Letters of September 5

Carpenters in Contract Fight,Win Anti-Racist Demand

The working class is under attack. New York Consolidated Edison workers, recently locked out of work by management for several weeks, just got a sellout contract. Another group of unionized workers in a sharp contract battle are New York City carpenters. 

The carpenters union is simultaneously negotiating five different contracts for five of the associations it represents. Workers rejected four out of the five contracts. The hoisting contract, covering carpenters working with cranes, was accepted.

The bosses want a 20 percent wage-cut and “full mobility,” the option to pick and choose all carpenters on the worksite. Currently 33 percent of carpenters at any union site must be staffed by the union hall, an anti-racist reform won partly to ensure black workers were not turned away by racist bosses. Full mobility is a racist attack on the carpenters.

At one point in the negotiations, the bosses were willing to give a pay raise in exchange for full mobility. But the workers rejected it.

The carpenter’s contract expired June 2011. But union delegates recently put $40,000 in a strike fund. The only reason carpenters are still working is because of the evergreen clause, which extends the old contract year. Now that the evergreen clause expired they are still working under the old contract. But from talking to carpenters, some are willing to strike because there’s no new contract, especially guys at the hall.

Carpenters may or may not strike. But if they do, PLP should be ready to support striking workers on the picket lines. We should be prepared to bring friends, co-workers, students, community members and fellow churchgoers to the lines.

Red Steel

Algeria: Muslim Workers Fight Sexist Attack

On August 1, in Tiaret, Algeria, 90 percent of the workers at the provincial central seat of the Algerian National Health Insurance Fund held a two-hour work stoppage here today to support a female co-worker who had filed a sexual harassment charge against a driver employed by the Fund. The workers were protesting the driver’s return to work after having been transferred last year. The bosses claimed the anti-sexist stoppage was “illegal” but that didn’t prevent the workers from refusing to work. The action was notable since it reflected male Muslim workers backing a female colleague’s fight against sexism.

Comrade 

Spain: Workers Seize Food for Jobless

In Marinaleda, Spain on August 7, two left-wing militants were arrested after leading a raid to expropriate food from two Andalusian supermarkets. “This is a really tough time for a lot of families,” said a local union official.

The action was protesting unemployment here and the depressed economic situation workers in Andaluse. Twenty shopping carts loaded with food were taken from the markets “so people could eat. People don’t have money to pay for their house or electricity or water….Many families have had their water cut off,” , which is what prompted the action, said the demonstration leader Diego Cañamero

Red

Disputes Idea of All-out U.S.-China War

In CHALLENGE (8/1), the box on page 2 ends: “History tells us that the U.S. capitalists will go to any lengths to meet the challenge of a rising China in a competition for the world’s vital resources, especially oil and gas. Can World War III be far behind?”

It is true that capitalism means war, but there are choices available in making war. For instance, when Britain got strong enough to decide that its next step was to smash India’s industry, it did so. But they did not massively invade India. They achieved their aim by a divide-and-conquer tactic, supporting various nationalistic or religious forces and getting other to do most of the fighting. This is an old tactic.

The U.S. today is certainly responsible for a lot of shooting. But it is mostly carried out by nationalists — usually corrupt — who agree to run the country in ways that suit U.S. bosses.

There are choices capitalists make regarding war. The idea of a ruling-class leadership deliberately opting for all-out war with China is preposterous. The same goes for China wanting an all-out war with the U.S. Both parties want maximum advantage and profit, but it is impossible to outline a scenario which would lead to one of these two benefitting from an all-out war. How would it help profits?

Well, you may think, military threats may start small, but then things can get out of hand. In other words, the ruling class will obligingly make it easier for PLP to take steps toward a workers’ victory. An alluring idea, but don’t bet on it!

Ancient Red

Thank you for your comments. We invite our readers to participate in this discussion. -Ed.

PLP’s May Days Inspire Red Friend from China

This May Day, a friend, a member of the Chinese Communist Party, attended our dinner. Since being in the U.S., he has missed the last two May Days — the only two in his life.

He was surprised by the celebration. While it was definitely different than what he was used to, he saw interesting aspects in our gathering. “It reminds me of the stories of May Day celebrations before the Chinese revolution,” he said to my delight.  Having had many conversations with this friend, it is clear that it has been decades since the fight for communism in China.

He sees that capitalism has swept over China. Most importantly, he sees his friends in PLP as good, fighting, anti-racist workers.  PLP has a long road ahead for a worldwide communist revolution. But, now we are inspiring our friends to see capitalism as a system that must be destroyed in order to end the suffering of our sisters and brothers internationally. Now, more than ever, I am proud to be a communist in Progressive Labor Party.

Red Organizer