Podcast Summary: The Rich History of General Strikes in America w/ Fred Glass (Green & Red Podcast, Ep. 462)

Release Date: February 7, 2026
Hosts: Scott Parkin
Guest: Fred Glass, labor historian, organizer, and author

Overview

This episode explores the deep and often dramatic history of general strikes in the United States with Fred Glass, a veteran labor educator and organizer. The conversation ranges from the origins and mechanics of general strikes, key historical examples, their contemporary resurgence, and the prospects for mass labor action in today's political climate. Scott and Fred delve into both the practical and theoretical underpinnings of strikes, their interconnection with other progressive movements, and reflect on current events such as the Minneapolis general strike in early 2026.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Defining the General Strike (01:50)

• What is a General Strike?
  • A citywide or region-wide action where large numbers of workers withhold their labor, often across many industries, paralyzing economic activity to press political or social demands.
  • Can also refer to industry-wide (e.g., 1959 steel strike with nearly a million participants).
  • U.S. history has seen about 14-15 true general strikes, with the last traditional one in 1946 (Oakland)—until the Minneapolis action in 2026.

“It's a very powerful tactic by the organized working class... Essentially it means the withdrawal of labor power by large numbers of people for a particular purpose.” — Fred Glass (02:37)

Elements Required for a General Strike (03:56)

• Generalized anger in the working class
• Organizational structure with capacity to coordinate
• Courageous leadership
• A catalyzing 'spark' (often, tragically, violence or killings)

“You need a leadership who's willing to stick their necks out and call such a thing. Because it would be terribly embarrassing to call a general strike and have nobody show up…”
— Fred Glass (03:36)

2. Historical Precedents and the "Spark" (05:47)

• 1934 San Francisco General Strike
  Sparked by the police killings of Howard Sperry and Nick Bordois during a maritime strike.
• 1934—1930s General Strikes
  Multiple strikes (e.g., in Seattle, Los Angeles) followed, but only San Francisco had a true citywide general strike.
• "Eros Effect" and Movement Diffusion:
  Mass protest in one locale can inspire or trigger uprisings elsewhere (07:16).

“What the ICE invasion of Minneapolis has done is it created a hot house granularizing effect where people were forced in neighborhoods and in the community to talk to one another and organize together and create mutual aid setups, relationships.” — Fred Glass (09:43)

3. The Legal and Political Landscape (11:30)

• Repression and Taft-Hartley Act (1947):
  Outlawed solidarity strikes and made it illegal for unions to call general strikes, imposing fines and jail on leaders and unions who break these rules.
  • Modern labor councils, such as Minneapolis’s, avoided direct use of "general strike" and instead called for a "day of no work, no school, no shopping" (12:34).

“It wasn't technically a call for a general strike, but everybody knew what it meant.” — Fred Glass (11:56)

4. Minneapolis General Strike (2026) & Its Significance (13:06)

• Triggered by deaths of Renee Goode and Alex Preddy after federal ICE actions; mass walkouts and shut-downs occurred.
• Attempts to replicate with another strike call on Jan. 30 were less impactful—highlighting that the success of a general strike can’t be simply decreed; groundwork and organization are crucial.

“It’s who that we is that’s doing the calling and how it's being organized that's key here.”
— Fred Glass (13:30)

5. Renewed Strike Activity & 'Strike Wave' (16:53)

• The resurgence of strikes in the last 7-8 years:
  • United Auto Workers (UAW)—militant new leadership, increased worker militancy
  • Successful teacher strikes ("Red for Ed"), Hollywood strikes (SAG-AFTRA, Writers Guild), massive UC academic workers’ strikes
  • Service worker organizing (Amazon, Starbucks)
• Strikes are more community-supported and widely viewed positively (union favorability at a 50-year high).

“Opinion research shows that unions are more popular today than they've been in 50 years. And that's because it's a way of fighting back. When unions are fighting and winning, people understand that this is a tool that could be used.” — Fred Glass (17:35)

6. Changing Nature of Labor (18:36)

• New frontline sectors: service, academic, education, healthcare—reflecting economic shifts
• Surge of young organizers since Bernie Sanders’ campaigns; massive growth of DSA, IWW, and presence of socialists in key organizing roles.

“They're looking at climate destruction, they're looking at structural racism, and they are saying, we need to do something about this.” — Fred Glass (21:30)

7. The Myth of Spontaneity—Role of Deep Organizing (21:46)

• Historic moments (e.g., Rosa Parks) are often portrayed as spontaneous, but in reality, rely on prior organizing.
• Both structured groundwork and mass/passionate action are needed for successful movements.

