May 1 is an international day of strikes and actions for immigrant and workers’ rights. If you’re planning on going on strike, make sure you’re protected. You have rights under the National Labor Relations Act and you can’t be fired for taking part in protected strike actions — but you have to take certain steps to make sure you’re safe.
How to STRIKE May 1:
- Read the Do’s and Don’ts
- Select a reason for going on strike from the list
- Print out the strike letter, write your work address, your reason for striking, and the names your and your striking coworkers on the letter
- Deliver the letter to your boss
- Get family, friends, and coworkers together to walk you back to work for your next shift
Strike Legal Do’s and Don’ts
Do:
- Notify your boss that you are striking
- Tell your boss the reasons you are going on strike
- Print and deliver a strike notice to your manager
- Strike over conditions in your workplace
- Recruit your co-workers to go on strike with you
- Ask friends, family, and supporters to walk you back to work on May 2nd
Don’t:
- Say you are striking to protest Donald Trump, ICE, or other political issues
- Criticize your employer’s products or services
- “Sit-in” or hold an action inside of your workplace
- Block the entrance or exit of your workplace
- Go back to work without a supporter, ally, or co-worker
Reasons to Strike on May 1st
- To protest for higher pay at work
- To protest against workplace favoritism
- To protest unsafe working conditions
- To protest sexual harassment on the job
- To protest wage theft
- To protest unfair work scheduling
- To protest racism on the job
- To protest lack of training opportunities
- To protest the lack of opportunities for promotion and advancement
- To protest mistreatment and disrespect from management
- To protest threats to call ICE on you or your coworkers
- ANY OTHER PROBLEM YOU ARE HAVING AT YOUR STORE
Remember: It is illegal for your boss to fire you for going on strike. But strikes can lose protection if you miss work to protest non-work issues. Be sure to make it clear to your boss that you are on strike to protest a problem at your job.
Strike Letter
Fill out, print, and deliver this letter to your boss before or while going on strike.
Walkbacks
When workers in the Fight for $15 strike, we always make sure we don’t return to work alone. There is power in numbers, and you can show your employer that you won’t be intimidated by showing up with friends, family, coworkers or a clergy person to be a witness. Knowing that other people have your back, will discourage any attempts at retaliation and is a reminder to the boss that your strike was legally protected activity.
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