New York, May 1 (RHC)-- Today, as rent comes due and tens of millions of U.S. workers have been left unemployed by the pandemic, people across the United States are joining a general strike on May Day — the same day President Donald Trump says much of the country will reopen for business. 

Among those walking off the job or calling in sick to demand workplace protections are employees of Amazon and its subsidiary Whole Foods. In Washington, D.C., protesters painted a mural Wednesday with the words “protect Amazon workers” on the street outside a mansion owned by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos — the world’s richest person.

Amazon reports revenues surged 26% in the first three months of the year to more than $75 billion, as millions of homebound Americans under quarantine placed orders online with retail stores closed.  Today Amazon is ending unlimited unpaid time off for its workers, who will have to choose between returning to the job or getting fired and possibly becoming ineligible for unemployment benefits.

On Thursday, Amazon said a worker at a massive fulfillment center in Tracy, California, died of COVID-19, and others have tested positive for the disease at the warehouse.