“But you also need to have the structural part or the spark doesn’t hit the tinder.” — Fred Glass (23:01)

8. Rise of Fascism and Anti-Fascist Resistance (23:29)

• Trump’s second administration has fused traditional elites (including tech) and the far right; regulatory dismantling, suppression of dissent.
• Anti-fascist organizing now includes labor and community collaboration, tax-the-rich initiatives in California as class consciousness-raising tools.

“We have now seen, though, in the last 10 years...a resurgence of May Day and the labor movement, official labor movement, which hadn't wanted to touch May Day with a 10-foot pole...”
— Fred Glass (36:11)

9. Social Strikes & Community Participation (27:00)

• Social Strikes: Actions not limited to unionized workers; involve students, consumers (boycotts), and other community actors (e.g., Day Without Immigrants 2006, Occupy Oakland port shutdown).
• Participation is crucial given only 10% of the workforce is unionized now, compared to 35% in 1946.

“A social strike is not just the classic everybody who's working stops work, but it's more what the call was from the Labor Council: No schools, no shopping...all of those things then become important in a time when you don't have the density that you once did.” — Fred Glass (27:55)

10. May Day, Haymarket, and the Legacy of General Strikes (30:52)

• Fred Glass’s Video Project: "We Mean to Make Things Over," chronicles Mayday’s history and the US's only true national general strike in 1886.
• Haymarket martyrs, repression, and how May Day became an international workers’ holiday.
• Modern revivals of May Day celebrations signal renewed energy in labor and socialist movements.
• May Day's historical role in shaping—and being suppressed by—the American labor movement.

“May Day being a holiday all over the world, except here...came out of this call and the possibility of a worldwide movement for socialism.” — Fred Glass (35:07)

11. Building for the Future—Toward a 2028 General Strike (38:12)

• UAW President Shawn Fain’s call for aligning union contracts to expire on May 1, 2028, as a method for planning a mass general strike.
• The importance of building momentum through mass actions in the run-up to any nationwide strike.

“We don't get to a general strike unless we have many mass actions leading up to that.”
— Fred Glass (39:07)

12. The International Hotel Eviction: Lessons in Solidarity and Defeat (39:49)

• Fred recounts being present at the late-1970s eviction during the anti-gentrification struggle in San Francisco’s Chinatown, describing the night’s mood, tactics, violence, and the aftermath (the building remained empty for years).

“It was a moment of great solidarity and purpose. And we lost. And then the irony was after the people were evicted from the hotel, it then sat empty for several years before anything was done with the property.” — Fred Glass (41:48)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the need for deep organizing:
  “You need to have people who are trained to be the organizers for these kinds of events. But it's both. It's not an either or when things build to the point where you have a pressure cooker...acts that are relatively spontaneous can occur, and that's part of how it all works.” — Fred Glass (23:01)

• On the myth of spontaneity (Rosa Parks):
  “The Rosa Parks example is the classic one about how everybody thinks it happened one way when it happened. Actually, she'd been a student of organizing for many years at the Highlander center and in her own community." — Fred Glass (22:43)

• On social strikes:
  "A social strike is not just the classic everybody who's working stops work...there's another way for people to participate than just stopping work." — Fred Glass (27:55)

• On economic change and the new labor movement:
  “We're seeing service workers and educators and grad students at UC being the tip of the spear...where it used to be factory workers.” — Scott Parkin (18:36)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Definition and Elements of General Strikes: 01:50–05:47
• Historical Examples—1934, 1946, Minneapolis: 05:47–11:30
• Politics, Taft-Hartley, and Legal Backdrop: 11:30–13:06
• Minneapolis 2026 General Strike: 13:06–16:35
• Recent Strike Wave and Changing Labor: 16:35–19:12
• Young organizers and DSA/Left Politics: 19:12–21:46
• Organizing, Structure, and Myths: 21:46–24:13
• Fascism/Anti-Fascist Resistance, California Ballot Measures: 24:13–27:00
• Social Strikes and Community Involvement: 27:00–30:11
• May Day Film and US Labor History: 30:11–38:12
• Building for a 2028 General Strike: 38:12–39:31
• International Hotel Eviction Story: 39:31–43:06

Event & Additional Announcements

• May Day Film Screening & Panel
  Oakland Community Space, 1955 Broadway, Feb 10, 5:30–7:30pm.
  Panel: labor, community, and anti-fascist groups to discuss May Day's lessons for contemporary organizing.
  [Livestreamed on Green and Red’s YouTube channel.]

Tone & Language

The conversation is seasoned but energized, deeply committed to labor’s radical history and full of vivid anecdotes and sharp analysis. Fred Glass balances passion with scholarly detail, while Scott Parkin brings an activist’s urgency and perspective.

This summary provides a comprehensive yet accessible guide to the episode’s major themes, moments, and historical context, making it an ideal resource for listeners new to the subject—or those seeking a refresher on America’s radical labor tradition and its contemporary revival.