Join & Support a General Strike
Striking Works
Historically, striking has been one of the most effective methods the working class has used to achieve our goals.
How to Do It
Go to generalstrikeus.com/strikecard and sign your Strike Card, and commit to striking when we reach 3.5% of the population!
Share this idea with friends and get others to sign up too.
If you are unable to strike but you still want to help, donate to a strike fund. We are working now on investigating and arranging the proper strike fund(s) to post here. Check back soon!
Background
From generalstrikeus.com:
“We are living under a corporate oligarchy that has rigged our economy and our democracy to serve the ultra-wealthy, while working people, poor communities, and the planet are pushed toward collapse. From the violent deportations of American immigrants, to the stripping of trans rights, from the climate catastrophe to our constitutional crisis — these are not isolated crises. They are symptoms of a system that puts profit over people, control over freedom, and fascism over democracy.
We believe that the only way to confront this system is together. And the most powerful tool we have is the withdrawal of our labor.
That is why we declare our public support for a General Strike.
We believe it is time for a mass mobilization of working-class people across this country—not only to demand better wages and safer workplaces, but to build a new system rooted in justice, care, and collective power. A general strike is how we say: you cannot run this country without us.”
A general strike can be a powerful tool to resist fascism and executive overreach because it disrupts the normal functioning of a society and asserts popular power outside traditional political channels. Here's how:
Economic disruption = political pressure.
A general strike halts work across multiple sectors: transportation, manufacturing, education, healthcare, etc. This cripples the economy. Governments, especially authoritarian ones, often rely on economic stability to maintain control. Disruption of that stability creates leverage, which the strikers can then use to negotiate.Mass non-cooperation destroys authoritarian sources of power.
Fascism thrives on obedience, fear, and conformity. A general strike is an act of mass non-cooperation—millions refusing to follow orders, produce, or comply. This breaks the illusion of total control and inspires others to resist.It works when our traditional systems fail us.
When executive power overreaches (e.g., bypassing legislatures, silencing courts or media), traditional checks and balances may fail, as they are doing today. A general strike serves as a popular check—a form of direct action to pause the system and demand accountability.
The General Strike’s Demands
According to General Strike US, specific demands will come from leaders and experts of existing fights for racial, economic, gender and environmental justice once we have has reached 6 million Strike Cards. The current working list of demands includes a broad range of left-wing populist measures that directly oppose fascism and authoritarianism, including a new Constitutional convention; enshrining of rights to help equalize treatment of Indigenous people, LGBTQ+ people, people of color, and people with disabilities; improving labor rights; repealing of Citizens United, and protection of voting rights. You can find the full list of preliminary demands here, at generalstrikeus.com/demands.
Do Strikes Work?
Strikes can work remarkably well when there are clear and unified demands, widespread participation, strong leadership. public sympathy, and political or economic vulnerability.
Here are some examples of effective, large-scale strikes:
May 1968: The General Strike that changed France
A student revolt, which led to a general strike that eventually involved 10 million workers, nearly toppled the government of Charles de Gaulle and led to worker wage increases and labor reforms.The Poland Solidarity Movement of 1980-1989
A strike of shipyard workers led to the creation of a strike-based movement that forced the repressive communist government of Poland to negotiate and allow for freer and fairer elections. As a result, the citizens of Poland were able to vote out the communist-party insiders, leading to the fall of the communist regime in Poland and the Eastern Bloc.The South African Anti-Apartheid Strikes of the 1980s
This movement, which gradually escalated through the 1980s, culminated in a wave of protests and strikes of Black labor that shook the foundation of South Africa’s Apartheid-era economy. This movement contributed to the dismantling of South Africa’s apartheid in the early 1990s.
Learn more about this effort at generalstrikeus.com.
support your local unions
Nothing says “Together - Strong,” like a union. Going on strike is a courageous act, but it places an incredible financial burden on union members who must rely on a fraction of their normal salary from a strike fund. Unions will need the help of the entire community to hold the line during a General Strike. We will need to support our community’s laborers as they grind the gears of this fascist machine to a halt. Here are some local unions to learn more about:
Eugene Springfield Solidarity Network (ESSN)
”ESSN Jobs with Justice is a network of diverse organizations committed to building lasting power for working people. Unlike typical coalitions that form temporarily in response to a specific cause, campaign, or crisis, we strive to offer a permanent and inclusive infrastructure for solidarity and strategic collaboration.Our network brings together labor unions, grassroots organizations, student groups, faith communities, and unaffiliated activists around shared values of economic justice, workers’ rights, and mutual aid. ESSN Jobs with Justice is not bound by a single issue. Instead, we work to create a Network designed as a durable vehicle for coordinated action, relationship-building, and long-term strategy.”
SEIU and SEIU Local 503
”We are the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), a union of about 2 million diverse members in healthcare, the public sector and property services who believe in and fight for our Vision for a Just Society: where all workers are valued and all people respected—no matter where we come from or what color we are; where all families and communities can thrive; and where we leave a better and more equitable world for generations to come.”Oregon AFL-CIO
”We are workers from every community in Oregon. We are nurses, firefighters, educators, school employees, grocery workers, construction workers, steelworkers, and many more. We clock in everyday to make Oregon run. We are the Oregon AFL-CIO, and we are Oregon Labor. The Oregon AFL-CIO is the statewide federation of labor unions representing over 300,000 working Oregonians. We build power for workers through political campaigns during elections, legislative advocacy, and beyond.”