Home > Million Marcher March
On May 18 and 21, 2004 I wrote to http://www.millionworkermarch.org/ the listserv for the march and the endorsers to date.
May 18, 2004
Dear Fellow Worker:
I am a member of the Industrial Workers of the World [IWW-Milwaukee GMB], and only recently heard about he million worker "parade" [as Malcolm X used to call it]. We are interested in participating, but have some questions. Is this event being organized by a capitalist front organization a.k.a. the Democratic party? Or is it really a bunch of rank and file workers? The IWW would like to make it more than a "parade" and put out a call for a general strike.
May 21, 2004
Dear Fellow Worker:
I wrote to you a day or two ago. Our Branch of the IWW will formally vote to support the Million Worker March resolution and to start a Million Worker March Committee to mobilize organized/unorganized labor and our community.
We also would like to propose calling for a General Strike. We believe the time is now. Mobilizing organized/unorganized labor and our community to parade around Washington D.C. is not going to get any one to listen to us. But listen they will if we get serious and mobilize organized/unorganized labor and our community to shut it [the nation] down. I am a member of organized [AFSCME] and unorganized [IWW] labor and would be willing to work long and hard to make it happen and I know there are others out there like me.
In solidarity,
Jenny Peshut - IWW Milwaukee GMB
828 E. Burleigh Street
Milwaukee, WI 53212
414.562.2028
I received a mixed response. From some, I received a firm yes, the time is now, we believe it can happen, and from one of the central committee organizers - a flat no [we have our platform set and we are not going to change it].
We plan to do some regional [midwest] organizing and see if there is support here. Living/working conditions in the U.S. are low and we believe if one is going to spend the time and energy to get people to walk around the Capitol, we may as well spend our time and energy mobilizing workers to do the most powerful thing we can do, and that is to withhold our labor.
In solidarity,
Jenny Peshut
828 E. Burleigh Street
Milwaukee, WI 53212
414.562.2028