Economic Update with Richard D. Wolff

Episode: 2020 May Day Protests and Demands

Guest: Kali Akuno, Co-Founder and Director, Cooperation Jackson
Date: May 14, 2020

Episode Overview

This episode centers on the nationwide May Day (May 1, 2020) protests and actions that emerged in response to the COVID-19 crisis. Richard Wolff interviews Kali Akuno, examining the roots, scope, motivations, organizational dynamics, and future plans of these labor-driven demonstrations. The discussion provides a detailed look at the evolving strategies of working class and oppressed communities as they confront economic and social injustices, with a focus on mutual aid, workplace safety, and building toward a general strike.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

The Scope and Impact of May Day 2020

• Widespread Participation:

  • Actions occurred in 48 of 50 states (02:49).
  • Involved a range of workers: postal, dock, Amazon, Instacart, Whole Foods, Target, Trader Joe's, Safeway, meatpacking, and sanitation.
  • Included large-scale rent and mortgage strikes; one example involved 17 buildings organizing a rent strike in Queens, NY.

• Prison and Detention Center Actions:

  • Prisoners in several states, notably California and Georgia, undertook hunger strikes and other forms of protest.

• Magnitude vs. Media Coverage:

  • Kali Akuno emphasized that the size and energy of these actions "dwarf what we saw of the right wing… open rallies," though it "wouldn't know that if you just followed the mainstream media." (05:57)

Motivations Behind the Actions

• Immediate Catalyst:

  • Early wildcat strikes in March, especially in unsafe workplaces, sparked by lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) and workplace safety. (06:54)
  • The strikes began as acts of self-defense: “People were striking just in basic self defense…” (07:43)

• Broadening Demands:

  • Initial demands included adequate information, PPE, and safe conditions.
  • Actions evolved into political demands—protection for workers, halting policies that removed workplace/environmental protections, and creating a "new vision of society."

• Critique of 'Return to Normal':

  • Akuno rejected the notion of returning to a pre-pandemic status quo:
    • “For me and the community that I represent, there is no interest, no desire to go back to normal... The old normal, in all of its exploitation, all of its racism, patriarchy, is what is leading to the types of calamities that we’re seeing and who’s being impacted and why.” (12:49)

Organizing Structure and Alliances

• Emergence of Coalition-Building:

  • Efforts began regionally but grew into larger coalitions, e.g., “People’s Strike,” which drew from grassroots and environmental alliances.
  • Highlighted mutual aid networks that “exploded in March... demonstrating that, even in this very individualized culture… humans will really respond to each other’s needs in time of crisis.” (10:15)

• Responding in Mississippi:

  • Cooperation Jackson’s efforts rooted in Mississippi’s dire public health situation: informing communities, mitigating risk, and aligning with organizations nationally and internationally (15:15).

Plans Going Forward

• Toward a General Strike:

  • People’s Strike planning “broad mass actions… the first of every month,” encouraging participation at every level of risk and capacity (18:11).
  • Tactics include workplace actions, strikes in place (for those working from home), and not shopping or attending school on action days.

• Building Organizing Capacity:

  • Calls to study history, such as the unemployed councils of the 1930s, and leverage exploding mutual aid networks to create durable organizing structures. (20:10)
  • Emphasized the need for mass, nationwide organization: “The question and the challenge is organizing to scale and connecting politically.” (21:32)

• Long-Term Vision:

  • The actions are seen as laying the groundwork for a broader movement to democratize workplaces and society.

Ways to Get Involved

• Cooperation Jackson:
  • Website: cooperationjackson.org
  • Facebook: Cooperation Jackson
  • Twitter: @CooperationJXN
• People’s Strike:
  • Website: peoplestrike.org
  • Twitter/Facebook: People Strike
  • Email: mayday2020generalstrike@gmail.com (22:30)

Is This a New Left Movement?

• Akuno's stance:
  • “Absolutely, I do believe so… I think we’re planting the seeds…” (23:48)
  • Existing coalitions (e.g., Democratic Socialists of America) are gaining mass character.
  • A tangible “level of maturation... finding ways, despite many… ideological differences, to actually work on developing a concrete program that we can carry forward to transform society.”

International Solidarity

• Ongoing international dialogue with organizers from 15+ countries (South Africa, Indonesia, Italy, Latin America, etc.).
• The pandemic’s global impact facilitates knowledge sharing, especially regarding worker safety and organizing strategies:
  • Italy to Jackson: “Unless you have the personal protective equipment, stop until you can figure this out... they let us know, hey, find some other ways, take this serious.” (25:40)

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On the scope of May Day 2020:

  "There were actions in 48 of the 50 states…by my reckoning…in small towns and midsize towns all throughout the country."
  — Kali Akuno, 02:49

• On media neglect:

  “It was very significant…I would argue dwarf what we saw in terms of actual number of participants…But you wouldn't know that if you just followed the mainstream media.”
  — Kali Akuno, 05:55

• On mutual aid:

  “There was a massive explosion in March of mutual aid efforts…how humans will really respond to each other's needs in time of crisis…”
  — Kali Akuno, 10:15

• On rejecting the ‘old normal’:

  “There is no interest, no desire to go back to normal. We're trying to look ahead to the future and what type of changes should be made to make sure that we live in a healthier, safer, more democratic society than occurred before this all erupted.”
  — Kali Akuno, 12:49

• Practical call for ongoing action:

  “We're asking folks…on the 1st of every month going forward…no rent, no work, no shopping. We're aiming to shut it down and send a clear message, but also to build our own organizing capacity towards creating a new society.”
  — Kali Akuno, 19:15

• On the international context:

  “…the network has been building…today represented 15 different countries…direct experience as Cooperation Jackson was really shaped by the international context and relations that we had.”
  — Kali Akuno, 25:13

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:10: Introduction and Guest Background
• 02:49: Nationwide scope and forms of May Day action
• 06:54: Motivations and evolution from wildcat strikes to political action
• 10:15: Role of mutual aid and grassroots solidarity
• 12:49: Critique of returning to pre-pandemic status quo
• 15:15: Regional and coalition organizing strategies
• 18:11: Plans for regular first-of-the-month actions and general strike organizing
• 22:30: How to get involved and connect with organizations
• 23:48: Is this the foundation of a new left movement?
• 25:13: International solidarity and strategic learning
• 27:07: Closing reflections

Episode Tone

The conversation is urgent, passionate, and strategic—seeking to inform, motivate, and galvanize listeners. Both Wolff and Akuno blend hopeful vision with clear-eyed realism about the scale of the challenges facing workers and organizers.

Summary Takeaway

This episode offers a detailed, on-the-ground account of rising labor and community activism spurred by pandemic-era injustices. The May Day 2020 actions, while nascent, are depicted as historic and foundational for a broader, ongoing push toward worker empowerment, grassroots democracy, and a new left movement—fueled by domestic organizing and international solidarity.