and teachers navigating the new landscape of school closures and online learning, the conditions are ripe for worker organization. What is a strike? How is it organized? And how can the community support worker actions? On today’s episode, we’ll be speaking with our comrade Chris Brooks of Labor Notes and NYC-DSA’s Labor Branch on the context for last Friday’s May Day worker actions and what we might expect to see in the world of labor in the near future. The NYC-DSA Labor Branch has a weekly organizing call during COVID for anyone affected by the crisis (this includes anybody who is unemployed or has been laid off, workers who are experiencing reduced hours, people still working under more strenuous conditions, and in general any workers trying to organize around workplace issues during the pandemic) Wednesdays at 7pm. This is the link to sign-up: https://tinyurl.com/DSALBcalls This public health crisis has changed the power dynamics in our workplaces and the economy as a whole. We've seen a rise in unemployment, and there's a lot of potential power in the hands of the workforce that has been deemed "essential". There has been heightened worker militancy during this crisis and it's more urgent than ever to build a powerful fight back. NYC-DSA Labor Branch is committed to support laid off workers who are interested in getting low barrier to entry jobs at essential workplaces in target industries. People interested in applying to a job at an essential workplace, or getting more information about this organizing project, can fill out this form: https://tinyurl.com/NYCDSAjobs

Distinct summary based on available episode metadata or transcript content.