"This is our time": Economic blackout targets injustice

Economic boycotts have long been a tool of resistance. A New Yorker transplanted to the Midwest, John Schwarz, originated the People’s Union Economic Blackout set for Friday that aims to unite consumers, reminding them — and the corporate retailers and services they patronize — of the might of a single dollar that in aggregate can create powerful change. “They may have a little bit of a slower week, but the thing that will happen is those people sitting up in that big boardroom who don't really care about anybody, who see us all with just dollar bills and consumers, they're going to be the ones who turn around and go, ‘Wait, what just happened?’ And that's the whole point.” "The strike raises awareness about economic disparities and corporate accountability, encouraging people to be more intentional with their dollars" For lower-wage workers who may see a slowdown, Schwarz says he has encouraged them to take a sick day or paid time off if they can do so without endangering their job. If 800 companies paid the taxes his firm Berkshire Hathaway pays, Buffett said, “No other person in the United States would have had to pay a dime of federal taxes — no income taxes, no social security taxes, no estate taxes.” “I want this to shake their wallets so bad that they turn around and go to the federal government and say, 'Listen, listen, we'll pay our fair share in taxes,'” Schwarz said. Legitimate businesses need to make money, he acknowledges, “but they don't need to rob American citizens who aren't getting pay raises to compensate for this fictitious unicorn named inflation.” But costs are generally passed on in the price of goods and services, and a prolonged boycott and taxation could potentially hurt consumers and workers unless there’s solid policy in place to protect against soaring inflation and price gouging.