The murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis has set off a wave of protests and uprisings across the country. The rash of police violence, coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic and the unemployment crisis, has clearly pushed many to the breaking point.

Because the vast majority of people protesting are workers, it makes sense that their organizations would get involved in the fight. Many unions have released statements condemning the killing of Floyd, including the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU), which represents bus drivers in Minneapolis. Going even further than other labor organizations, the ATU defended their members’ right to decline to assist police, saying: “Minneapolis bus drivers — our members — have the right to refuse the dangerous duty of transporting police to protests and arrested demonstrators away from these communities where many of these drivers live. This is a misuse of public transit.”

Yesterday, Jacobin contributor Mindy Isser interviewed Adam Burch, a rank-and-file Minneapolis bus driver who has been organizing his coworkers to oppose the use of city transit to aid police. They spoke about the latest developments in Minneapolis, his Facebook post and subsequent petition aimed at fellow union members, and the vital role that organized labor can play in fighting police brutality.