Communist Ideas the Right Rx Hospital Workers Beat Back Racist Attacks

PHILADELPHIA, September 15 — “Racism? You’ll never stop it, never!” declared a retired hospital worker, echoing a pessimism many workers feel. But the promise of communist revolution is that the overthrow of capitalism removes the reasons racism exists. The lower wages paid to black, Latino, and immigrant workers generate billions in extra profits that the bosses can’t do without. Racism also allows the bosses to divide the working class. Communist revolution against the class- and profit-driven system of capitalism is the first step in building the world without racism that most of us want.

At a meeting between the nursing bosses and the nurses, a black nurse with long years of service at a large teaching hospital spoke up against laying off the nursing assistants. Shortly afterwards, she was fired. Hospital workers were shocked and outraged.

The fight against the firing of this veteran black nurse shows how we can’t back down from fighting racism and that the bosses will increasingly use fascist terror. As in other cities, the bosses at this hospital are increasing their attacks on patient care and the hospital workers. On at least one hospital floor, the bosses terminated all the nursing assistants.

PLP members have a long history at this hospital and immediately organized against the firing. We described the firing as racist and an example of fascist terror to scare the workers, especially nurses. We tied this racist firing to the recent police murder of the son of another black co-worker and described both as examples of fascism on and off the job.

Some workers, however, thought we shouldn’t mention that the nurse is black or that the firing is racist. This opinion was expressed by both black and white, mainly nurses. Their main concern was that mentioning that the nurse is black and bringing up racism might alienate the doctors who also wanted to fight the firing. Working-class union members, on the other hand, saw the firing as clearly racist and agreed with our response. And interestingly, the nurses who disagreed with us about the firing being racist nonetheless participated in the actions we called for.

When our organizing became evident, the bosses tried to defend the firing by claiming that there was more involved than we knew, which supposedly justified the firing. Most workers thought this was a lie. So-called “friendly” nursing bosses repeated this claim but never offered any evidence. Yet even this pathetic defense illustrates a bigger truth.

It’s the bosses who kill and hurt more patients, who cut healthcare funds, benefits and staffing and who close hospitals. Of course they won’t be fired. Under capitalism, the rich bosses hold state power and run the government. Only communist revolution can give these real criminals the “pink slip.”

A week ago, the fired nurse was re-hired. But now the bosses are going after the workers whom they think led the fight for the fired nurse’s job. Today, the bosses alleged that narcotics were “diverted” by another nurse, Wesley, who was ordered to have a Breathalyzer and urine test and leave the hospital. The results of the urine test were negative.

Wesley did not “divert narcotics.” Wesley does have a long history of building multi-racial unity to fight for better conditions for patients and workers. Wesley did support organizing against the racist cop killing of the son of another hospital worker. Wesley did help organize the fight to reinstate the fired black nurse.

The hospital workers know Wesley well and did not waiting for the test results. The day after Wesley was ordered off the premises, a leaflet appeared all over the hospital calling on workers to demand that Wesley be brought back to work immediately. Workers are calling Wesley to offer their support.

Although the nurses are not unionized, Wesley has strong ties with Local 1199 union members. The leaflet urges them to call on the union and organize members to defend Wesley. The nurses who worked in the unionization drive with Wesley are urged to demand that the nursing union also support him.

As long as the bosses hold state power and remain in control, they will overturn any victories we might win. In 2012, the hospital bosses want union give-backs in benefits and pension that will hurt this 1199 local, which that is primarily black. These cuts will be as deadly as mass lynchings.

This experience shows that the bosses will fight us tooth and nail when we fight to protect a worker’s job or protest against a racist police killing. Let’s get off this capitalist merry-go-round and instead organize all our fights, big and small, with the goal of overthrowing capitalism once and for all. Capitalist racism and fascist terror can end — but only with communism. Join PLP.