Anarchists' Space Union / ASU42

The Anarchists Space Union (ASU) was founded in 2942 under the name ‘Hurston Worker’s Union’ founded by a group of workers at Hurston Dynamics; a human weapons manufacturer and materials processor based in the Stanton system. The workers were fed up with the low wages, intolerably long hours, and poor working conditions Hurston Dynamics imposed on them. Tired of the hazardous conditions at many facilities ran by the corporation the HWU aimed to protect the rights, lives and interests of the workers and to challenge the corporate monopoly over the Stanton system.
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However, Hurston Dynamics did not take kindly to the unionization efforts of its workers. The corrupt company leaders were quick to hire a union-busting firm, LRI, to disrupt and prevent the formation of the union as soon as whispers of discontent among their workers reached HD leader’s ears. From the start LRI used a range of tactics, both legal and illegal, to intimidate, coerce, and unjustly fire pro-union workers who dared to speak out against their oppression. LRI also spread outright lies, misinformation, and threats to undermine union leadership’s credibility and sowed discourse to whittle away their support among their peers.
The union-busting campaign was swift, brutal and overall very effective. Many workers were discouraged from joining or publicly supporting the union in fear of reprisal. Some were fired or transferred to other locations for even acknowledging the creation of one. Others were harassed or assaulted by Hurston security forces and LRI agents. A few notable leaders of the union were even killed in mysterious accidents off site or in incidents within HD’s plants that were later blamed on the union itself for, as it was phrased, “union leadership’s lack of concern for their own members and fellow workers which led to lax safety precautions during and directly after labor strikes”.

It didn’t take long for union leadership to realize that they could not win against Hurston Dynamics and LRI using peaceful and legal means. They decided to take up arms and fight back against their oppressors. In response to corporate scare tactics the Hurston Worker’s Union was reformed into the Anarchists Space Union, a paramilitary organization that rejected all forms of authority and coercion. They stole weapons and ships from Hurston Dynamics and used them to attack the company’s facilities, trade routes, and allies; justifying their piracy as a necessary evil.

Now, in 2953 after many years of fighting against the corporations of the Stanton system our distinctive emblem, a gold “A” on a field of blue surrounded by a wreath, a holdover from our days as that simple workers’ union, is noted across Stanton as a symbol of hope for the working class citizens of the ‘verse. The ASU has been fighting against the anti-worker propaganda that Hurston Dynamics and other corporations continue to spread through UEE ruled systems as a means of controlling the workers. The ASU exposes the lies and corruption of the corporate elite, and promotes the values of democracy, equality, and solidarity among the working class citizens of the ‘verse using various methods to spread our message, such as graffiti, broadcast hacking, and pamphlets air dropped on targeted corporate interests. The ASU believes that the workers of the UEE are the true owners of the means of production, and that they should have a say in how their labor is used and distributed. We hope to inspire a revolution within the UEE that will end the corporate tyranny and create a new society based on mutual aid and cooperation.
The Anarchists Space Union has since become a notorious group in the Stanton system and beyond. We are hunted by Hurston Dynamics, the UEE, and the Advocacy, but we have so far managed to evade capture and continue our resistance. We look to attract any worker within the UEE who share our vision and values of freedom, justice, peace, solidarity, and diversity. We use direct democracy and delegation as our union slowly becomes a federation built on mutual aid and conflict resolution to organize ourselves and our allies. Resistance above all is our mission. Our vision to create a better universe for all the people within it.

We welcome anyone who share our values and principles, and we willfully cooperate with other groups and organizations that have similar goals. We are the Anarchists Space Union, and we invite you to join us in our struggle for a better world.

Timeline of Events

• Late in 2941, Hurston Dynamics announced a new contract with the UEE Navy to supply them with weapons and materials for the ongoing war against the Vanduul. This contract increased the demand and pressure on the workers, who were expected to work longer hours, produce more output, and accept lower wages and benefits.

• In 2942, a group of workers led by Dax Rana, an engineer, decided to form a union to demand better treatment and representation from their employer. They called themselves the Hurston Workers’ Union (HWU), and they began to collect signatures and hold meetings to prepare for a union election.

Later that same year Hurston Dynamics hired LRI, a union-busting firm, to disrupt and prevent the formation of the budding union. LRI used a range of tactics, both legal and illegal, to intimidate, coerce, and/or dismiss pro-union workers. LRI also spread propaganda and misinformation to undermine the union’s credibility and support among the workers.

