To Fight the Trump/Musk Purge, Federal Workers Hold Nationwide Day of Action to “Save Our Services”

AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org.

We’re going to end with federal workers today. Federal government workers and union members are holding protests in cities across the country in what they’re calling the Save Our Services Day of Action.

For more, we’re joined by Eric Blanc, professor of labor studies at Rutgers University, author of the new book We Are the Union: How Worker-to-Worker Organizing Is Revitalizing Labor and Winning Big. He’s offering organizing support to today’s protests.

Eric, thanks so much. It was great to see you last night as you talked about your exhaustion but exhilaration around these protests. You were remembering Jane McAlevey, the great labor strategist, last night at CUNY. But, today, talk about what’s happening. Is it twice a day in cities all over the country, lunch and after work?

ERIC BLANC: Every major city in the country is going to have a big protest, and the locations and the times differ. What I would recommend for anybody who wants to support federal workers and understands the importance of protecting our services against Musk’s coup and power grab is to go to the website that we set up, where you can see your local event. That’s go.workersfiremusk.com. So, you just go to the website go.workersfiremusk.com, and then you can find your local rally. There’s noontime and 5:30 rallies in lots of places, but that’s the best place to find information.

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And, Eric, what’s been the actual number of federal workers already either forced out to take voluntary retirement or given layoff notices?

ERIC BLANC: I mean, to be honest, everybody’s head is spinning. We don’t even have those numbers yet. What we do know — what we do know is that the stakes couldn’t be higher — right? — for everybody. And this is not just about federal workers. And that’s their message that they’re coming out with today, is that the attacks on federal workers, they’re the canary in the coal mine. If they take out the federal unions, that’s our best block right now against Trump’s authoritarian power grab. And if you can destroy the power and resistance of federal workers and their organized efforts, then that’s going to allow Trump to go after all the services and decimate all the public sector. And, you know, who’s going to provide Social Security? Who’s going to provide Medicare? Who’s going to provide basic health and safety regulations for workers? This impacts everybody. And that’s the message that workers are getting out there.

AMY GOODMAN: Eric, all over the country — I mean, the message being put out from the Oval Office is that workers are fat. You’re the unnecessary fat. They’re the corrupt ones. They’re the ones who are bleeding the budget dry. Can you respond to that, as you talk about federal workers as the canary in the coal mine? I mean, we’re seeing it’s more than a quarter of a million probationary workers that have been fired, but probation includes people who have been there for decades who get a promotion and they then go on some kind of probationary period. They, too, get fired.

ERIC BLANC: Yeah, look, the big lie getting put out there right now is that the reason working-class Americans are hurting is because of federal employees. And there’s just no basis for this. Elon Musk, the richest man on Earth, has a $412 billion net worth. That’s more — that’s significantly more than the total pay of every federal worker, 2.3 million federal workers. They get $217 billion per year. Musk makes more than all of them combined, almost double. So the idea that what’s at the root of people struggling is federal workers, rather than the billionaires that are taking our country into the ground, it’s ludicrous. And I think it’s time for people to start speaking out.

AMY GOODMAN: Well, we want to thank you so much, Eric, for being with us. We’ll be out covering those protests in New York City, both at — I think it’s, what, 12:30 and — or 12:00 and 5:30?

ERIC BLANC: Yeah, so it’s going to — in New York City, it will be noon at Foley Square and then 5:30 at Foley Square. And we’re expecting a big turnout, so hope to see you there.

AMY GOODMAN: Eric Blanc, professor of labor studies at Rutgers University, author of We Are the Union. He is organizing along with federal workers around the country.

A happy belated birthday to Neil Shibata and to Hugh Gran! And, Juan, once again, happy 29th anniversary! It is so wonderful to be here with you on this day and with all the listeners and viewers around the country and around the world. We wish we could give you slices of cake around the country and around the world, because Democracy Now! is everyone’s. Democracy Now!, democracynow.org. Thank you so much to our remarkable staff, past and present. I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González.