Gujarati workers of US hotel, formerly owned by Donald Trump, to seek support in Ahmedabad for their struggle

By A Representative
In a rare show of effort to seek support in Gujarat, leaders of the protesting workers working in the Trump Taj Mahal Hotel of the US have decided to hold a public meeting at the Ahmedabad Textile Management Association (ATMA) auditorium, Ahmedabad on May 11.
To be held between 4 pm and 7 pm in the auditorium situated on Ashram Road, Ahmedabad, three of the leaders, who happen to be from Gujarat, will be “sharing lessons from the strike – and to learn from the working class movement in India”, says Ashim Roy of the Chemical Mazdoor Panchayat, who is organizing the event.
Things began on July 1, 2016, when more than 1,000 cooks, housekeepers, bellmen, bartenders, and food servers from the Trump Taj Mahal hotel in Atlantic City, USA, went on strike. Originally built by US president Donald Trump, the Trump Taj Mahal, over the last 12 years, cut pay and benefits for workers by 35 per cent, sending many into poverty.

Atlantic City is situated along the Atlantic Ocean, and is about 200 km -- or nearly two hours drive towards the south of New York city. Atlantic City is one of the three major spots in US where Americans throng to play casino, the other two being Las Vegas and Reno Nevada.

“The workers had had enough”, says Roy, adding, “They decided it was time to stand up, and defend all the rights that the union had fought for in Atlantic City.”
He states, “The workers were immigrants from all over the world – India, Mexico, China, and many other countries – but they stood together and refused to be divided by the boss. They supported each other through a 102 day strike, demanding justice.”
According to Roy, “On October 10, the Trump Taj Mahal closed down. But the workers had succeeded in defending the union standard for wages and benefits in Atlantic City. They had gone on strike knowing that if they let the Trump Taj Mahal take away their rights, then every other hotel employer in Atlantic City would try to do the same thing to 10,000 of their fellow union members.”
“The Trump Taj Mahal workers came to the US as immigrants from many different countries. So the solidarity they received from workers and unions around the world was very important. It built up their morale, and reminded them that this fight is global”, Roy says.
“It was especially important to receive support from India. Many of the workers came from Gujarat, and were key leaders in this fight. Not one Indian worker crossed the picket line during the strike”, he added, pointing towards the reason why they decided to hold a public meeting at ATMA auditorium.

Three of the Gujarati worker-leaders from the strike are visiting India, to share lessons from the strike – and to learn from the working class movement in India”, Roy says, adding, “The workers will talk about the economic model that allows billionaires like Donald Trump to get richer, while the workers get poorer.”
“They will also talk about working conditions in US hotels, the need to organize and fight, and what they had to do in order to sustain the longest strike in Atlantic City’s history”, he noted.

Comments

Gram sabha as reformer: Mandla’s quiet challenge to the liquor economy

By Raj Kumar Sinha* This year, the Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj is organising a two-day PESA Mahotsav in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, on 23–24 December 2025. The event marks the passage of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA), enacted by Parliament on 24 December 1996 to establish self-governance in Fifth Schedule areas. Scheduled Areas are those notified by the President of India under Article 244(1) read with the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution, which provides for a distinct framework of governance recognising the autonomy of tribal regions. At present, Fifth Schedule areas exist in ten states: Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan and Telangana. The PESA Act, 1996 empowers Gram Sabhas—the village assemblies—as the foundation of self-rule in these areas. Among the many powers devolved to them is the authority to take decisions on local matters, including the regulation...

MG-NREGA: A global model still waiting to be fully implemented

By Bharat Dogra When the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MG-NREGA) was introduced in India nearly two decades ago, it drew worldwide attention. The reason was evident. At a time when states across much of the world were retreating from responsibility for livelihoods and welfare, the world’s second most populous country—with nearly two-thirds of its people living in rural or semi-rural areas—committed itself to guaranteeing 100 days of employment a year to its rural population.

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Concerns raised over move to rename MGNREGA, critics call it politically motivated

By A Representative Concerns have been raised over the Union government’s reported move to rename the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), with critics describing it as a politically motivated step rather than an administrative reform. They argue that the proposed change undermines the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi and seeks to appropriate credit for a programme whose relevance has been repeatedly demonstrated, particularly during times of crisis.

Rollback of right to work? VB–GRAM G Bill 'dilutes' statutory employment guarantee

By A Representative The Right to Food Campaign has strongly condemned the passage of the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB–GRAM G) Bill, 2025, describing it as a major rollback of workers’ rights and a fundamental dilution of the statutory Right to Work guaranteed under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). In a statement, the Campaign termed the repeal of MGNREGA a “dark day for workers’ rights” and accused the government of converting a legally enforceable, demand-based employment guarantee into a centralised, discretionary welfare scheme.

Making rigid distinctions between Indian and foreign 'historically untenable'

By A Representative Oral historian, filmmaker and cultural conservationist Sohail Hashmi has said that everyday practices related to attire, food and architecture in India reflect long histories of interaction and adaptation rather than rigid or exclusionary ideas of identity. He was speaking at a webinar organised by the Indian History Forum (IHF).

India’s Halal economy 'faces an uncertain future' under the new food Bill

By Syed Ali Mujtaba* The proposed Food Safety and Standards (Amendment) Bill, 2025 marks a decisive shift in India’s food regulation landscape by seeking to place Halal certification exclusively under government control while criminalising all private Halal certification bodies. Although the Bill claims to promote “transparency” and “standardisation,” its structure and implications raise serious concerns about religious freedom, economic marginalisation, and the systematic dismantling of a long-established, Muslim-led Halal ecosystem in India.

From jobless to ‘job-loss’ growth: Experts critique gig economy and fintech risks

By A Representative Leading economists and social activists gathered in the capital on Friday to launch the third edition of the State of Finance in India Report 2024-25 , issuing a stark warning that the rapid digitalization of the Indian economy is eroding welfare systems and entrenching "digital dystopia."

Search This Blog