NOVEMBER 10, 1978 50 CENTS VOLUME 42/NUMBER 42 A SOCIALIST NEWSWEEKLY /PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF THE WORKING PEOPLE Dictatorship reeling · from workers' upsurge -·PAGE 5 ZANJAN, Iran-Tens of thousands marched October 21, protesting murder of demonstrator three days before. n liD our rs By Mary-Alice Waters Editor This year the Militant celebrates its fiftieth anniversary--fifty years of uncompromising struggle for the cause of social justice-fifty years of talking socialism. As you know, the Militant works to expose the lies of the ruling class; to bring its readers the facts; to analyze events; and to help advance the struggles of working people throughout the world. This anniversary year also marks important political developments and important opportunities to increase Grand jury lets the Militant's circulation. There is a new mood of social concern and willingness to struggle among American off Brooklyn. labor in the mines and mills, in the rail and auto industries, among Teamsters, postal workers, and cops in rruder others. The Militant wants to sell 100,000 copies of the paper to these potential new readers this fall. But to maintain the kind of coverage we have been of Arttur Miller bringing our readers we must meet an increasingly -PAGE3 acute financial challenge. In 1928 the first issue of the Militant cost five cents a copy, and we lost money. \ Continued on page 9 In Our Opinion VOLUME 42/NUMBER 42 NOV. 10, 1978 CLOSING NEWS DATE-NOV. 1 slide in the dollar or reassure the stock market. Carter's faltering The message from Wall Street is that Carter ... Meany's treachery has not done enough to "restore confidence." Millions of union members would surely wage-price plan ... Tougher measures must be taken. Specifically, agree with AFL-CIO President George From the moment Carter announced his big business wants: Meany's denunciation of the Carter plan as Phase II "anti-inflation" guidelines, it was • More assurance that Washington will "unfair and inequitable." But Meany then clear the president's plan had little credibility enforce its wage limits, including breaking proceeded to sabotage any labor fight against with anyone. There is no indication that strikes of unions that resist. the guidelines by proposing as an alterna­ working people are fooled by Carter's promises • Faster elimination of government regula­ tive ... mandatory controls! tions that protect job safety, health, and the to limit prices, or that they are ready to sign Meany urged controls "covering every up for his "national austerity" campaign. environment. • More drastic slashes in the federal budget source of income-profits, dividends, rents, When the New York Post asked people on interest rates, executive compensation, profes­ the street for reactions to the program, it got to reduce or eliminate the deficit. Since the corporations also want higher military spend­ sional fees, as well as wages and prices." such comments as: Meany did not explain why anyone should "It will work for the employers. It'll give ing, the cutbacks will naturally fall on educa­ trust this Congress and this administration to them an excuse for not giving their employees tion, health, and other social services. come up with mandatory controls that would raises. They'll volunteer to keep salaries down • Further tax cuts for business and the wealthy. be "fair and equitable." Moreover, Meany but not prices." These measures, the owners of U.S. industry knows the record of every controls program The more the details of Carter's plan emerge, hope, will strengthen their competitive stand­ from World War II through Nixon's "zap the more it stands exposed as an antilabor ing in world markets, fatten their profits, and labor" policy. Every one had the same result- ripoff. avert a disastrous breakdown of the interna­ . wages were held down while prices and profits The administration quickly confirmed that tional monetary system. Any slowdown in soared. its 7 percent wage guideline covers not only inflation is to come entirely at the expense of Meany is offering to bail the rulers out of increases in wages and so-called fringe benef­ working people. their dilemma. If there is more of a pretense of its but also increased costs of maintaining These are precisely the elements of Carter's curbing prices, and if the union leaders are current benefits. For example, suppose because plan. What the ruling rich lack confidence in is given some official status helping administer of skyrocketing medical costs a union de­ not Carter's dedication to their anti-working­ the program, then the AFL-CIO tops will help mands a 4 percent raise in employer payments class program but his ability to carry it out police wages. just to keep up existing health benefits. Under and make it stick. Carter's guideline, those workers would be left For protection against inflation, workers They have reason to worry. with a 3 