NEW YORK CITY, April 8 — Recently workers in a local community organization participated in a press conference on the steps of City Hall here at which City Council Speaker Christine Quinn was supposed to present a resolution asking the NY State Senate to pass the minimum wage law.
A group of workers in the organization had smuggled in a sign which they held up demanding Quinn pass the paid-sick-days bill. This created a commotion. Several people, including the organizer of the press conference — not expecting such an action — demanded we remove the sign. However, we disobeyed their orders, standing strong and militantly.
Ultimately, Speaker Quinn failed to appear. Although the workers were criticized by the organization’s leaders, it was a small victory for those involved.
Two weeks later, because of growing pressure — and as part of her strategy in her run for mayor — Quinn called a City Council vote for paid sick days. However, Quinn and Council members, together with the bosses they represent, had made a number of changes in the bill.
Instead of five paid sick days to workers in businesses with more than five workers, they proposed five days to workers in businesses with more than 20 workers. Workers in smaller businesses would get five unpaid sick days with no retaliation. So-called oversight and enforcement of the law would be given to the Dept. of Consumer Affairs.
Initially there was euphoria among the workers in the NYC coalition for paid sick days. But later, when workers in the community organization analyzed the proposal in detail, we realized we’d fallen for the bosses’ lies. If the proposal is voted into law in July 2013, it won’t be effective until April, 2014, and then only if the City’s economy doesn’t decline as measured by the financial index of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the country’s leading capitalist bank.
Once again we see how the biggest capitalists use their tools to serve their class interests. We need mass, international working-class fight-back. Our class will be able to truly organize workers’ health and safety only when we overthrow capitalism through revolution and establish communist workers’ power.
At the last meeting of the community organization, the directors proposed a party to celebrate the workers’ “historic victory.” When a comrade explained the truth about the proposed paid-sick-days law, all the workers agreed there was nothing to celebrate yet. For the workers, the best way we can celebrate is to march on May Day, read and distribute CHALLENGE and join the Progressive Labor Party.