Trump, Musk, and right-wing politicians are threatening mass deportations of immigrant workers while they attack public sector unions, slash social services, and attack trans people. Enough is enough! We need to unite all the protests against this billionaire-led all-out assault on working class and oppressed people.
Democratic Party politicians have shown they won’t save us. We need to rely on our own strength: our numbers, our determination to fight, and the potential power of working people to disrupt “business as usual.” Corporations and billionaires control both parties, and their main concern is their profits. They make their money on the backs of our labor, and nothing in this economy can function without working people. We have the ability to beat back the Trump agenda.
With united action on May 1st of all workers and oppressed people facing attacks from the right wing, we can launch a coalition and a movement to change the balance of forces. Trump wants to scapegoat immigrants and trans people for the issues facing working people today that he has no real solutions for, like inflation and flat living standards. But this is really an attack on the entire working class, meant to distract from the real culprits—the same billionaires Trump gave front-row seats at his inauguration. We need to unite our struggles and build a force that can stop Trump from carrying out his anti-worker agenda.
Unions need to fight back against Trump, but unfortunately many union leaders aren’t up to the task, instead sometimes parroting Trump’s anti-immigrant language or even his layoffs of public sector workers. However, if ordinary people in the unions propose determined and united action, we can convince our co-workers to fight back.
As an inspiring example, we should look to the rank-and-file postal workers who are resisting proposed privatization with mass protests and discussion about striking in defiance of anti-union laws. Also, many teachers and nurses union locals are refusing to cooperate with the anti-immigrant and anti-trans attacks coming down. Even those of us without a union can organize in our workplaces to resist the raids on immigrants and build a movement against the billionaire-backed right-wing agenda.
On May 1, 2006, millions of immigrant workers, union and non-union, went on strike to resist anti-immigrant legislation being discussed in Congress. The movement had an impact, and the right-wing proposed law was thrown out. We should build on this tradition with mass action on May 1st this year as a launching point for building a coalition that carries out united protests, direct action and strikes against the billionaires and the right wing.
Build the broadest possible working-class coalition against Trump and Musk’s agenda
Pass resolutions in your union today. Get your immigrant rights organization and trans rights networks to discuss actions on May 1st. Build unity between these groups by pulling together coalitions with democratic decision-making and a focus on mobilizing working people into action.
Demands for May 1st Protests:
- No cuts to the public sector! Tax the rich and defend union rights!
- Stop the deportations! Full legalization and citizenship rights for all immigrants!
- Stop attacks on trans people! For guaranteed gender-affirming care as part of free, universal healthcare!
- Fight the rich, not their wars! Stop all U.S. funding for imperialist wars and cut the military budget to fund free universal healthcare, public education, and high-quality affordable housing for all!