School Bus Strike — Drive Back the Bosses’ Attack

NEW YORK CITY, January 16 — The worldwide capitalist system is facing an economic crisis that the bosses are trying to solve on the backs of workers. Here, this means high unemployment, hospital and school closings and attacks against many of the few remaining good-paying jobs. Therefore, it’s significant that 8,800 school bus drivers and matrons are striking against cutbacks by New York’s ruling class.
Billionaire Mayor Bloomberg and Chancellor Walcott pretend to care about students, but their lies shine through, given that they’ve slashed the budget for public schools. Furthermore, Bloomberg has overseen attacks on city workers, higher transit fares and less funding for hospitals — all of which means that the entire working class will suffer. Meanwhile the city spared no expense in getting Wall Street back up and running after hurricane Sandy. In this context, it’s a great thing that bus drivers and matrons are standing strong.
This strike should be viewed as a good thing for students. When workers stand up and resist, we are teaching young people about the importance of not accepting capitalism’s injustices. A school bus strike has not occurred in NYC since 1979. When workers don’t resort to strikes, it only encourages the bosses to take more from us. Only when we strike do we force them to recognize our importance, that it’s we workers who produce all value. And we remind ourselves and the next generation of our potential power.
It is no mere coincidence that the city government’s attempt to open up city contracts affects mainly black and Latino workers and students. Capitalism’s racist nature means that in times of crisis it is black and Latino workers who suffer the most. In employment, health care and education, racism acts to super-exploit a section of the working class. Bloomberg & Co.’s attempts to undermine bus driver/matron job security will make school bus companies places with higher turnover and unsafe conditions. The bosses hope this will then weaken unions and reduce wages.
Unfortunately, even if this strike forces the bosses to concede the workers’ current demands, more fights lie ahead. No matter what gains unions and social movements achieve under capitalism, the bosses will always use their state power to take them back. This is because their system is inherently unstable and competitive. When the economy crashes, workers are expected to pay the price. The constant competition among the bosses in the U.S., China and Europe leads to wars worldwide over oil, markets and other resources. This then spells more cutbacks for publically funded workers here. This is the future that capitalism offers workers of the world: war and poverty.
 That is why the Progressive Labor Party fights for communism. We want to build a world free of the bosses and their exploitation. We want to smash racism, the main tool of the bosses to maintain their power. As we encourage all New Yorkers to stand in solidarity with the striking bus workers, we invite you to join us.