The mass movement of working women thrives, our spirits will not be broken!
This May Day, IWA US calls on working women to unite and boldly grow the militant workers movement! May Day, or International Workers Day, was born out of struggle of workers in the 1800’s for the 8-hour workday, and continues to this day with workers all around the world fighting for their democratic rights and for national and social liberation, from the Nexperia workers in the Philippines, who emerged victorious after leading a massive 1800-worker-strong strike following the illegal termination of union leaders, to the Palestinian people in their ongoing fight for national liberation against Zionist oppression. Given the seemingly endless attacks on working people by the Trump administration over the last 100 days of his presidency, this May Day is especially significant for the momentum of people’s movements.
Impacts of Trump’s Economic Policies
Trump’s economic policies, including tariffs, freezing federal funds and making neoliberal cuts to social services and resources, have already impacted women greatly – especially in the areas of health, childcare, education and livelihood. IWA US orgs reported witnessing cuts to youth programs that give children somewhere safe to be after school, to food banks and pantries that help feed families, to basic resources for students on campuses and to health services especially for disenfranchised communities or areas with less developed health systems – including cutting vaccine programs in Minnesota, Medicare no longer covering Telehealth services by September and the shutting down of Planned Parenthoods. These publicly-funded resources are crucial to so many women and their families, and the move to start privatizing them – especially being seen in education and childcare – is not just to maximize profits but should be seen as a fascist attack against women.
While the impacts of Trump’s tariff policies are still in its early stages of implementation, there is serious concern over how they will impact the cost of basic goods, the access to necessities and even the livelihood of women who own small businesses or other side jobs. For migrant women who send money back home to their home countries, especially to provide for their children, inflation in the US makes it even harder. Many of these home countries are already ravaged by US intervention or militarization. Additionally, many women in the US, because of the rising cost of living, take up side hustles or even start their own small businesses just to make ends meet. However, many small business owners are experiencing ‘COVID pandemic-esque’ impacts to their businesses because of the current state of the US economy, forcing many women to close up shop to find second and third jobs.
Impacts on Labor
Industries and professions across the U.S. which have a high percentage of women workers are being particularly impacted by the policies of the Trump administration. In service jobs, education, and healthcare, federal funding budget cuts are directly impacting the employment and working conditions of working class women. Hospitals, schools, universities, and nonprofits which have been reliant on federal funding are laying off workers or closing altogether. Universities have sent memos to employees warning of impending layoffs and furloughs as the Trump administration cuts funding, targeting universities where the student movement against genocide has been the strongest. Both students and employees of these universities are facing the brunt of fascistic policies. For large universities such as the University of Washington, associated medical centers and clinics are also being affected by these funding cuts, threatening the jobs of healthcare workers and worsening the access to care crisis for patients everywhere.
Further, healthcare corporations, which have historically been hostile to demands of workers, are ramping up their attacks on labor and union workers fighting for a fair contract. Providence, a large healthcare corporation, only recently agreed to a contract with Oregon nurses for better pay and working conditions. Less than two months after one of the longest strikes of healthcare workers in Oregon’s history, Providence is making moves to increase their profits at the expense of workers and patients, by attempting to sell their home health, hospice, and community care nonprofit to a private equity firm. This change would likely lead to worker layoffs, staff shortages, unsafe working conditions, and worse patient outcomes. It is important to note that changes like this are a direct impact of the Trump administration cutting federal funding to nonprofit services, including healthcare, in blatant anti-worker, anti-people policies.
IWA has also heard from caregivers in long-term care facilities that there are now crackdowns on overtime, as bosses, owners, and capitalists continue to cut corners to increase their profits in times of economic downturn, which Trump and his billionaire clique are orchestrating.
Impacts on Migrant Women
In an effort by the Trump admin to reach its quota to separate 1 million migrants and families, due processes are bypassed. Migrants and asylum seekers are facing the brunt of fascist attacks and xenophobic violence. From international students facing a constant uncertainty about student visas being revoked for exercising their constitutional right to free speech denouncing the complicity of their universities in the genocide in Palestine, to the fear mongering inflicted on migrant families who are pushed into the margins of society - avoiding going outside to run errands, skipping medical appointments, congregating in community spaces, or speaking out in their exploitative workplaces due to fear of ICE raids.
Currently, unaccompanied minors total upwards of 500k in the U.S., many of whom have fled violence in their home countries and are now lost within the system itself or are facing bureaucratic backlogs in court proceedings. Cuts from Trump further threaten legal aid and representation for these youth who live in limbo in unstable housing, shelters, foster care, or “non-profit” entities leaving them vulnerable to trafficking and exploitation.
