NEW YORK CITY, June 12 — Thousands of angry teachers, transit, fire, sanitation and other workers rallied today demanding new contracts. All city unions have been without new contracts, some for over two years. But instead of staging a city-wide general strike, the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) and the NY Central Labor Council used this as a Democratic Party election rally for the upcoming mayoral election. Some went so far as to say they had come to City Hall to “evict” billionaire Bloomberg, even though he is leaving on his own, term-limited out, after 12 devastating years. The UFT gave out a sea of blue t-shirts that read, “Workers Count and Workers Vote.” That was also one of the main chants from the stage.
At the same time, based on our efforts to bring small blocks of workers and youth from our jobs and schools and the response of workers to CHALLENGE, the rally also showed the potential for building a base for communist revolution.
This demonstration was not the beginning of a real fight to restore needed services in hospitals, schools, and other vital areas. Rather, it was the first of a series of election rallies, winning workers to the idea that if you want a decent contract you better vote for the Democrats. This message was first delivered a few months ago on this very spot when a rally in support of striking school bus drivers and matrons ended after all the Democratic candidates signed a letter urging them to return to work with no contract. Many had no jobs to return to. Sadly, a number of school buses drove past this rally, with no blowing horns and no recognition from the traitors on stage. With hundreds of thousands of workers angry and without a contract, the union bosses were doing their best to keep the workers passive and dependent on this capitalist state. Whoever occupies City Hall, no closed hospitals or schools will be reopened. No racist cutbacks will be restored.
PLP is locked in a fight with the union leaders for the political leadership of workers and youth. When they say “politics is primary,” they mean that you have to vote for Democrats to get a contract with fewer give-backs and concessions. When the PLP says, “politics is primary,” we mean that workers must be armed politically to understand how the racist profit system works, how it is on a collision course for another world war, and how only communist revolution can provide a secure future for the international working class. To defeat the bosses, workers, soldiers and youth need to build a mass PLP.