Pickets & Power Bulletin: Chicago Teachers Join Call for May 1 National Shutdown; Sacramento Strike Wave Grows; Amazon Workers Walk Out
Chicago Teachers vote to join May 1 national day of action
Delegates of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) voted this week to join the growing call for May 1 to be a national day of protest under the banner of “no work, no school, no shopping”. In effect, a nationwide shut down. This is on the heels of the historic revival of the general strike movement centered in the fight against ICE terror in Minneapolis. This coming May Day, or International Workers’ Day, is part of a broader movement of labor, immigrant rights, and community organizations mobilizing against Trump and the billionaire agenda.
Reports of other unions and labor federations discussing how they too can join the call could forecast for one of the largest and most dynamic May Day mobilizations in recent history with general strike activity back at the heart of these actions.
Sacramento educator strike wave expands
The educator strike wave in California continued to spread this week as teachers in Natomas Unified School District joined neighboring Twin Rivers educators, who launched their first strike ever earlier this month and entered their second week on strike. More than 600 Natomas educators walked out this week, escalating pressure across the Sacramento region as educators demand greater investment in classrooms serving high-needs students and raises to retain educators in the district.
Meanwhile in the Bay Area, educators in Dublin Unified School District launched a strike beginning March 9, shutting down schools for four days before reaching a tentative agreement on March 12. The walkouts are part of the broader California Teachers Association “We Can’t Wait” campaign, which has aligned contract fights across districts to build statewide pressure for fully funded public schools.
As public education across the country – along with other public services – faces budget cuts and another austerity crisis, these educators are joining with parents and students to demand their districts and the state actually invest more in schools.
UC academic workers win tentative agreement after strike threat
Academic workers with UAW Local 4811 – the largest UAW local in the country – reached a tentative agreement with the University of California on Friday after weeks of escalating pressure, including coordinated “last chance” pickets across campuses statewide this past week with the threat to launch a ULP strike across the UC system. The wins include major raises across job classifications, eliminating pay disparities between campuses, support and protections for immigrant workers, and expanded childcare access.
The union of more than 48,000 academic workers carried out the largest academic strike in U.S. history during their last contract fight in 2022, changing the landscape for academic worker organizing. Union members say the credible threat of a strike across the UC system forced the administration to finally move at the table.
The Trump administration has made universities into a political target, leveraging lawsuits, funding cuts, and endowment taxes to force universities to implement and carry out his dictates. These attacks strip university workers of their civil liberties and academic freedom, putting a target especially on immigrant workers and progressive academics. UC workers have fought for and won protections to stand up against those same attacks.
Amazon workers walk out in Inland Empire
Amazon workers walked off the job on Sunday, March 9, at the DJT6 delivery station in the Inland Empire of Southern California – one of the most critical shipping and logistics hub regions in the country. They organized the walkout to demand the reinstatement of their co-worker, Andy Aguayo, who was targeted as a union leader. Earlier this year, workers at DJT6 walked off the job and demanded union recognition from Amazon in one of the biggest organizing developments for the national campaign in 2025.
Amazon Teamsters at the warehouse wouldn’t stand for this clear act of retaliation. The walkout drew support from labor allies in the region and highlighted the ongoing fight to organize Amazon’s logistics network, one of the most powerful supply chains in the world. Workers say the message to Amazon is simple: firing organizers will only strengthen the push for a union.
BONUS ROUND
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