PHILADELPHIA, October 3 — The continuing fight against cutbacks and firings at a large teaching hospital shows how long-term communist basebuilding can stretch and change the limits in our battles. On the surface, the odds in this fight seem stacked against us. The nurses, largely white, are non-union and handicapped by divisive ideas like elitism and professionalism. The workers in the union, who are largely black, are themselves split into two groups: those who work directly for the hospital and those who work for two notoriously exploitive contractors. There is also longstanding tension between the nurses and the union members based on racism and nationalism.
But that’s just one side of the equation. On the other side are the many years of communist basebuilding by Progressive Labor Party at the hospital, the countless conversations about the need to overthrow capitalism with communist revolution and the need to join PL. Many, many friendships have been built.
Hundred of Challenge-Desafios have been circulated through networks and hand-to-hand distribution. Home visits and social activities helped non-union nurses and unionized blue-collar workers overcome their divisions with multi-racial unity. Fights big and small, even if they weren’t successful, helped forge significant solidarity.
As a result, workers were determined and enthusiastic in the meetings after the hospital bosses fired nurse activist Wesley on trumped-up charges of ‘diverting narcotics’ (see 10/5 Challenge-Desafio). A defense fund is being organized. Union members volunteered to fight to get their union to support Wesley. Workers also volunteered to arrange for Wesley and other fired workers to speak at their churches. A flyer was written to reach out to unions, churches and neighborhood organizations. We also made plans to continue the fight within the hospital against the firings and patient care cutbacks.
The firings are painful and difficult, and the elimination of nursing assistants deadly for patients. It can be difficult to keep our focus when time must also be spent on figuring out how Wesley is going to survive and how the lawyer is going to be paid. Nonetheless, we are struggling to make the growth of PL and Challenge-Desafio our primary goal and central to all our activities.
The confidence that we can solve these problems comes from our confidence in our base. After decades of communist basebuilding, workers in our base are stepping forward to play significant roles in the current fight. The obligation of PL members in this struggle is to intensify the struggle for these workers to join PL and distribute Challenge-Desafio.
The Party’s newspaper is in everyone’s hands at our meetings. We are working on guaranteeing and expanding the existing Challenge networks as we advance the fights inside the hospital. We need to improve how we integrate communist ideas into our many meetings and conversations about the issues of the moment.
If you would like more information about making a donation or inviting fired nurse Wesley and other hospital workers to speak to your union, church, or neighborhood organization, or even a group of friends, please leave a message at 267-319-3515.