When workers in America go on strike, corporations are turning to police forces and judges to defeat them.
Nationwide, including at the largest and most high-profile strikes, corporations are running a two-pronged assault on their own workers. It all comes down to intimidation—weaponizing police forces—and restricting workers’ rights to speech and assembly—weaponizing the courts.
In Alabama, Warrior Met Coal, with the help of judges and police, has brutally cracked down on striking workers. Kim Kelly spoke with Warrior Met Coal workers, who have been striking since April 2021, to find out more.
“[Warrior Met] got the best judges money can buy,” says Greg Pilkerton, a striking coal miner.
More Perfect Union has covered a series of strikes afflicted by law enforcement and the judicial system. Workers at railroad giant BNSF were barred from striking by a judge. While judges have restricted picketing by striking workers at Kellogg’s, John Deere, and Kroger.