Grand Rapids, MI – On Saturday, March 1, 30 workers came to Fountain Street Church to learn about raising class struggle in the workplace and fighting back against Trump’s onslaught against unions. Tom Burke, President of IATSE Local 26, spoke on the necessity of union organization and revolutionary leadership. He also explained the FRSO united front strategy, and the strategic alliance between the multinational working class and the Black liberation and other oppressed nationality movements.

The teach-in was put on by the Freedom Road Socialist Organization. It empowered workers in unions to strive to take on leadership and organize other workers on the job, especially in the face of recent attacks on unions by the current Trump administration.

Burke said, “Those of you looking for jobs can seek out already unionized workplaces and strengthen the union movement from within. The Teamsters and Association of Flight Attendants are good unions in industries that are hiring.”

Burke said, “Younger and newer trade unionists can benefit from studying the mass line at the FRSO.org website. Union organizing boils down to listening to other people, to then formulate demands and slogans that unite them to fight the bosses. Unions can lead the fight against Republican attacks on the entire working class.” Burke emphasized the importance of creating slogans that make sense to people.

Burke pointed out the potential for workers in the room to become the militant minority in their workplaces. That the goal of organizing within the union is to make rapid changes in the workplace and society.

“If you’re going to make a revolution, then you have to be in trade unions or strategically aligned with the workers’ movement,” stated Burke.

Burke continued, “You can see it with the way some unions operate already and have a lot of power at work. Then there are other countries, like Venezuela, where workers self-manage some of the factories themselves.”

The audience showed support for Burke’s messaging, including his stating the necessity for trade unions to stand against chauvinism, to stand for women’s liberation, trans and LGBTQ rights, and the duty for white workers specifically to oppose racism and discrimination in the union. He specified that unions must take on broader issues of the whole working class and unite to create change.

During discussion, many union members stood up and explained how they organize within their union and the struggles they waged and continue to fight for. Carsten Forester with the American Federation of Musicians, or AFM, expressed how important it is to organize as a musician, and how many musicians look towards their industry as an individual business and aren’t necessarily made aware they have an opportunity to be part of the union, which prompted another audience member to express their interest in joining the AFM and who was given the resources to do so.

Local activist Wren Burns brought up the issue of public library workers in Grand Rapids unionizing. A two-thirds majority of library pages, a specific job category, signed a petition to join the already existing union. They are asking the library board to recognize them. Burns said, “All of the library pages are hired as seasonal employees even though some have worked there for over ten years! Pages are only making $12 an hour.”

The discussion turned lively when it turned to Trump and the Republican attacks on unions and workers. The list of attacks includes putting many federal employees out of their jobs, laying off healthcare workers at veterans’ hospitals, shutting down of the U.S. National Labor Relations Board that makes rulings on union disputes with bosses. Republicans are bad mouthing the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and threatening a national “Right to work” law that strips union power.

The American Federation of Government Employees held rallies a week after their members were put out of their jobs by Trump and Elon Musk. In local constituent meetings, union workers showed up at Republicans’ town hall meetings to challenge their U.S. Representatives and denounce the firings and layoffs. There are science rallies being organized across the U.S. on March 7. Motivated by professors, technicians, and other workers at universities and research institutes, one of the main backers is the United Auto Workers union.

The meeting ended with the formation of an International Workers Day committee to host a May Day rally for immigrant and workers’ rights in Grand Rapids. As part of the IWD committee, there is a plan for workers from different unions to organize a fundraiser for the emergency response to ICE raids and defend workers from Trump’s attacks.

#GrandRapidsMI #MI #Labor #IATSE #FRSO

Grand Rapids, MI – On December 7, 30 people gathered at Scorpion Hearts Club, a coffee shop near downtown Grand Rapids, to listen and sing along to folk and bluegrass performed by Carsten Forester and the Grand Industrial String Band.

Hosted by Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) and the Grand Rapids chapter of the Industrial Workers of The World (IWW), the event honored music from the labor movement.

The five-piece band which includes Carsten Forester on mandolin, Ben Kolk on guitar, Keala Venema on fiddle, Kyle Pitcher on upright bass, and Hannah Meixner on banjo played songs such as Dirty Old Town by Ewan MacColl, Union Man by Blue Highway, and the traditional fiddle tune Squirrel Hunters.

“My goal with The Grand Industrial String Band is to bring together various types of working-class music in a way that moves people towards a greater sense of solidarity,” Carsten Forester replied when asked what his goals are for the group moving forward. “I would say my biggest inspiration in that regard is Hazel Dickens, who is well regarded both as a bluegrass trailblazer and a working-class feminist icon.”

Earlier in the day, the anti-war group Palestine Solidarity Grand Rapids protested outside the entrance of General Dynamics Land Systems, a war profiteer directly complicit in the ongoing genocide in Palestine. Afterwards, folks from Palestine Solidary Grand Rapids, FRSO, IWW, the Grand Rapids Tenants Union, and the Grand Rapids Alliance Against Racist Political Repression all converged at the show to unwind. Trade unionists from IATSE Local 26, the Grand Rapids Educators Association, and American Federation of Musicians Local 56 were also in attendance.

