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

Gujarat Information Commission issues warning against misinterpretation of RTI orders

By A Representative The Gujarat Information Commission (GIC) has issued a press note clarifying that its orders limiting the number of Right to Information (RTI) applications for certain individuals apply only to those specific applicants. The GIC has warned that it will take disciplinary action against any public officials who misinterpret these orders to deny information to other citizens. The press note, signed by GIC Secretary Jaideep Dwivedi, states that the Right to Information Act, 2005, is a powerful tool for promoting transparency and accountability in public administration. However, the commission has observed that some applicants are misusing the act by filing an excessive number of applications, which disproportionately consumes the time and resources of Public Information Officers (PIOs), First Appellate Authorities (FAAs), and the commission itself. This misuse can cause delays for genuine applicants seeking justice. In response to this issue, and in acc...

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.

'MGNREGA crisis deepening': NSM demands fair wages and end to digital exclusions

By A Representative The NREGA Sangharsh Morcha (NSM), a coalition of independent unions of MGNREGA workers, has warned that the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is facing a “severe crisis” due to persistent neglect and restrictive measures imposed by the Union Government.

Gandhiji quoted as saying his anti-untouchability view has little space for inter-dining with "lower" castes

By A Representative A senior activist close to Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) leader Medha Patkar has defended top Booker prize winning novelist Arundhati Roy’s controversial utterance on Gandhiji that “his doctrine of nonviolence was based on an acceptance of the most brutal social hierarchy the world has ever known, the caste system.” Surprised at the police seeking video footage and transcript of Roy’s Mahatma Ayyankali memorial lecture at the Kerala University on July 17, Nandini K Oza in a recent blog quotes from available sources to “prove” that Gandhiji indeed believed in “removal of untouchability within the caste system.”

Targeted eviction of Bengali-speaking Muslims across Assam districts alleged

By A Representative A delegation led by prominent academic and civil rights leader Sandeep Pandey visited three districts in Assam—Goalpara, Dhubri, and Lakhimpur—between 2 and 4 September 2025 to meet families affected by recent demolitions and evictions. The delegation reported widespread displacement of Bengali-speaking Muslim communities, many of whom possess valid citizenship documents including Aadhaar, voter ID, ration cards, PAN cards, and NRC certification.

'Centre criminally negligent': SKM demands national disaster declaration in flood-hit states

By A Representative The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) has urged the Centre to immediately declare the recent floods and landslides in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand, and Haryana as a national disaster, warning that the delay in doing so has deepened the suffering of the affected population.

Saffron Kingdom – a cinematic counter-narrative to The Kashmir Files

By Syed Ali Mujtaba* “Saffron Kingdom” is a film produced in the United States by members of the Kashmiri diaspora, positioned as a response to the 2022 release “The Kashmir Files.” While the latter focused on the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits and framed Kashmiri Muslims as perpetrators of violence, “Saffron Kingdom” seeks to present an alternate perspective—highlighting the experiences of Kashmiri Muslims facing alleged abuses by Indian security forces.

From lazy to lost? The myths and realities behind generational panic about youth

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak Older generations in many societies often describe the young with labels such as “lazy, unproductive, lost, anxious, depoliticised, unpatriotic or wayward.” Others see them as “social media, mobile phone and porn addicts.” Such judgments arise from a generational anxiety rooted in fears of losing control and from distorted perceptions about youth, especially in the context of economic crises, conflicts, and wars in which many young lives are lost.

'Govts must walk the talk on gender equality, right to health, human rights to deliver SDGs by 2030'

By A Representative With just 64 months left to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), global health and rights advocates have called upon governments to honour their commitments on gender equality and the human right to health. Speaking ahead of the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), experts warned that rising anti-rights and anti-gender pushes are threatening hard-won progress on SDG-3 (health and wellbeing) and SDG-5 (gender equality).

Counterview

Search This Blog