Trump and the Republicans are getting ready to carry out unprecedented cuts to social services, in addition to nearly $900 billion cuts to Medicaid. Trump has fired or threatened to fire over 120,000 federal public-sector workers. The Democratic Party has refused to fight Trump's attacks on public-sector unions and social services, On top of that, they have themselves instigated vicious budget cuts, alongside Republicans, in cities and states across the nation.
Workers Strike Back has been organizing a fightback in Washington, Minnesota, and Illinois against an onslaught of budget cuts, mandatory furloughs, and anti-union attacks by Democrats and Republicans in City Councils and State Legislatures. Workers Strike Back members who are in labor unions have successfully passed resolutions against cuts to services and public-sector layoffs and furloughs, and calling for mass rallies and strike action.
Our members have helped lead a mass rally at the Washington State Capitol, strenuously demanded that the State Legislature tax the rich and eliminate the budget cuts and furloughs, and chanted —“No Cuts, No Furloughs, Strike, Strike, Strike” with one voice. We have spoken up in City Council public comment, calling out both budget cuts and layoffs on the one hand and regressive taxes on the other. We have made it clear that this is a false choice, and demanded that the Democrats and Republicans fully fund our needs by taxing the rich!
NO BUDGET CUTS!
NO LAYOFFS OR FURLOUGHS!
TAX THE RICH TO FUND OUR NEEDS!
TAKE ACTION
Tell Democrats & Republicans: No Budget Cuts! No Layoffs! No Regressive Taxes!
Tax the Rich to Fund Our Needs!
We need a mass fightback including mass rallies, civil disobedience, and strike action to stop these anti-worker, anti-union attacks. Workers are the ones that run this country, not the billionaires or the Democratic and Republican Parties that represent them. We need to begin building a new, working-class party to win what we need.
Sign the petition now!
Workers Strike Back Members in Action!
Workers Strike Back mobilized more than 150 emails to Peoria City Council to oppose this shameful vote by both Republicans and Democrats to impose a tax on working and poor people, instead of taxing the 20 billionaires in Illinois including Governor JB Pritzker.
WATCH:
Workers Strike Back member and UAW Local 974 Electrician Justin Smeltzer demands Peoria City Council members vote NO on the anti-worker grocery tax
AFSCME Local 319 and Workers Strike Back member David Montequin demands the Rochester City Council fund working people’s needs instead of passing austerity budgets along with other anti-worker attacks!
Democrats & Republicans are carrying out dramatic, anti-worker budget cuts across the country. The Minnesota state legislature & Governor Tim Walz are proposing $300 million in cuts to social services, including critical support for libraries, people with disabilities & more. AFSCME Local 319 in Rochester MN, passed a resolution from Workers Strike Back members calling on AFSCME statewide to organize a mass rally and fight back!
Send an email to the Rochester, MN Mayor & City Council!
Watch our episode of On Strike:
Call for a One-Day, Public-Sector GENERAL STRIKE!
Are you in a union? Pass a union resolution!
Click here for a model resolution calling on the labor movement to organize strikes, protests, and a statewide ballot initiative in Washington to stop the cuts, tax the rich, and fund our needs!
Need help getting started? Here are some first steps!
Read the model union resolution. Adjust it to fit the details of your city or state.
Talk to your co-workers about the Democrats’ & Republicans’ budget cuts, and why the labor movement should organize mass protests and strike action to stop the cuts and tax the rich and fund our needs. Make a plan with your co-workers to attend your next union meeting & support the resolution!
Call or email your union president or union rep asking how you can introduce the resolution at your next union meeting. Ask them if they will support it.
Attend your next union meeting and introduce the resolution for discussion and a vote! Explain why you think your union siblings should vote to pass the resolution.
Contact solidarity@workersstrikeback.org for questions or support!
Read the recent op-ed in The Stranger from rank-and-file WFSE and Workers Strike Back members calling on workers and the labor movement to organize mass protests and strike action to stop the Democrats’ attacks!
And watch the recent episode of On Strike with an interview with WFSE member Jozi Uebelhoer, about how workers can fight back, including how she and members of her union, WFSE Local 889, voted unanimously to call for a statewide Day of Action on Wednesday, April 9 in Olympia to fight these cuts and fight to tax the rich!
Read the resolution passed unanimoulsy by WFSE Local 889.
State Democrats’ Lies — and How to Fight Back
Washington state Democrats were determined to spread all sorts of lies to justify their draconian, anti-worker budget cuts. That they were “caught unawares” and “had no choice” but to cut budgets. They said that furlough days were a “small sacrifice” that state workers must accept. They said that the alternative to these anti-worker attacks is dramatic cuts to public programs. That state workers “can’t strike” because it’s not protected legal activity.
Read the “Lies vs. Reality” document to see what Washington Democrats said to justify their anti-worker attacks, and arm yourself to fight back against these same lies from Democratic and Republican politicians cutting budgets around the country.
Petition your community
It’s going to take a movement of tens of thousands of working people to beat back the Democrats’ attacks on state workers. We need to build solidarity among union and non-union workers, with support from workers around the country.
Click here to download a copy of the petition against these budget cuts. Print it out, get a clipboard and a couple pens, and go out into your community to sign up neighbors, co-workers, and other working people. Talk to them about why we need to get organized to shut down business as usual, to demand an end to the budget cuts and furloughs, and to tax the rich to fund our needs. Be sure to enter any petition signatures you get in the petition at the top of this page!
