The disaster the global super rich fear most may now actually materialize — in 2028, with U.S. auto workers leading the way.

by Sam Pizzigati, Inequality.org

The folks at the U.S. Coast Guard know “mayday” as well as anyone. Every year they handle thousands of “mayday” distress calls. Their counterparts worldwide handle thousands more. Overall, the number of “mayday” calls since the 1920s — when “mayday” became the international go-to for declaring emergency situations — now runs well into the millions.

But we’ve never had a “mayday” more socially consequential than the “mayday” that U.S. auto workers have just thrust upon our global calendar. This potential “mayday” just happens to impact only our world’s richest — and has suddenly become a much more real possibility than a crash of any one of their outrageously deluxe private jets.

UAW on strike rally sign

What have U.S. auto workers done? They’ve successfully bargained a set of watershed contracts that establish May 1, 2028 as the day the workers of our world may actually unite, for the first time ever, against our world’s super wealthy.

The new contracts the United Auto Workers union is now signing with Detroit’s Big Three — Ford, GM, and Stellantis — all set April 30, 2028 as their expiration date. That would make May 1 the day the workers the three new contracts cover walk out on strike if no new deal materializes.

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