Oakland: May Day in the Bay: Worker & Community Caravan

Life Over Profits

This May Day Workers and Our Communities are facing an unprecedented crisis. The conditions in which we find ourselves are a normal that was never okay, and one that we certainly refuse in the face of a pandemic threatening our very existence--and especially for poor, black and brown working people. Meanwhile officials have made it abundantly clear that they are more than willing to get back to 'business as usual' even if it means sacrificing our lives to save the economy.

On May 1st, we are gathering for a safe and socially distant caravan protest*. We will begin at the SSA Port at 10 am in solidarity with ILWU workers who are protesting unsafe working conditions. At 11 am, we will leave in cars and on bikes in a demonstration of the power of our collective action.

We ask those who are able, not go to work, not go to school, and not buy any products. This system relies on us, and we must show our power. We demand the following for the duration of the COVID-19 crisis and into perpetuity, so that we do not ever have to face a situation of such catastrophic proportions again.

This action is the first of a series of events that will take place the first of each month, building toward a national General Strike. For groups who are willing to Endorse, Support and or Adopt this general call to action for the long term campaign, please fill out this General Strike Form. We’d also like to spread the word about other strike/actions, please email us at: genstrike2020(at)gmail.com with events or questions.

We act in conjunction with a national and international call for a General Strike on May 1st, a day that celebrates our collective power as workers of all stripes. Most importantly, this May Day we will demand that it is WE the people who will decide when the lockdown is over. We will base our decisions off of the public health and medical workers who have been telling us that the worst is nowhere near over, and that many more spikes in deaths are on the horizon if we uplift the lockdown too soon. We refuse the calls by federal and local governments to send us back to work so that they can profit while we die.

Below is a beginning list of demands. We understand that there are additional demands, and we are in support of demands that shift power to the people. We are also in support of the many virtual actions and activities on May Day and for Earth Week. We plan to list these on our social media event, so that we can amplify all voices and act in unison. Please join us. This action and call are the beginning of a much needed request to act together in our common interest. We extend our hand.

Please reach out with any questions or concerns. We will do our best to address them. Love, health, and safe journeys to you all at this time.

In solidarity and struggle,
The Oakland May Day Coalition

#PEOPLESSTRIKE #MayDay2020 #GeneralStrike2020 #CoronaStrike #StrikeForOurLives #PeopleOverProfit #NoWork #NoShopping #NoRent #NoMortgage #WeWontDieForWallSt

Please see and share:
MayDay in the Bay: Worker & Community Caravan Facebook event page and our soon to be People's Strike page, where we will share info, statements and resources about May Day, and People's Strike actions state wide, nationally and internationally!

ILWU May Day Statement with links and resources

Caravan Route/times:

Join us from 10-11 AM for a SAFE & SOCIALLY DISTANT rally with the ILWU at the Oakland Port.

At 11 AM we leave for a car & bike caravan up Broadway to demand:

1. RELEASE ALL PRISONERS (Oakland Jail @ 11:15)
2. EQUITABLE EDUCATION FOR ALL (OUSD HQ @ 11:40)
3. POWER & RESOURCES TO THE PEOPLE (City Hall @ 12)
4. FREE HEALTHCARE FOR ALL (Kaiser @ 1)
5. WORKER PROTECTION @WHOLE FOODS - 230 Bay Place (1:30)

DEMANDS

WE stand with the grocery workers, health care workers, delivery drivers and warehouse operators who risk their lives every day to meet our basic needs. We stand alongside those who have been unsheltered and those who are becoming unsheltered due to the loss of income and employment that millions in this country are experiencing. We stand with the undocumented who have to not only ask if they will be at risk for a deadly disease but if they will have to worry about being stolen from their families. We stand alongside the incarcerated who are facing the brunt of this crisis in squalor conditions befitting of no person. We stand alongside those who are helping each other, resisting eviction, taking care of their neighbors and friends, feeding others, sowing masks, because we understand a simple fact that has always been true: we are only as well as our communities are.

*These are our demands:

Free Healthcare
Free testing, treatment, and healthcare for all. Medication and food deliveries to the elderly, immunocompromised, and homebound.

No work, No repercussions--Help Each Other
Suspend all non-essential work: no firings, penalties, or lost wages for staying at home. Adequate protections and living wages for essential workers, such as those in healthcare, food production, and child/elderly care. Guaranteed food stamps & sick leave for all.

No Rent, No Debt
Suspend all rent, mortgage, utilities, loans, foreclosures, and evictions. Forgiveness for payments during the pandemic.

Free the Prisoners
Release all at-risk prisoners, beginning with the elderly. End ICE sweeps and release all ICE detainees. End bail, pre-trial detention, and prison slave labor. Provide humane and sanitary conditions, as well as free phone calls and emails for all those who remain incarcerated.

Homes for All
A complete moratorium on evictions and foreclosures, and an end to the sweeps of homeless encampments. Close the housing courts. Open any unoccupied homes or hotels to those who need them, such as unsheltered people and students facing campus closures.

Technology for All
Free internet for all during this period, particularly students who need it for their education. Give students the proper technology, such as laptops, to engage with schooling, as well as workers who must now work from home but do not have the means to do so.

*This list of Demands is for the May Day action, and is an ongoing work in progress. Please check back or feel free to suggest local, national and international demands moving forward to: GenStrike2020(at)gmail.com

*Community safety is the number one priority, and we ask everyone in attendance to adhere to the common sense public health guidelines that have been circulated:

1. Wear a face covering
2. Stand 6 feet apart from others
3. Use gloves, if possible
4. Bring hand sanitizer and/or wipes, if possible

*Additionally, this is a caravan so that we can practice responsible social distancing. We encourage people in cars to stay inside of them, and those on bikes to remain 6 feet apart from others and use a face covering.

The Fight For PPE On The Docks, The War On Workers & May Day 2020 With ILWU 10 Pres Trent Willis & ILWU 34 Pres Keith Shanklin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4UKmLo_yuQ

Trent Willis president of ILWU Local 10 and Keith Shanklin president of ILWU Local 34 talk about the fight to protect Bay Area longshore workers from Covid-19 and how this is connected to the war on working people. They also discuss the need for working people to unite nationally and internationally to fight global capital and the effort to destroy unions and working people.

They talk about history of May Day and the plans of the ILWU to have an action at SSA at the Port of Oakland on May 1.

Lastly they discuss the conditions of the over 500 crew members of the Grand Princess who have been imprisoned on the Petri dish ship. The company and government officials refuse them to leave and get treatment. Most are Filipino seafarers and have lost their labor and human rights. This interview was done by WorkWeek host Steve Zeltzer