First mega-thread I’m submitting so go easy on me.
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters will officially be on strike on August 1st of this year. It’s all hands on deck as people prepare in places like Iowa with their own “practice picket” sessions and people in Rhode Island confirm that they’ll be joining in. The UPS hub in Atlanta was picketed by Teamsters recently and I myself am planning to prepare for the strike with my org.
This is the latest of strikes or soon-to-be strikes in what is now a 3-year strike wave, kicked off by the 2020 protest movement (as well as riots) that shook the whole country during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. The 2020 uprising brought down several post-Civil War Confederate statues as well as other memorabilia. Many choose to forget that the biggest uprising since 1968 had actually happened. It is an enforced amnesia on a proletariat, in a land where historical amnesia runs rampant, when even the anti-war movement during the Iraq and Afghan wars are barely a memory.
But anyway, ask the org you’re apart of if they plan to get involved or maybe suggest it to them, in order to augment the numbers of the strikers across the country. Make sure to also scout for your local Teamsters local in your area or around whichever region, municipality, local county, etc. you live in.
I would suggest bringing either a flag or your own picket. Flag poles are easy to get off of eBay. Maybe a Teamster logo or whatever logo your organization has.
Frankly, if you have no strike or protest experience, this is as good a time as any to get involved.
Anyway, for now, I’ll leave you with what the Teamsters on their official website say:
“(WASHINGTON) — Around 4 a.m., UPS walked away from the bargaining table after presenting an unacceptable offer to the Teamsters that did not address members’ needs. The UPS Teamsters National Negotiating Committee unanimously rejected the package.
Following marathon negotiations, UPS refused to give the Teamsters a last, best, and final offer, telling the union the company had nothing more to give.
“This multibillion-dollar corporation has plenty to give American workers — they just don’t want to,” said Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien. “UPS had a choice to make, and they have clearly chosen to go down the wrong road.”
The UPS Teamsters contract covering more than 340,000 full- and part-time workers expires July 31. No additional negotiations are scheduled.
The Teamsters have repeatedly made clear that UPS members will not work beyond the expiration of the current contract. In June, rank-and-file UPS Teamsters authorized a strike by an overwhelming 97 percent.
Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.2 million hardworking people in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. Visit Teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and “like” us on Facebook at Facebook.com/teamsters.”
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Links To Resources (Aid and Theory):
Aid:
💙Comprehensive list of resources for those in need of an abortion -- reddit link
Theory:
I remember telling someone that "People are dying" and they responded, "People die all the time anyway."
Yeah needless to say my trust in people took a nosedive because of COVID. The amount of just straight-up eugenics shit I saw and heard. Pretty sure I'm scarred for life. But yeah no one talks about that side of COVID trauma, just the "it was bad for mental health to stay at home" side. Hmm I wonder why
Yeah I pretty much checked out and played a bunch of Crusader Kings II which may not have been healthy but it wasn't exactly traumatic. Realizing just how disposable I was was the bad part.
Seriously, I have no idea how to build solidarity with these husks who will mulch me the moment it's more convenient for me to die than for them to face the truth and/or struggle against authority.
For me it was the masks. I've worn masks sanding, cleaning, spraying, painting, grinding, digging. I've worn them as parts of costumes, for paintball, for all kinds of other sports bullshit. I've worn them living in intensely cold climates and for protection from the sun. To me it's the same as putting on underwear or socks or safety glasses or a life vest (which I acknowledge that many people won't do).
But people treated it like this horrible, horrible thing they were being forced to endure and I still cannot grok that. It's such a small thing to ask of people, and the payoff is infinite, and they wouldn't do it.
On top of that - I have bipolar disorder, it's a horrible disease, depression and the resulting misery and isolation have been my curse my whole life. I'm used to being isolated and trapped inside for months at a time so quarantine was at least familiar. Seeing all these people who perpetuate so much violence against disabled people in the course of their normal lives, just by unconsciously participating in this violent system, absolutely lose their shit almost immediately was... very something. Very "If you had what I have you would have died a long time ago". Neurotypical people with vast advantages over me in terms of mental health and stability breaking down and completely losing their shit almost immediately. Don't get me wrong, I didn't do well, but I also threw myself in to 2020 until I broke, so the folks who just sat at home baking bread or whatever and still lost it are unfathomable to me.
Same. I've nearly broken down about this with my therapist a bunch of times, about how can you ever recover from really, really really seeing who the people around you are when the chips are down?