April 30, 2007

A May Day Surprise?

Tomorrow is May Day, the international working class holiday. Last year this global celebration saw its most important observation in the United States since the 19th century. Millions of immigrant workers left their jobs, closing down tens of thousands of workplaces, joined by students who left empty schools across the country. May Day, 2006 was part of the great levantimiento of last spring. The outpouring of immigrant workers demanding justice and recognition totally blindsided the US ruling class and the mainstream media.

I rather expect that's going to happen all over again tomorrow. My friend John, who works as a building contractor in Wisconsin, wrote me last week:

I just had a contractor call me and tell me he would not be working May 1 on one of my jobs-- because he was joining the walkout that day. (It was a hesitant..."I don't know if you're aware of the walkout that day...")

I told him I was, and was planning to be there, too.

What are you hearing?


[crossposted at DailyKos, where there are a couple interesting comments about Arizona]

No comments: