privileged enough to be able

My European mind can't comprehend this. Strikes are a right for every single worker, even the most unprivileged ones (with very few exceptions for public safety reasons)

People who can strike should also go to places of work that people can't and contribute to sit-ins and slowdowns.

Yeah, I’m in.

Oh, that's an idea. Unfortunately my work has no union. Tech is full of rugged individuals.

General strikes are illegal in the US.

It's not illegal to strike on a date with other people. It's illegal for unions to call for a "general strike" because it's considered them calling a strike on behalf of other non-union employees for other businesses.

Also, jobs can fire workers on the spot for participating in them

Not always, (though yes, it would probably be likely for many people) since they can use things like sick/vacation days conveniently timed right, or if they're backed up by a union, they might have a contract that helps to prevent at-will firing without certain specific causes, excluding striking.

However, if enough people strike, it's kind of hard to enforce coming into work via firings, as it's similar to if an entire unionized company goes on strike. What are you gonna do? Fire every single worker and shut down for good the next day because the only person running every single operation is the remaining CEO?

even if the workers are part of a union and the union want to participate.

As long as the union doesn't say "this is a general strike" and just says "we are striking on this date for better working conditions", and that date happens to be the same day other unions are striking, it's legal. There is no law preventing different unions from striking on the same dates, and it would take very long for any legal process to try and make that claim before the strike has already occurred.

national guards have been sent in to shut down general strikes in the past.

This is the most likely outcome in my opinion. However, it's still kind of hard to actually enforce the end of a general strike. It's one thing to arrest someone, or to stop them from doing a given thing, but it's another to forcibly remove people from their homes and make them work no matter their condition or reason.

Essentially, I'm saying it'd be messy.

Doing it multiple days? You realize most people live paycheck to paycheck? Nobody wants to tell their kids they’re going to be homeless.

This is the biggest hurdle, though there is a degree to which it can be mitigated, at least for a little while. For example, there are a lot of people with backyard and community gardens, small businesses with stockpiles that are willing to support their community as we've seen with the current situation in Minnesota, not to mention that if the situation got bad enough you'd probably just see people stealing from their nearest billionaire-owned store because fuck it, why not screw them over more?

To clarify, I'm not like, disputing your actual overarching thesis here, or saying a general strike is easy or likely to succeed, I'm just saying it's not entirely impossible :)

General strikes are illegal

This is fucked up beyond belief. Strikes should be a right for every single worker

Going homeless at the same time as many others opens the possibility to make communities helping each other out (food, protection, communication).

I know, it is wishful thinking, but building such communities in a peaceful way during a general strike with enough time is better than a sudden brutal civil war scenario, I think.

You won’t get food easy if you have to fear getting shot as soon as you leave your house and they can’t run companies efficiently only with AI and MAGA workers.

You realize most people live paycheck to paycheck?

Yes, that's why it takes months to organize a normal strike, let alone a general strike. A one day strike isn't a stike, it's a protest.

Some of you realize your jobs are really unimportant

Don’t “police, teachers, garbage collectors and fireman” kinda rely on other professions to do their jobs? Why do you need to put other workers down? Pretty sure as a teacher I relied on a school bus driver to get the students to me, an HVAC guy to make sure that the building was comfortable, architects and construction workers to create the building, electricians……….

The comments you are leaving seem to me like compassion fatigue and burnout.

So… you think there will be people working at your doctor’s office on a day of a General Strike? This is very entitled attitude.

They texted me today reminding me of the session, and also reminding me that I still have to pay if I don't show up to my appointment at this point. Also my health issue seriously needs to be addressed.

3 days notice is not a lot of time. And the doctor is holding me accountable to my side of the agreement that I made prior to this strike being announced, my only option is to pay for the treatment, whether I receive it or not. What's with the personal attack? I said I would refrain from work, and shopping of any form. I feel like I'm doing what I can under the limited notice. I have a long workday tomorrow, but am still preparing to buy groceries after work to avoid spending anything on Friday.

Why can’t those hospitals just pay their nurses? They are certainly able to pay these scabs.

what does this have to do with 3 days notice of a one day strike? What does this have to do with your hostility directed at me?

Some of you realize your jobs are really unimportant, the rest of us have to carry society and humanity.

I am not in a great headspace mentally, and you attacking me, acting like I'm one of those people that is ignoring everything that's going on, it's hurtful and counter productive. I'm doing the best that I can.

There has also been a huge, prolonged campaign of union busting specifically to weaken their power in these political scenarios

I'm curious what made US companies that much more successful at destroying unions than the companies in my home, Denmark. It's not like companies weren't trying their hardest to fight unions in the early 1900's. People died at the strikes and protests.