Bessemer, AL – It has been less than one year since Amazon opened its new warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama and already the workers there have been fighting to join the Retail Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU). More than 2000 workers at the Bessemer warehouse have already signed union cards and submitted them to the National Labor Relations Board, which in turn has authorized a union election to take place beginning on February 8.
Tampa, FL – On January 30, the Tampa Bay Community Action Committee (TBCAC), alongside other local organizations and around two dozen people gathered near city hall to demand that state legislators reject HB1, the repressive bill being proposed by Governor Ron DeSantis.
Teachers demand safety before returning to classrooms
Chicago, IL – Students in Chicago Public Schools (CPS) stayed home and learned remotely again on Thursday, January 28. The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) continued to demand that any return to in-person learning be done in a safe way. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot had ordered all teachers back to the classroom on Wednesday the 27th but was forced to backtrack and tell parents to keep their kids home again Thursday.
Milwaukee, WI – Marquette University staff members and their supporters picketed outside the administration building on January 27 in the biting cold. Marquette University recently announced the firing of nearly 40 longtime staff members, while the university is set to bring in nearly $10 million in federal COVID stimulus money, which was ostensibly passed to help prevent layoffs like this one.
Groups announce campaign to restore pages and to fight censorship
Minneapolis, MN – On January 22, Facebook disabled the main pages of two major community organizations, Peoples Power Assembly and Women In Struggle/Mujeres En Lucha, as well as activists around the country who have played roles in either group, including Puerto Rican activist Berta Joubert-Ceci; Greg Butterfield, Struggle La Lucha writer; Cheryl La Bash, co-chair, National Network on Cuba; Maggie Vascassenno, Los Angeles Harriet Tubman Center for Social Justice; and others.
Fight Back! interviews Mark Burton, attorney for Colombian revolutionary Simon Trinidad who is a political prisoner held by the U.S. government. Simon Trinidad, also known as Ricardo Palmera, is a good man who has done nothing wrong. His only crime is to fight for the freedom and independence of his own country, taking the side of Colombian workers and peasants. Due to U.S. government repression, we are unable to interview Simon Trinidad directly. Check out the campaign to Free Simon Trinidad at http://freesimontrinidad.org.
New York City – Today, January 23, over 1400 dock workers and truck drivers at Hunts Point Produce Market ended their strike after six days of militant picketing. The tentative agreement was approved by 97% of the membership, with the largest wage increase in their history.
St. Paul Park, MN – On January 21, nearly 200 members of Teamsters Local 120 who work at Marathon Petroleum Refinery in Saint Paul Park walked off the job, beginning an unfair labor practice strike.
Milwaukee, WI – On January 20, the date of Joe Biden’s inauguration as the 46th president of the United States, the Brown Berets of Milwaukee led a rally and car caravan demanding the incoming administration take action to resolve issues regarding immigrants. The three broad demands were: 1) Put an end to the policy of family separation; 2) Close the concentration camps; and 3) Provide an immediate pathway to citizenship for the undocumented. Other demands were put forward that delved into more particular circumstances, but these three formed the thrust of the action.
Salt Lake City, UT – 100 people protested against the outgoing Trump administration and rallied for a People's Agenda at the Wallace Federal Building in Salt Lake City on January 18. The protest started with chants by emcee and FRSO member Adrian Romero: “Hey hey, ho ho! These killer cops have got to go! Hey hey, ho ho! The whole damn systems got to go!” The event was hosted by the Freedom Road Socialist Organization and Utah Against Police Brutality.
Milwaukee, WI – Late in the morning on January 19, the members of Milwaukee’s Common Council gathered for a second vote on the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Grant. People watched, angered as the council voted 9-6 to accept the grant.
Milwaukee, WI – On the afternoon of January 17, roughly 40 people gathered in a parking lot at Lincoln Park to celebrate what would have been Alvin Cole’s 18th birthday. Cole was murdered by former Wauwatosa police officer Joseph Mensah on February 2, 2020. Mensah remains free after Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm determined he would face no charges in October. The cop was not fired by the Wauwatosa Police Department either, but rather was allowed to resign.
Milwaukee, WI – On the afternoon of January 17, roughly 40 people gathered in a parking lot at Lincoln Park to celebrate what would have been Alvin Cole’s 18th birthday. Cole was murdered by former Wauwatosa police officer Joseph Mensah on February 2, 2020. Mensah remains free after Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm determined he would face no charges in October. The cop was not fired by the Wauwatosa Police Department either, but rather was allowed to resign.
New York, NY – Over 50 people gathered on January 18, in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The crowd rallied at the 125th Street and Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard in Harlem, a neighborhood that has had a long history of Black revolutionary organizing. Along with the rally, others participated in a car caravan that passed by the rally.
The militant labor center Kilusang Mayo Uno (May First Workers Movement) condemned the harassment, threats and intimidation towards known labor leaders in Cebu, January 18.
New Orleans, LA – Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) will host a Martin Luther King Day Virtual Rally this Monday, January 18. In support of a call from the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, New Orleans FRSO demands a mass release from prisons during the deadly COVID-19 pandemic. The rally will also demand justice for Jacob Blake and an end to police crimes everywhere. The gathering will take place over Zoom, as the city recently transitioned to stricter COVID safety measures.
Minneapolis, MN – A broad coalition of progressive organizations will rally and march in Minneapolis on the day of the inauguration of the Biden-Harris presidency, January 20. Demonstrators will call for a People’s Agenda that immediately reverses the policies of outgoing President Trump and meets the demands of working people, immigrants and oppressed nationality communities.
