America Tried Voting. We Tried Marching. It’s Time to Strike.

Everywhere you turn, people are saying the same thing: I don’t want my tax dollars funding this. Not the surveillance state. Not the cages. Not the paramilitary raids, the book bans, the Medicaid and SNAP cuts, alligator Alcatraz, the human rights abuses, the hospital closures, the deportations, the corporate handouts wrapped in flags and lies. It feels like we’re trapped in a machine that feeds off our labor, our money, our silence… then uses it to hurt the people we care about.

There’s this rising ache, this dread in the gut of the country. People know what’s happening is wrong. They’re angry. They’re horrified. But they feel powerless. They vote, they march, they shout into the void.. and still the Trump administration steamrolls through rights, bodies, and institutions like it’s untouchable.

We need resistance on every front. We need protests, lawsuits, journalism, mutual aid. But there’s one thing that history tells us really changes the game. One thing that hits where it hurts: a general strike.

Why? Simply put, a general strike is not a symbolic gesture. It’s not just a march, a hashtag, or a strongly worded letter.

It is a coordinated, mass withdrawal of labor across industries: nurses, factory workers, teachers, drivers, warehouse staff, line cooks, techies, freelancers, even white collars and gig workers. It’s everyone standing up by sitting down.

What makes it so powerful is that it targets the life of capitalism… production and profit. When workers refuse to work, businesses can’t operate, goods don’t get made, packages don’t get delivered, & children don’t get taught. So what happens? Capital (money) doesn’t circulate & revenue dries up. So, because the government’s own income depends on business activity, even it starts to bleed.

A general strike forces those in power to take notice… not because they’re morally moved, but because they’re cornered.

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‘So.. I’ll Just Stop Paying Taxes’

Unlike not paying taxes, which might feel rebellious but doesn’t dent the system until the now gutted IRS catches up months or even later, a general strike is immediate. Daily. Disruptive. You hit immediately them where it hurts… in the cash flow.

But I need you to understand, a general strike isn't just about lost profits. It’s a take-over of the system itself.

It stops transportation, closes hospitals to all but emergencies, empties classrooms, stops mail, and cuts off the endless churn of production and consumption.

When enough people walk off the job, stop paying, stop delivering, stop serving, and stop complying, the entire structure of daily life begins to wobble. It's not just about the cash.

It's about showing the government our power by saying nothing moves unless we allow it. It sends them a message louder than any protest chant: You need us. We don't need you.

Are There Barriers? Yes.

Everyone has a different situation. Many people live check to check in America. So, I know some of you are thinking, “I can’t strike. I have bills. Rent’s due. My boss doesn’t care. My landlord sure as hell doesn’t care.”

And you’re right.. the system traps you on purpose. It weaponizes survival to keep you quiet but if we all wait until it’s safe to strike, we’ll be waiting forever.

That’s why a real general strike needs more than just courage. It needs preparation. Mutual aid. Strike funds. Rent resistance. Community support. We don’t win by suffering alone.. we win by refusing together. They want you to think striking is too dangerous. That if you walk out, you’ll lose everything.

But… here’s a fact: We don’t need everyone to strike. We only need 3.5% of the workforce.. or about 6 million Americans to strike across the nation.

That’s not speculation, it’s historical fact based on other successful strikes. Just this June, nearly 5 million people turned out for the Hands Off protests across the country. We’re already there with the numbers.

Now imagine if those same people didn’t just march… imagine if they walked off the job. No labor, no services, no compliance. The system doesn’t survive that. They can’t fire everyone. They can’t evict entire neighborhoods. They can’t function without us. If we stop, it all stops. We don’t need everyone. But if everyone shows up.. we win faster.

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Real change only comes when the system is forced to stop. From Selma to Standing Rock, from Gdańsk to Kyiv, the people didn’t win by being polite. They won by being immovable.

Look at Ukraine’s Orange Revolution. When a fraudulent election tried to steal the future, millions didn’t just protest. They shut down the capital. They camped out in the freezing streets for weeks. Transit stopped. Schools emptied. Even parts of the government cracked under pressure. It wasn’t about raising awareness. It was a blockade of corruption and it worked. The stolen election was overturned. A revote was held. The people’s will was honored because the country became ungovernable until it was.

