In Event of Coup, General Strike on January 20
Industrial Workers of the World Freelance Journalists Union members in the United States have collectively agreed to strike on Inauguration Day, January 20, should Donald Trump and his supporters attempt to overturn his electoral defeat in the race for US President. Our hope is that by anticipating the worst, we are better prepared to get directly involved in and/or provide support to anti-coup efforts in Washington DC and our own local areas.
In the event of a coup, we will refrain from engaging in any sort of commissioned labor that is unrelated to the event and, instead, participate in local anti-coup actions or provide support remotely. We will also be continuing other unpaid journalistic work amplifying actions, such as social media coverage. We recognize and want to amplify the symbolism of journalists, who have been targeted by Trump and his supporters. We are striking to bring greater attention to any attempted overturn of the election by focusing our energies on it. We are not encouraging journalists to refrain from publishing altogether, but to focus their coverage, paid or unpaid, on the potential coup.
Should there be an attempt to overturn the election, we ask Fellow Workers in other sections of the IWW, and workers more generally, to consider advocating for strikes, sick-outs, or similar labor-withholding actions on Inauguration Day. We also ask other, non-labor-related organizations to consider calling for a “Day of Action” or similar event on January 20 to encourage their members to get involved, however possible, in local anti-coup actions.
An Injury to One is an Injury to All!