The staggering human devastation wrought by COVID-19 will make a lasting imprint on American consciousness. There is widespread and growing recognition that the pandemic didn’t need to happen in this way. The Trump administration’s negligence is directly responsible for the scale of death and infection in the U.S. At the same time, the capitalist system itself is at the heart of this misery, as it forever and always puts profits before the lives and needs of ordinary people.

As the crisis rages on, one of the largest corporate bailouts in American history is taking place, while workers face unsafe conditions, lack of access to testing and health care, and record levels of unemployment. And now, many of the 16 million who have been laid off will be forced to choose on May 1 between paying rent and having enough to eat. This comes after almost one-third of American renters were unable to pay rent in the first week of April.

Working people and youth need to get organized for a mass fight. We should never forget the sacrifices, courage, and solidarity of front-line workers. And we should always remember that it was ordinary workers, not billionaires or CEOs, who have been essential in this pandemic. The crisis has ruthlessly exposed the prettified narratives about capitalism. Karl Marx was right: It is the working class that creates value in this economy, while the bosses take the lion’s share for themselves.

From Amazon and Instacart workers to bus drivers and sanitation workers, ordinary people are launching strikes and other courageous workplace actions. Inspiring victories have already been won.

By building on growing struggle and solidarity, we can escalate and coordinate our efforts leading up to a national day of action on May 1.

Rent strike!

In the context of Great Depression–level unemployment, 3 million people have now signed an online petition launched by Joshua Collins and Rent Strike 2020 calling for the suspension of all payments for mortgages, rents, and utility bills for the duration of this crisis, with no penalty or debt for nonpayment.

The overwhelming, immediate response to this petition says a lot about the dire situation facing ordinary people and the powerful urge to fight back. It also means that if we get organized and stand together, then the big banks, landlords, and courts will be hard-pressed to try to evict millions.

That’s why Rent Strike 2020, Socialist Alternative, and I are jointly calling for a nationwide rent strike on May 1.

We are building for the widest possible nonpayment under the slogan of “Can’t Pay, Won’t Pay.” We believe that if we get organized locally and nationally, we can force legislative action to suspend rent and mortgage payments across different cities and states. But we should be clear that a successful rent strike doesn't mean isolated individuals deciding not to pay — we need to be organized on a building and neighborhood level to make collective demands and protect against the real danger of evictions.

Join us. They can’t evict us all.

Worker actions and walkouts

After walking back his return-to-work pronouncement for Easter, Trump is now pushing to reopen the economy by early May. If this plan moves ahead, it could come at a high cost in lives.

May 1 is International Workers Day. We should look to its history as a day of working-class power, and as a time to take action now against what’s happening in this pandemic.