percent limit on wage increases. need cost-of-living escalator clauses in all What has forced them to proceed cautiously union contracts and social benefits. Meanwhile, the "inflation insurance" tax is the growing combativity of the American We need more government spending for jobs rebate looks shakier and shakier. Now figures working class. The Carter administration is and social services, not less. Elimi~ating the of $50 to $100 are being tossed around as a still haunted by the defeat it suffered when it possible upper limit for refunds-laughably $126 billion war budget would make plenty of tried to break the coal miners' strike. The funds available. less than what the average family loses to ranks of other unions-postal workers, rail­ For protection against unemployment, we inflation each year. road workers, Teamsters, and many more­ On the price side, however, the watchwo.rd need a shorter workweek with no reduction in have been inspired by the example the miners takehome pay. from Washington is "flexibility." The very set. · Instead of "tax incentives" for the corpora­ first action of the Interstate Commerce Com­ This puts the capitalist rulers in a serious mission under the guidelines was to grant the tions, we need to shift the tax burden off the bind. Their drive for "givebacks" from the workers and onto the profiteers and the rich. Louisville & Nashville Railroad a 22 percent workers has met with some success. But not rate increase for coal hauling. nearly enough-and they also have met with Measures such as these will not be forthcom­ Barry Bosworth, executive director of the growing resistance. The rulers cannot resolve ing from the big-business-controlled govern­ Council on Wage and Price Stability, ex­ the economic crisis on their terms without ment or the two capitalist parties. They will be plained that the price standards are "meant to exacting far more massive sacrifices from the won only by mobilizing the power of the union be self-administered" by business. He told workers. Yet they remain fearful of pressing ranks-the kind of power the miners showed. corporate executives they should interpret the toward a confrontation-a confrontation they Right now workers can't take responsibility price guidelines "like they interpret the tax are far from certain of winning. for government economic controls because code." And everyone knows how scrupulously [Carter's November 1 announcement of dras­ workers have no control over the government. honest corporations are when it comes to tic new steps to prop up the dollar-including We need a mass, independent labor party­ paying taxes! his willingness to plunge the country into based on .a militant and democratic union recession-was an admission of Phase II's movement-to take the government out of the ... rulers' dilemma failure. The meaning of this development for hands of the corporations and begin to orga­ Despite the flagrantly probusiness bias of working people will be analyzed in next week's nize the economy to serve the majority, the Carter's plan, it has so far failed to halt the Militant.] working class. The Militant Militant Highlights This Week Editor: MARY-ALICE WATERS Managing Editor: STEVE CLARK Business Manager: ANDREA BARON Editorial Staff: Peter Archer, Nancy Cole, David 3 Antlnuke actions Divest now! Frankel, Cindy Jaquith, Shelley Kramer, Ivan Licho, 4 'Militant' sales Omari Musa, Harry Ring, Dick Roberts, Andy Rose, The student battle against university investments in South Africa Priscilla Schenk, Peter Seidman, Diane Wang, 7 Interview with Drake Koka is exposing U.S. links to the apartheid regime. Page 6. Arnold Weissberg. 8 J.P. Cannon on the 'Militant' Published weekly by the Militant, 14 Charles Lane, 10 Piedra tour New York, N.Y. 10014. Telephone Editorial Office 24 Inflation: Who's to blame? (212) 243-6392; Business Office (212) 929-3486. 25 Saleway strike Correspondence concerning subscriptions or 26 CP & elections changes of address should be addressed to The Militant Business Office, 14 Charles Lane, New 27 GM's 'Southern Strategy' York, N.Y. 10014. 32 Chicanos hit Carter fence Second-class postage paid at New York, N.Y. Subscriptions: U.S. $15.00 a year, outside U.S. GM-UAW ·southern pact $20.50. By first-class mail: U.S., Canada, and Mex­ 2 In Our Opinion Has General Motors abandoned its anti-union 'Southern ico: $42.50. Write for surface and airmail rates to all other countries. 23 Campaigning lor Soc/a/Ism strategy'? Page 27. For subscriptions airfreighted to London then 28 In Briel posted to Britain and Ireland: £2.50 for ten issues; What's Going On £5.50 for six months (twenty-four issues); £10 for II.,.....~-·.:,-. 29 The Great Society one year (forty-eight issues). Posted from London Women In Revolt to Continental Europe: £4 for ten issues, £8 for six months (twenty-four issues); £13 for one year 30 Our Revolutionary Heritage 50 years of American Trotskyism (forty-eight issues).