Migrants face daily messaging to self-deport and threats of detainment and imprisonment regardless of protected status or country of origin. In addition, migrants and women in detention are subject to horrific conditions and extreme medical neglect. This is most clear in the stories of Jeanette Vizguerra in Colorado, Alma Bowman in Georgia, Ligaya Jensen in Arizona, and the countless other children, mothers, and grandmas unjustly held in detention. Elders in need of daily diabetes, heart, and cancer medications are denied access and care, while many sleep on floors or go without meals, as food is not being served regularly or runs out because of sheer overcrowding in these privately-owned, profit-driven, rundown facilities.
The attack on migrants also threatens the livelihood of families in their home countries that rely on remittances for livelihood, health, and education. The perpetual cycle of forced displacement from home countries to destination countries leaves migrants unprotected, neglected, and disposable by both the US and home governments. Yet, now more than ever migrants are in solidarity with each other's struggles and are organizing for their dignity, justice, and their freedom.
Impacts to Women and LGBTQ+ Health
As the fascist Trump administration withholds $2.8 million in funding for Title X programs, including federal funds designated for cancer screenings, contraceptives, and STI testing, reproductive health clinics are being forced to close, particularly in rural areas. In April alone, two separate Planned Parenthood clinics in Utah announced they will be closing as a direct result in this withholding of funds. Thousands of patients, the majority of whom are women, rely on these clinics in Utah for routine reproductive healthcare, which can be lifesaving. The closure of these clinics directly threatens the livelihoods of healthcare workers at the clinics and the patients that these clinics serve. We can predict that the further slashing of federal funding for reproductive healthcare will cause more clinic closures, thereby impacting the health of women across the country. The closure of legitimate reproductive healthcare clinics also increases the prevalence of predatory crisis pregnancy centers, which target vulnerable pregnant people with false promises and claims, illegitimate medical advice, and far-right religious propaganda in order to coerce more people to give birth. When crisis pregnancy centers are the only option that people have when they are pregnant, more people become trapped in coercive pregnancies against their will.
The Department of Health and Human Services, now led by RFK Jr., a known proponent of pseudoscience and bigotry, announced plans to cease all funding for the monumental Women’s Health Initiative, a research project of NIH which has resulted in several advancements in healthcare for people going through menopause. This program is being attacked in particular for its research into hormone therapy, regardless of the fact that the research is largely focused on cisgender women experiencing hormone changes with age.
Following an executive order from Trump, hospitals such as Seattle Childrens’ have immediately stopped providing gender affirming care to trans youth. Further, uncertainty about policies surrounding legal documentation for trans people has increased anxiety in the trans community surrounding travel, accessing healthcare and other governmental services, and even updating essential documents such as passports and driver's licenses.
How women are fighting back!
It is the historic fight of May Day and the everyday examples of women speaking out against political repression, women striking in detention, women defying the carceral system, women waging campaigns against wage theft, queer people fighting in people’s wars for national liberation, that IWA-US gleans inspiration and fervor in the fight ahead! Through continuous community mobilization and solidarity actions, women everywhere are achieving victories in the pursuit of dignity and justice. Just yesterday, organizations in Washington celebrated the release of Ate Michelle, a Filipina green card holder and mother of three, from the Northwest ICE Detention Center after months of tireless organizing.
We keep us safe! We must remind ourselves and each other not to be paralyzed, but to remain focused. Now is the time to transform our fear into fight, continue to mobilize en masses, and link arms with each other. As IWA, we recognize all the formal and casual ways that women are self-organizing to protect their families, communities, and people. There are thousands on the ground, in the streets, in organizations across the country that are making strides in the fight for social and national liberation. Amidst conditions that are seemingly insurmountable, the mass movement of working women continues to thrive, our fighting spirits will not be broken!
If you are a woman or LGBTQ+ person and looking to get involved with an existing IWA US organization, here are where our member organizations are based:
Contact us for more information or tools to start your own organization! If you are already in a woman’s organization, join the International Women’s Alliance, and help us grow the militant women’s movement!
Women Over Profit! Stop the Neoliberal Cuts to Healthcare, Housing, Education!
Money for Jobs and Education! Not for War and Occupation!
Defend Migrant Women! We keep us safe!
Transform Fear into Fight! Working Women Unite!
Women, Join the Fight against Fascism!
Join the Militant Mass Movement of Women!