Ei-iE

Thousands of people across the United States joined the Workers over Billionaires rallies on September 1st to voice their opposition to the Trump Administration and its policies that hurt working-class people in order to benefit Trump’s billionaire friends.

Cuts to public services, including education and healthcare, the targeting of immigrant workers for deportation by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the deployment of military forces in Washington, D.C. drove the mobilisation.

“The majority of Americans, even many who voted for Donald Trump, disapprove of the president’s agenda, which takes away freedoms, abandons public education, makes college less affordable, kicks millions off healthcare, takes food from hungry children and wages war on workers’ rights — all to give massive tax cuts to big corporations and billionaires”, stated President Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers.

“We are going to fight for our students’ rights, we are going to fight for workers’ rights, we are going to fight for our democracy”, stressed Becky Pringle, President of the National Education Association.

Unions demand a country that puts workers over billionaires

The Workers over Billionaires rallies put forward a set of five demands to build a country that is more fair, just, equitable, and free for everyone - and not just a chosen few:

1. Stop the billionaire takeover corrupting our government.
2. Protect and defend Medicaid, Social Security, and other programs for working people.
3. Fully funded schools, and healthcare and housing for all.
4. Stop the attacks on immigrants, Black, indigenous, trans people, and all our communities.
5. Invest in people not wars.

Building a stronger labour movement

The Labour Day mobilisation included over 1,000 rallies, picnics, marches and other events in large cities and small towns across the U.S.

The rallies were organised by the AFL-CIO, the nation’s largest federation of unions, and supported by EI member organisations the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers.

The Labour Day protests are building on a series of previous mobilisations, including the May Day and the “No Kings” protests that saw millions rise against the Trump administration and its policies.

Unions are working to stop the billionaire takeover in the U.S. government not just through the ballot box or the courts, but through building a bigger and stronger labour movement.

International solidarity

Education International has strongly condemned the authoritarian measures enacted by the Trump Administration, including the unprecedented and egregious cuts in the funding of critical research programmes, the assault on academic freedom, the open threats to universities and research institutions, and the assault on the professional autonomy of teachers, including through book bans and the censoring of curricula.

EI stands in solidarity with its affiliates in the United States as they defend their students, their members, their profession, and their school communities.

Education unions around the world also expressed their support in a global solidarity action on July 4th, U.S. Independence Day.

EI remains unequivocally committed to public education, inclusive democracy, and human and trade union rights in the United States and around the world.