Rather than having a standard merch table, FRSO sold copies of the Communist Manifesto, as well J. Sykes’ The Revolutionary Science of Marxism Leninism, alongside the Political Program of FRSO to interested showgoers.

Tom Burke, the president of IATSE 26, sees a lot of shows at his job, and he and ranked the performance among the top three he’d seen that year, listing it alongside Hozier and Billy Strings. “What’s not to like about a room full of movement builders and revolutionaries singing along to an American string band?” adding it was “a real hootenanny!”

The quintet played for just under two hours. Towards the end of the performance, the crowd stood up and sang along to Solidarity Forever, originally written by Ralph Chaplin. Afterwards, the band played They’ll Never Keep Us Down by Hazel Dickens. “We always finish our sets with [that] anthem of working class resistance,” Carsten Forester stated. “I have always found that song to be particularly powerful when you have just been singing about how bad the conditions people have faced and continue to face. We are committed to making music that brings joy, hope and solidarity, while also fearlessly facing the reality that we live in and the history we have inherited.”

In January, Carsten Forester begins his elected term to the executive board of American Federation of Musicians Local 56; a big win for working musicians in West Michigan.

#GrandRapidsMI #MI #Culture #Music #Labor #AFM #IATSE

New Orleans, LA – On May 1, immigrants and workers celebrated International Workers Day with a fiery march on New Orleans City Hall. They were led by the banners of Unión Migrante, an immigrant rights organization that hosts the annual May Day march to uplift the struggle of undocumented workers. They waved signs and beat drums while marching during busy downtown rush-hour traffic, loudly chanting in support of worker power.

Unión Migrante hosted a diverse coalition of unions and community organizations which represented essential industries that the working class upholds. These included United Teachers of New Orleans, IATSE Local 478, UNITE HERE Local 23, Starbucks Workers United and more.

Speakers highlighted that after every natural disaster that harms the people of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, it is immigrant workers who sweat to rebuild while our government neglects the needs of the people.

The march was also attended by members of New Orleans Stop Helping Israel’s Ports (NOSHIP) including Palestinian community members and supporters. Speakers highlighted the hypocrisy of our government, which they say neglects the advancement of workers’ rights while pouring our tax money into the genocide in Gaza.

One speaker from Freedom Road Socialist Organization drew out this connection. “The United States creates a refugee crisis in so many countries by spreading war and exploitation all over the globe. The media ignores the fact that it is imperialism that forces people to leave their home country and work here for low wages,” she said.

The marchers alternated between English and Spanish language chants to emphasize their unity. Immigrant and non-immigrants workers chanted together “No papers, no fear” and “The people united, will never be defeated!”

#NewOrleansLA #LA #Labor #ImmigrantRights #MayDay #FRSO #SBWU #IATSE #UTNO #UNITEHERE

Fort Worth, TX – On March 17, 600 union members from the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, American Postal Workers Union, National Rural Letter Carriers Association and International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, along with others rallied in support of the Molson Coors Teamsters of Local 997, who are fighting for a decent.

General President of the Teamsters Sean O’Brien and General Secretary-Treasurer Fred Zuckerman attended the rally.

O’Brien stated, “Today we have a great opportunity to take on corporate America, and thankfully we have the support of rank-and-file members nationwide to make certain that we hold this white collar crime syndicate – Molson Coors – accountable and make certain that they picked fight with the wrong union”

The Molson Coors Teamsters are demanding better cost of living adjustments to counteract inflation, an end to the two tier system that allows varying wages for workers, and to remove forced 12-hour shifts. The company met with the workers but did not negotiate in good faith and even tried to remove health care benefits. The company has not yet come back to the table to negotiate a new contract, which has forced the union members to go to the picket line.

Local 997 member Jeff Pruitt said, “We are out here for every plant out here, and we're out here for the American worker as everyone is struggling to pay their bills.”

The rally ended with chants such as “What do we want? Contract! If we don't get it? Shut it down!”

#FortWorthTX #TX #Labor #Teamsters #Coors #Contract #Teamsters997 #APWU #NRLCA #IATSE

Grand Rapids, MI – On Thursday, September 28, the IASTE Local 26 West Michigan Stagehands Union hosted a speaking event featuring two Tampa 5 protestors in a show of solidarity. The speakers, Lauren Pineiro and Chrisley Carpio, are in the midst of a countrywide tour, spreading the word about their struggle against political repression by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' administration. IATSE Local 26 hosted the event to help mobilize labor activists to rally support for dropping the charges against the Tampa 5.

The Tampa 5 is a moniker for five protesters who, on March 6, were brutalized by University of South Florida (USF) campus police and then falsely arrested in retaliation of their protest. The students, workers, and community members were dissenting DeSantis' “attack from every front” on higher education, including diversity programs, ethnic studies, and women's and gender studies. Specifically, they were demonstrating against HB 999/SB 266, which would ban funding for these programs and studies at Florida colleges.

