On the heels of ‘Strike-tober’, more than 100,000 workers in the so called “United States” either participated in or prepared for strikes in one of the largest increases of organized labor in the twenty-first century. Striketober began amidst the Great Resignation, when people started to quit jobs due to low wages and oppressive working conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic, which some economists described as a general strike.
In response, we share one water protector’s reflections from the frontlines of the Stop Line 3 movement, as they discuss how labor organizing is vital to our movements, like LandBack, Climate Justice, and Prison & Police Abolition.
Their story from a direct action is a beautiful allegory for how we can collaborate, strategize & care for each other – on the frontlines and in our daily lives – as we continue to navigate the very real daily, personal challenges amidst the pandemic, economic & climate crises collectively.