Essential Workers Hold Walkouts And Protests In National 'Strike For Black Lives'

From Boston to San Francisco, essential workers in cities around the U.S. walked off their jobs and took to the streets Monday to demand racial and economic justice as part of a nationwide "Strike for Black Lives."

The planned day of strikes and protests was organized by 60 different labor unions and racial and social justice organizations, from the International Brotherhood of Teamsters to the Movement for Black Lives to the U.S. Youth Climate Strike Coalition.

Organizers listed four primary demands on their website: "Justice for Black communities, that elected officials use their authority to rewrite the rules so that Black people can thrive, that corporations dismantle racism, white supremacy and economic exploitation including at work and that every worker has the opportunity to join a union."

They also encouraged workers unable to participate for the full day to take a knee, hold a moment of silence or walk off their jobs at noon local time for 8 minutes and 46 seconds in memory of George Floyd and other victims of police violence.