The Orange Revolution showed the world that when millions refuse to accept a stolen future, even a rigged regime can be forced to back down.

In Memphis, striking Black sanitation workers didn’t wait for permission to demand dignity. They walked off the job and stayed off, even after police cracked skulls and Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in solidarity with them. They kept going. They disrupted the city’s daily rhythm because injustice thrives on routine. And when the routine breaks, power panics.

Even the labor strikes that didn’t win immediate victories, like the 1919 Seattle General Strike, still left cracks in the façade. They taught the ruling class to fear the united worker. They reminded the public of its own strength. They planted seeds that would grow into future rebellions.

Now let me be clear.. I am not calling for riots or violence. I am calling for you to be visible. Be disruptive. Be loud in ways they cannot ignore. Disobeying is scary. But obeying while everything burns around you is even scarier. They don’t need your loyalty. Just your obedience. That’s how democracies collapse.

So when we talk about protest today, we need to be honest with ourselves. A march that ends on time with routes coordinated by police isn’t protest. It’s choreography. A general strike, on the other hand, isn’t just symbolic. It’s tactical. It disrupts capital. It halts the engine. It grabs the state by the collar and says: we’re not asking anymore.

Memphis rose up when the death of two men in a garbage truck forced a city to confront the filth it tried to bury.

You don’t dismantle oppression by obeying its traffic rules. You don’t stop fascism with a well-behaved parade march. If we want the system to change, we have to make it impossible for the system to function until it does. That’s not a dream. That’s historical fact and Americas clock is ticking.

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So what’s next? How do we do it?

We start small, but we start smart. A general strike doesn’t begin with millions walking out overnight. It begins in neighborhoods, workplaces, group chats, and DMs.

Once you find your people, you begins with talking… with organizing people who trust each other enough to take a risk together. Work with coalitions, local movements and groups. Help to build a collective.

Step 1: Build relationships.

Find your people. Coworkers. Friends. Union members. Gig workers. Parents. Students. Artists. Healthcare workers. Hell, even trusted Substackers. Anyone whose labor keeps this system alive. You don’t need everyone. You need committed people in every sector willing to say enough. Remember, 3.5%

Step 2: Educate and agitate the system.

Make it clear why you’re doing this. Create flyers. Host teach-ins. Post online. Talk face to face. Get creative.. there is no “right or wrong” way to educate and resist.

Break the myth that protest is enough, or that obedience keeps us safe. Show people how their work, their time, their cooperation is being weaponized against them.

Step 3: Coordinate soft disruption.

Before the full shutdown, run test actions. Call out sick. Refuse overtime. Slow down productivity. Organize "sick-outs" or "go-slows" in solidarity with others. These small acts test the system and show who’s ready when it really matters.

Step 4: Connect across sectors.

Link with nurses, truckers, warehouse staff, service workers, teachers, freelancers, delivery drivers. The power of a general strike is in its reach. If you can’t strike your own job, support someone who can. Help shut things down from the outside.. block traffic, fund mutual aid, amplify their voices.

Step 5: Pick a target and a date.

A strike without a goal is a tantrum. A strike with a target is a weapon. Is it ICE contracts? Is it the Big Beautiful Bill? Is it union-busting? Is it a law that criminalizes your existence? Pick your fight. Then pick your moment.

Step 6: Build support structures.

You can’t strike without backup. You need childcare. You need bail funds. You need food, water, phone trees, first aid. You need media coverage that isn’t corporate. That’s where mutual aid comes in. That’s where community replaces the state. That’s where mutual aid groups and coalitions come together.

Step 7: Make it impossible to ignore.

Shut down ports. Flood the highways. Refuse labor. Occupy space. Be peaceful. But don’t be quiet. Disruption is not the problem. It’s the tool.

Now, there is a website.. GeneralStrikeUs.com. It looks promising but the site’s been stalled at the same number of pledges for a while now. No updates or movement. It’s a good idea gathering dust as of now and we don’t have time for dust. We need momentum. If this changes in the future I will make sure to update this article and Substack. So, keep an eye out.

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NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:

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Thank you for being here.

— Dissent ♥