Unable to fully exert their rights due to existing labor laws the HWU organized a series of small work slow-downs throughout 2942 and 2943 while garnering support among the workforce; culminating in 2944 when the HWU filed a formal petition with the Intergalactic Labor Relations Board (ILRB) to hold a union election. However, soon after Hurston Dynamics through LRI challenged the petition, claiming that the union did not have enough support or representation among the workers and so a lengthy legal battle had began. The ILRB agreed to review the petition, but the process was delayed and stalled by legal challenges and complaints from both sides.

• Mid 2945, over a year after their petition had been filed and subsiquently stalled by HD and LRI, a group of pro-union workers, led by Dax Rana, staged what quickly became labeled as an ‘illegal’ strike at several facilties owned by Hurston Dynamics; demanding that the company recognize the union and negotiate with them in good faith. They blocked the entrance and exit of the facilities with appropriated company vehicles which prevented any scabs or deliveries from entering or leaving. Although HWU had announced their intentions days beforehand and had cleared the facilites of non-union workers when the strikes were launched in ernest HD and LRI swiftly claimed that the union strikers were in violation of labor laws and as such the strike wasn’t legally enforcable. They hired replacement workers and soon the picket lines became a steady back and for of small altercations mixed with larger acts of violence instigated by corporate operatives hidden within the scabs.

In its first public show of force, after a month long work stoppage in which it seemed as if the union might actually be starting to gain favor within the populace of the Stanton system regardless of the smear compaign set against them, Hurston Dynamics and LRI moved to crush the strike and did so with a ferocity that the organizers had not expected. They hired mercenaries and thugs to break the picket line and attack the strikers directly. They also used explosives and sabotage to damage the facilities and the workers’ equipment. HD, naturally, went on blaming the union for the violence and destruction. Accusing them of terrorism and treason to the UEE; who until now had mostly allowed HD to handle the affair themselves without interferrence. The strike finally ended in a major loss for the HWU when the UEE stepped in soon after, declaring the workers dissenters of the peace, and arresting union leadership involved with organizing the strike; soon thereafter becoming known as “The Worker’s Revolt of 2945”.

• By 2346 most of the original union membership were back on the lines in HD facilities, the HWU forgotten, but Dax Rana and others like her kept the fight going from outside the reach of HD. Running to Crusader and its surrounding moons immediately after their release from UEE custody, yet before their trial date, to wait out the controversy and public strife the strike had unfairly saddled them with. They effectively became outlaws, but found a few places of safe harbor across the system. Some turned to piracy, others to more lawful means to eek out a living, but most laying low and spreading word of their cause waiting for a time where public sympathy might once again lean to their favor. This proved to be a costly mistake.

The Hurston Workers’ Union formally became known as the Anarchists’ Space Union in 2947, when Hurston Dynamics and LRI launched a massive assault on the HWU’s headquarters located in a hidden asteroid base within the Yela belt. The attack was coordinated and supported by the UEE Navy; who had recently declared the union a terrorist organization and a threat to the security and stability of the Stanton system. The attack was brutal and devastating, killing many union members and destroying most of the equipment and resources they had accumulated over time. Dax Rana was captured during this attack and soon afterwards executed by Hurston Dynamics, who broadcast her death publically as a warning and a celebration of their victory. In total 33 were killed and another 14 imprisoned never to be seen again. Rumor has it those 14 were quietly executed or shipped off to the far reaches of the ‘verse to keep them from rejoining their compatriots, but no hard evidence of either has been found to date. Officially, according to UEE records, all are imprisoned in the Hurston Dynamics prison, the Klescher Rehabilitation Facility, though none have ever been seen there.

The few surviving union members, those that had managed to escape the attack or were elsewhere when it commenced, were outraged and heartbroken by the loss of life and of the loss of Rana in particular who was well known for her compassion and dedication to the workers of Stanton. They realized that they had no chance of winning against the combined forces of Hurston Dynamics, LRI, and the UEE, none of whom had shown any sense of mercy or respect for their rights and lives. They decided to abandon their original goals of negotiating with their employers, and instead adopted one of overthrowing and destroying those they deemed oppressive to the working class of Stanton.
In response to the attack, the ASU hacked public media outlets a few days after the massacre to announce their reformation and to set the record straight on the events of the Worker’s Revolt; which had consistatly blamed on the union. During the approximately 12 minute broadcast the ASU released stolen internal memos between Hurston Dynamic leadership and LRI, video taken by union sympathizers of the violence the corporate actors had caused, and recordings of calls that took place between various members of the two groups praising their actions against HWU workers. They declared themselves the Anarchists’ Space Union shortly before the feed was cut, vowing to continue their resistance against corporte oppression and their fight for freedom and justice. They quickly decentralized their leadership structure and expanded their scope, not only opposing Hurston Dynamics and LRI, but also the UEE itself and any other entity that tried to impose its will on them or on other sentient beings.