PISCATAWAY, N.J. (July 16, 2020) – A coalition of labor unions and social justice groups are calling on workers to walk off the job at noon on Monday, July 20 as part of the nationwide Strike for Black Lives. Organizers are demanding immediate action to dismantle racism and white supremacy, in part by raising wages, providing healthcare coverage, and ensuring that all workers have the opportunity to form unions.

Naomi R Williams, an assistant professor in the Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations and an expert on working-class activism and social movements, is available for interviews about Monday’s strike and the history of collective action at the intersection of labor and racial justice.

Williams said, “This may be the most widespread strike of its kind, but it’s not the first. I think back to the strike activity of April 2015 around the Fight for $15 and the smaller actions that led up to this. I also think about the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. While not a strike, it was a call to action demanding jobs, a living wage, and an end to discrimination. It’s often framed as a civil rights action, but it was part of a broader mission.”

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The Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations (SMLR) is the world’s leading source of expertise on managing and representing workers, designing effective organizations, and building strong employment relationships.

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