Leaders in the Tunisian Federation of Labor, themselves organizers of the mass mobilization that led to the overthrow the Tunisian Dictator called for support of the Libyan revolution and for support of Tunisian unions and the Egyptian Democracy Movement at a solidarity dinner held by the Sacramento Central Labor Council and the California Labor Federation in Sacramento on March 20, 2011. Delegates and members of community based organizations heard a direct report from the leaders of the labor side of the mass mobilizations. The Tunisian revolution was the first of the over 6 major revolutions presently changing the nature of politics and freedom in the Middle East. The success of the Tunisian revolution sparked the hopes and encouraged the other revolutions.
Labor unions in Tunisia were suppressed by the government for over two decades. These labor union leaders have been active in the resistance to the dictatorship for these decades.
As of today, the Libyan revolution is still being resisted by the armed forces of Colonel Gadafi with planes, tanks and guns. Non violent revolutions are shaking Yemen and Bahrain (where oil workers are on strike), among others. The revolutionary movement in Egypt has won initial success, by toppling the Murbarak dictatorship, but consolidation of the revolution is still precarious.
