To strike or not to strike? That seems to be the question on many people’s minds throughout the world. But before they asked themselves that question, they had to ask themselves whether or not it was worth it to organize a union/group in the first place.

Strikes for pension reform are severely disrupting people’s lives throughout France. The UAW just finished a couple of strikes against Chrysler and GM for job security and health benefits. The Writers Guild of America is currently striking against every major movie and TV producer so they can get their fair share of Internet profits. News writers are preparing to strike against CBS. A three-day rail strike in Germany just started. The Israeli school system might see a strike. Teachers in Australia plan to strike over a pay dispute. A hunger strike is taking place by journalists and students in Pakistan against media restrictions. Government doctors in Thiruvananthapuram, India are conducting a non-cooperation strike. Pilots in Italy prepare for a possible strike. Airport workers at Viru Viru International Airport in Bolivia called a one-day strike. And I could probably go on and on and on.

All these strikes, all these issues, all these places and companies and governments. And yet, there’s much more work that needs to be done, much more strikes that need to take place, and much more love that needs to be spread. Our problems continue to mount in direct proportion to the never-ending desires of a greedy capitalist.

I found out today that the company I work for may lose one of its major contracts. This isn’t just some scare tactic dreamed up by one of the managers (hereafter referred to as Oppressors, Exploiters, and Dominators – OED’s) so that we’ll work more and work harder. Rather, this information comes from one of the owners. And I overheard this conversation so it really wasn’t meant for my ears in the first place. In any case, this loss could translate into the further loss of jobs. It’s pretty serious.

I’ve already been involved with a couple of companies that have closed their doors. In each case, I didn’t have much notice to find another job. It just sort of happened, then and there. One time, I showed up in the morning and the doors were locked. The other time, they slowly laid off about 100 or so people over a two-month period and then announced the closing of the operation within the next two months. And in each case, I told myself that I wouldn’t try to organize a union until I understood the company’s business and ways of working, I didn’t want to jeopardize my own job and the job’s of others by organizing a union.

So, knowing that the company I work for might be losing business and that I may be laid off, should I continue to push for employee rights and respect, moving us closer to a union, moving us closer to strikes? OED’s might say that the added pressure from employees would move the company closer into the dangerous seas of corporate failure. “Pick a better time to organize,” they might say, “It’s not that I don’t want you to have what you deserve, it’s just that the time isn’t good right now, you know, for the company.” And this has been my thinking up until right now, to be honest. Well, when will the right time be? I’ve been waiting for some magic moment to push me into the organizing that’s desperately needed. And the news of the potential account loss almost stopped me in my tracks completely.

But, it’s not going to stop me this time. The lives of the people who work in this company, my life, their families, my family, are as important as the life of the company. In a capitalist economy, like the one in the U.S., having a job with a secure, stable company is important. But, it’s not so important that all of us must suffer and be alienated in the meantime. I think it’s time to hang out with some of my coworkers after work, at a bar or some other place they might like to go, and start to talk openly about organizing. In fact, there’s no better time than right now.

And while I’m busy talking to coworkers about organizing, my wife will be at home taking care of the house and the children. Of course, I’ll do as much as I can to help her as I’m sure she’ll do as much as she can to help me. It’s all part of the same circle. As Corbin Harney used to say, one land, one water, one air, one life. While I’m working, my wife is working, while I’m helping, my wife is helping, my children are helping, my friends are helping and working and helping and we’re doing all this together so our world can be a place where we actually want to stay alive and live. And while we’re doing this, you’ll be doing what you do where you are, and someone else is doing what they’re doing where they are. We’re all in this together, whether we like to acknowledge it or not.

To strike or not to strike? It really is an important question. The answer means much more than a localized decision affecting a small group of people. The answer affects all of us, the whole world, the whole universe because a strike somewhere is part of the great and wonderful and magnificent strike everywhere.