Mass workplace, rent strikes planned for May 1

This Friday, employees from several major U.S. corporations are staging a mass strike, and asking customers to join in by boycotting their employers.

As the coronavirus pandemic rolls on, workers have chosen May 1, International Workers' Day, to walk out of their jobs at Amazon, Whole Foods, Instacart, Walmart, Target, and Shipt, demanding improvements in paid leave, protective gear, and hazard pay, reports Vice News.

This comes after Instacart turned its first profit as the pandemic has led to increased demand for grocery delivery, The Information reported.

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Target employee Adam Ryan told Vice, "We want to shut down industry across the board and push back with large numbers against the right-wing groups that want to risk our lives by reopening the economy."

Other strikes are also planned for May 1, including student protests and rent strikes. Ties between May Day and labor rights activism were born in the U.S. during the Industrial Revolution as workers were dying from poor conditions and long hours.

"May Day is the day you don't go to work or buy things or pay rent," Vanessa Bain, a lead organizer of the Instacart walkout, told Vice. "To consumers, we're saying: 'Don't buy from these companies on May 1. Don't empower them with your dollars.'"