Somewhat uncelebrated, and even less-so analyzed, was the role that organized labor played in breaking the Mubarak regiem. Workers organized strikes that flared across Egypt on February 9th, Mubarak resigned two days later. And yes, those two are absolutely related. Let us step back to February 7th real quick. Below the fold, if you will.
It was Monday and Wael Ghonim had been released , breathing new life into protestors who had taken to the streets for nearly two weeks at this point. It had become readily apparent to all that the Egyptian Government's last move was a war of attrition. They hoped to wait out demonstrators, betting on public support for the protests to dwindle as chaos effectively shut down many businesses. This war of attrition had been actively on display for some days before this.
While analysts speculated whether or not public approval would shift away from the protestors, workers across the country organized so many strikes for February 9th that news organizations struggled keep track .
It was a clear signal to the Mubarak regime: Your plan to starve businesses across the country in an attempt to turn the public against the protests will not work for we will simply close the doors ourselves and join our brothers and sisters in the streets. This should serve as a reminder to us of the power of organized labor. Labor has had a hand in nearly all progressive movements in this country. They have not always been the first ones there, but they usually make a valuable appearance.