Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement by the Legalization for All Network (L4A)

San José, CA – Earlier in the day, I glanced at oil prices and saw that they were down 40% for the day at about $10 a barrel. Pretty bad, I thought. Then after financial markets closed, I got a call about it. I looked and saw that the closing price was negative $37.63 and let out an f-bomb, the first of about a half a dozen in my three minute conversation.

Tampa, FL – Florida FRSO members are holding a webinar May 1, May Day, to highlight the struggles taking place during the COVID-19 pandemic. Healthcare workers, Teamsters, teachers and students will lead these discussions. Focus will be on the labor movement and the struggles of the working class as we navigate the pandemic. Speakers will highlight the steps they have taken to continue this struggle against the bourgeoisie who neglect the needs of the working class.

Los Angeles, CA – Luis Sifuentes, of the community group Cento CSO states, “Due to the pandemic and Stay At Home order in Los Angeles, Centro CSO is organizing this year's May Day as a car caravan through Boyle Heights with our demands: Jail killer cops, defend public education, and legalization for all – along with demands for hazard pay, better protections for workers in the front lines during this pandemic and expand COVID-19 testing in Black and brown communities.”

Fight Back! is circulating the following statement from the Wisconsin District of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

New York, NY – While many people across the country have received the first wave of federal stimulus checks meant to provide immediate relief related to COVID-19, the undocumented community continues to be left out in the cold. Not only are undocumented families excluded from the stimulus package, but now New York governor Andrew Cuomo is blocking efforts to provide even limited financial aid to the immigrant community.

Unemployment rate heading to 20% in April

San José, CA – On Thursday, April 16, the U.S. Department of Labor released their latest report on new claims for unemployment insurance, or UI, benefits showing 5.2 million more people applied. This means that more than 22 million people have lost their livelihood in the last four weeks. The number of people actually collecting unemployment insurance benefits soared to 12 million, the highest ever.

Minneapolis, MN – AFSCME Local 2822, representing almost 1300 clerical workers working for Hennepin County, is planning an April 17, 12:30 p.m. Car Convergence that will pack the Ridgedale Library parking lot, the site of the Hennepin County Library Administrative Offices, at 12601 Ridgedale Drive in Minnetonka.

New York, NY – As of April 14, the death toll from COVID-19 jumped by 3700, up to 10,000 in New York City. While the Bronx’s confirmed infection rate is in line with the city’s, the borough has the highest per-case fatality rate in NYC. There are various conditions that make the people of the Bronx especially vulnerable to the virus.

Minneapolis, MN – In a press conference held by video on April 14, several immigrant rights organizations announced a week of action happening this week to demand that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and elected officials at the state and county level take action now to free all immigrants held in ICE detention in the state.

Fight Back! interviewed Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) Organizational Secretary Tom Burke, who led the FRSO labor delegation to Venezuela on March 8.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the International League of Peoples’ Struggle – US chapter.

Lansing, MI – UPS Teamsters across the country are speaking out about their experience battling for masks, gloves, cleaning supplies and transparency about potential exposures. Due to either crowding or contact with the public, every job at UPS puts workers at increased risk of exposure. Even if workers had all the supplies they needed, the inherent risk can never be eliminated.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Coalition to March on the Democratic National Convention.

Unemployed line up for miles at food banks and millions skip paying rent

San José, CA – For the second week in a row, the U.S. Department of Labor reported April 9 that more than 6 million people applied for unemployment insurance in the previous week. The Labor Department also revised up last week’s claim numbers to 6.6 million, meaning that a total of 16.8 million people have lost their jobs and applied for UI benefits in just the last three weeks. The actual number could be higher as many states’ websites, phone lines and paper application sites were swamped.

_Unemployment rate jumps in April _

San José, CA – The headline news that the unemployment rate for March jumped by almost a full percentage point, to 4.4%, was bad enough. The actual unemployment rate was much higher by the end of March, given that the more 10 million people who lost their jobs and filed for unemployment insurance benefits in the last two weeks of March were not counted. Adding in these workers would have increased the unemployment rate by more than 6%, raising the total rate at the end of March to about 10.5%.

April 4 was a day of national mourning in the People’s Republic of China as millions paused to mark the lives lost in the pandemic.

Businesses slash 700,000 jobs in the first half of March

San José, CA – On Friday, April 3, the U.S. Department of Labor reported that businesses cut more than 700,000 jobs last month. This report was based on surveys from the first half of March, before the full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic hit. This ended the longest streak of job gains – almost nine and a half years – and almost certainly marked the beginning of a recession.

New York, NY – On, April 2, the New York Times reported that the U.S. Naval Ship Comfort, the 1000-bed navy hospital, had 3 patients. The USNS Mercy – the West Coast counterpart – had 15. Both crews of 1200 each were largely idle and some reported that they were bored. While beds remain empty and crews remain idle, the New York City system is overrun with patients.

Minneapolis, MN – Anti-war leaders are condemning U.S. war moves against Venezuela. The Trump administration has indicted Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro, and a U.S. naval deployment is underway.