Since the March 6 arrests, state authorities and USF President Rhea Law have ramped up the repression against the Tampa 5 in an effort to silence their continued resistance to DeSantis' bigoted attacks. The protesters recognize the administration's attempt to thwart dissent. “We were not a violent threat, but a political one,” said Pineiro, who was not arrested until a month following the incident.

The speaking tour seeks to gain nationwide support for the Tampa 5, but it also aims to bring attention to the concerning trend of state repression of protesters. DeSantis is currently running for the Republican ticket for the U.S. presidency and could likely institute his racist, anti-worker policies nationally. Even if he is unsuccessful, arresting protesters for exercising a first amendment right sets a precedent for other states.

Thursday's event bridged the struggle of workers and students. Members from IATSE Local 26 and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan's UAW spoke at the event to inform attendees of actions on the picket line and beyond. Recently, the IATSE Local 26 executive board signed a resolution in solidarity with the Tampa 5, calling for “the Hillsborough County 13th Judicial District Attorney Susan Lopez and Prosecutor Justin Diaz drop the charges, including multiple felony charges, against the Tampa 5.”

Pineiro and Carprio will continue their speaking tour through October 28. Supporters can take action by donating to The Emergency Committee to Defend the Tampa 5, signing their petition, passing a resolution through their organization, and attending local protests on December 12.

#GrandRapidsMI #Tampa5 #IATSE #IATSELocal26

Grand Rapids, MI – West Michigan labor unions, politicians and socialist groups rallied and marched for International Workers Day on May 1 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. More than 70 union members and Asian-American, Chicano/Mexicano, and Black community activists and politicians gathered. The local unions also expressed solidarity for immigrant rights and justice for Patrick Lyoya, the young African man executed by Grand Rapids police officer Christopher Schurr.

“Solidarity and the need to organize and win power for workers has to be the focus of unions in the aftermath of the COVID pandemic. Work is being redefined now as many workers realize they hold a lot of power if they are organized and act together,” said Tom Burke, recording secretary of IATSE Local 26.

“This year’s May 1 rally uplifts recent strikes. We had victories for Kellogg’s workers in Battle Creek, 10,000 UAW union members at John Deere equipment plants, teachers, nurses and other health care workers across the country. The young workers’ Amazon union victory in New York cries out for the Teamsters and AFL-CIO officials to stand up and call for a national union drive right now!” continued Burke.

International Workers Day included speeches from Ryan Letts, president of the Kent-Ionia Labor Council; Jess Westra, president of the IATSE Local 26 West Michigan Stagehands, and Jesse Perez of Teamsters 406. Lindsey Katerberg, first vice president of IATSE Local 26, announced an upcoming fundraiser so Michigan politicians can pass a film tax credit to bring thousands of Michigan film jobs back.

The Grand Rapids May 1 rally called for union drives at Amazon and Starbucks. In Kalamazoo, a recent strike by workers at the Maru Sushi restaurant won a lot of attention. Local service workers are demanding higher standardized pay, across the board benefits, and respect in restaurant, hotel, bar and entertainment industry jobs. Stagehands are looking for thousands of Michigan film jobs to make a comeback and are asking Michigan politicians to pass a film tax credit.

Dr. Jose Flores, a candidate for the Michigan House spoke about growing up Chicano and the importance of recognizing American Indian peoples in the U.S. He called for expanding immigrant rights to the 11 million undocumented immigrants, many in low-paid jobs.

Lily Cheng-Schulting, another candidate for Michigan House, and an immigrant herself, said, “We need politicians who really represent the people and not just a corporate agenda. This includes equality and representation for the many Asian American, Mexican and Central Americans who live here in West Michigan.”

The May 1 rally expressed solidarity with the family of Patrick Lyoya, an immigrant from the Congo executed by Grand Rapids police officer Christopher Schurr on April 4. County Commissioner Robert S. Womack spoke about how he forced a meeting with the chief of police after being contacted by the family of Patrick Lyoya. They were the first to see the police execution video and demanded its release to the public.

Womack, who is now running for the Michigan House, was followed by popular community activist Danny Santiago. Santiago, who leads protests with the Patrick Lyoya family, spoke about the need to build the movement for Black lives in the streets to win justice. He described how the police and the courts are set up to deny justice. He explained how city officials direct the police to harass and repeatedly arrest Black leaders for using bullhorns and protesting.

Adam Schurman of the Grand Rapids Service Industry Workers Coalition spoke and then led the service workers’ march through downtown to the Rosa Parks statue. The march stopped to rally at a local Starbucks and to hear a fired up and informative speech by former Starbucks worker Kate Masterson.

The local unions are pushing back on the mistreatment of immigrant farm workers, factory and service industry workers. Abuses were exposed in West Michigan apple growing areas this past year, where owners drive down wages through racist intimidation and threats of deportation, worsening conditions for all workers. International Workers Day rally organizers expressed their solidarity with an immigrant rights march led by COSECHA on the same day in Grand Rapids.

Young workers are rejecting the conditions being offered by big corporations and business owners these days. They are joining unions, walking out, fighting back and forming new unions as needed.

#GrandRapidsMI #MayDay #internationalWorkersDay #IATSE