Throughout history, real change has come when ordinary people collectively withdraw their labor and participation from systems of exploitation. In the anti-war movement, collective action has been a crucial part of successfully resisting U.S. aggression both at home and abroad. The necessity for mass participation, solidarity, and collective courage is why CODEPINK has joined General Strike U.S.
A general strike is when workers, union or non-union, in different industries collectively stop working to achieve a common goal. This requires a strong, organized community network; several CODEPINK chapters have already begun organizing to educate, inspire, and ultimately activate their communities.Â
How to take part:Â
First: Sign Up with Our Contingent!
You can sign up to join the CODEPINK contingent here, where you will be kept up to date!
Next: Learn about Solidarity History and Movement Building
Learn more about mass solidarity actions and disruptions from the movement.Â
 A general strike is when workers, union or non-union in different industries collectively stop working to achieve a common goal. The United States has a long and powerful history of workers using this tactic for impactful change.Â
1934: Â San Francisco General Strike
Dockworkers and labor unions shut down much of San Francisco after police violence against striking workers.
1934: Minneapolis Teamsters Strike of 1934
A major strike that helped establish industrial union power for truck drivers and warehouse workers.
1936: Workers in multiple industries organized mass strikes demanding union recognition, better wages, and safer working conditions during the Great Depression.
1937: The Flint Sit-Down Strike helped auto workers win union rights and strengthened industrial labor organizing across the U.S.
1938: Continued labor strikes pushed for enforcement of New Deal labor protections and expanded worker organizing power.
1940: Wartime labor actions highlighted demands for fair pay, anti-discrimination policies, and worker protections as industries expanded.
1946: One of the largest strike waves in U.S. history saw millions of workers strike for higher wages and postwar labor rights.
1968: Major strikes connected labor struggles with the Civil Rights Movement, including the Memphis sanitation workers’ strike demanding dignity and justice.
1970: Postal workers carried out a massive wildcat strike that led to wage increases and major reforms for postal labor.
1997: The UPS Teamsters strike won public support by fighting against low wages, part-time exploitation, and job insecurity.
1965–1970 – Delano Grape Strike
Farmworkers led by Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta organized boycotts and strikes for farmworker rights.
1981 – PATCO Strike
Air traffic controllers struck over working conditions; the federal government fired more than 11,000 workers.
2006: “A Day Without Immigrants” mobilized millions of immigrant workers and allies in protests, walkouts, and economic boycotts against anti-immigrant legislation.
2018: West Virginia teachers' strike
Teachers launched a statewide walkout for higher pay and public education funding, inspiring a wave of educator strikes nationwide.
2023: Â 2023 United Auto Workers strike
Auto workers at the Big Three automakers struck for wage increases, job protections, and stronger contracts.
2023: 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike
Film and television actors struck over pay, streaming residuals, and protections against AI use in entertainment.
2023: 2023 Writers Guild of America strike
Screenwriters organized one of Hollywood’s largest labor actions in decades over compensation and working conditions.
2026: The Minnesota General StrikeÂ
This national shutdown saw tens of thousands join a coordinated "no work, no school, no shopping" shutdown, which was one of the largest modern U.S. general strike-style actions, signaling renewed cross-sector labor and community power in response to federal enforcement and workplace solidarity organizing.
Accounts to learn more:
@laboronthelineÂ
@moreperfectunionÂ
@thegeneralstrikeus
@workingclasshistory
Local Peace Economy Networks
The peace economy is how we care for each other in community with creativity, generosity, and kindness as we build trust and connection. It is what we are cultivating as the war economy fails. Walking away from the war economy means refusing its demand that you remain isolated and disposable. It means becoming the kind of person others can depend on and building the relationships that make mutual survival possible. This is not a lifestyle change — it's a fundamental reorientation of values and accountability. We understand that no one is coming to save us and that we must look out for one another. That means sharing resources, using our skills to meet the needs of others, and making collective decisions about shared outcomes that affect our communities. People are already doing this work across the country. You don’t have to start from scratch. Reach out to those doing this work near you and be in service of something larger than yourself.Â
- Join a local mutual aid group. This can be as simple as a local church soup kitchen, organizations like Food Not Bombs, or neighborhood-based food pantries. These are available in most neighborhoods and distribute food and other essential supplies to those in need. They always need help and donations. Consider spending your day helping others.
- Seek out other alternatives to the grocery store, such as community gardens, urban farms, and CSAs. Volunteer your time with these organizations. Even in the winter, food is being produced by some farms in greenhouses and indoors, and help is needed year-round to grow it and distribute it to the most vulnerable in our neighborhoods. Reach out to your local farms and ask if you can be of service to them.
- Mutual aid is not just about food — it can be almost anything: bike shares, tool lending libraries, energy collectives, babysitting networks, artist support, etc. All mutual aid groups need volunteers, and by volunteering and supporting their mission, you might just make friends and grow your community in the process.
- If you are worried about your debts during a national shutdown, join The Debt Collective.Â
- Invite your friends and neighbors to gather to meet the moment. Being together is how we take care of the community now. The chaos and violence are meant to affect us deeply. They are traumatizing, except if we engage together which reveals the lies at the core of the violence and the beauty of our neighbor and the connection and care of life. Stay related to those around you, listen to needs, and discover together what can be created from right where you are. Start small and then reach out and expand your circle.Â
- Connect with your community and hold a gifts & needs circle to make visible what people can offer and what people need. This allows us all to find new ways to learn about ourselves and others; sharing is a nourishing experience for everyone. When we tap into our community resources, there is no need to shop!
- Bring your imagination and creativity. Meeting violence with beauty disarms it and those who are abused by it. A choir, puppets, theatrical costumes, street art, surprises on telephone poles. Communicate with the forms of creativity you bring to life with others. At CODEPINK, our motto is to be disarming. Find ways to bring humor, creativity, and joy to resistance.