But every time the workers come out in the only way they know to protest against conditions which are unbearable the strong hand of the law is allowed to press down heavily upon us.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
Workers' rights are under attack across the country.
There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.
Workers do not strike every day, they cannot do that the way they function in the capitalist economy. The way they have to live by selling their labor power makes that impossible.
We want to make sure that workers know their rights and that employers know their obligations. That is the best way to protect workers.
The rule is, you can protest all you want. Make all the noise you want. Carry all the signs you want. The minute you throw a rock, you get arrested. The minute you break a window, you get arrested. The minute you break into a store, you get arrested.
The power of protest depends not only on how many turn out, but also on what legislative, judicial, and civil society institutions exist to enact the will of those marching in the streets.
Employers will work you longer for less money and under questionable safety conditions because it is their duty to prioritize the bottom line. As individuals, we cannot complain. That's why we need a union to speak for us, certainly when our safety, our health, and our very lives are at stake!
Citizens who live or work near protest sites or marches have every right to be free of violence from protesters, and they should never be subjected to destruction of property.
Workers insist that they are not disgruntled. They are very gruntled.
If there is no threat to the lives of the citizens, our tactic will be to not intervene or impede members of the protest in expressing their will freely.