Huelgas climáticas mundiales 12 Verdaderos crímenes de Trump 12 Workers and oppressed peoples of the world unite! workers.org Vol. 61 No. 41 Oct. 10, 2019 $1 General strike rocks Ecuador By Michael Otto and Zoila Ramirez strike of truckers, bus and taxi drivers Ibarra, Imbabura, Ecuador on Oct. 3-4. That strike by itself para- lyzed the country in the transport unions’ Oct. 7— Support for a call for a general unsuccessful attempt to save the more strike in Ecuador has grown quickly in the than four-decades-old subsidy. past few days, bringing the country to the The national government suspended brink of a change in government. school classes Oct. 3-4, which added The latest upsurge in mass struggle weight to the protests. On Oct. 3, Moreno began after the unpopular President imposed a state of exception, which for Lenín Moreno issued a decree on Oct. 1 the next 60 days nullified the freedoms of ending subsidies for diesel and extra gas- assembly and association (without men- oline with ethanol, fuels used for nearly tioning the constitutional right of resis- all vehicles. Moreno did this following the tance). The state of exception also allowed International Monetary Fund’s require- Moreno to flee his presidential palace in ments for granting Ecuador a loan. Since Quito to the military base in Guayaquil. Oct. 2, many thousands of citizens from The National Assembly is not in ses- PHOTO: TELESUR all social sectors have gone out into the sion, and people don’t know who is actu- A contingent of Indigenous peoples marches to Quito, with 20,000 expected to arrive Oct. 8. streets in numerous Ecuadorian cities ally running the government. People all and villages every day. over the country continue to defy the Oct. 7: “47 members of the military were “This struggle is the response of the The massive mobilization taking place president’s orders. detained [by the people] after they used people to the declaration made by Lenín now far exceeds the two-day nationwide Resumen Latino American reported tear gas bombs to attack the inhabitants Moreno days ago, a declaration that goes of the community of Tixan, in the canton according to specifications decreed by the of Clausí, in Chimborazo Province.” IMF. We are responding because these The leaders of the Confederation of economic measures presented by Lenín Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador Moreno are totally diluting our rights, a (CONAIE) and the United Workers Front historical conquest of human rights that (FUT) announced a national strike of activ- was achieved [through struggle]. ities on Oct. 9. It is significant that both “This is really the expression of the these groups supported the president 20 people. We are here in a peaceful way months ago in his successful attempt to with a passionate heart, with a fist in the push through a reactionary referendum air. We want the government to fall, yes. and are now breaking with him. But we’ll go forward without violence. It’s hard; it’s always with the revolution. In The strike in Ibarra and Imbabura the head and in the heart. Ibarra is a city of 300,000 people, about “We are protesting in peace and they 100 miles north of Quito, the capital. throw the horses at us ... they are shoot- Christian Pabón, a leader of the youth ing pellets at us … they are shooting gas wing of the Revolución Ciudadana canisters at our bodies … the only thing WW PHOTO: MICHAEL OTTO (Citizen’s Revolution), spoke passionately we have is our voice, our screams, our Youth leader Christian Pabón by Ibarra’s obelisk on Oct. 4 says, ‘We are protesting in peace at the Ibarra Obelisk on Oct. 4: and they throw the horses at us.’ Continued on page 8 Editorial Impeachment/ China’s revolution at 70 10 Contradictions 3 Working class in motion Laundry workers 2 Riding the MTA 5 Fighting state violence 6-7, 10 Autoworkers 4 On the picket line 5 Pensacola killer cop fired Student-athletes 4 Hotel workers 8 Philly anti-FOP rally Atlanta says 'Free Al-Amin!' Subscribe to Workers World The murder of Botham Jean ☐ 4 weeks trial $4 ☐ 1 year subscription $30 Health crisis at Frackville ☐ Sign me up for the WWP Supporter Program: workers.org/donate Botham Jean’s family members Name _______________________________________________________________ next to his portrait. ‘Thank you, Mumia’ Email _______________________________ Phone _________________________ Street _______________________________________________________________ City / State / Zip _______________________________________________________ Haiti’s uprising 11 Workers World Weekly Newspaper workers.org 147 W. 24th St., 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10011 212.627.2994 Cuba’s re-forestation 9 Page 2 Oct. 10, 2019 workers.org New York City Gala celebrates women laundry workers this week By Monica Moorehead FIRE (Fight for Im/migrants and Refugees Everywhere) to New York get Greyhound to stop collaborating with ICE as it targets ◆ In the U.S. immigrants on its buses for arrest and deportation. NYC celebration of women laundry workers.......2 The Laundry Workers Center held a fundraising gala at Cultural performances at the gala were provided by the St. Peter’s Church in Manhattan on Oct. 4. The center’s Villalobos Brothers and Mimi Berkova. Contradictions in the impeachment struggle ......3 political philosophy “is rooted in organizing workers and For more information on the LWC and how you can sup- In fourth week, GM strikers battle on .............4 building their leadership skills and political power through port the organization, go to laundryworkerscenter.org and Fair Pay to Play for student-athletes ..............4 a variety of worker-led tools and tactics, including taking facebook.com/lwc.org. ☐ Subway struggle: ‘Accessibility, not cops!’ .........5 direct action at the workplace, serving as their own voice to media outlets, speaking out as members of the community, On the picket line ..............................5 and acting as their own advocates at the negotiation table.” Philly cop corruption cover-ups..................6 (laundryworkerscenter.org/our-mission) Free H. Rap Brown/Imam Jamil Al-Amin! ........6 The theme of the gala was “Sin Fronteras! Without Pensacola people’s victory, killer cop fired......... 7 Borders— Celebrating the Victories of Women Laundry Workers.” The event raised awareness and funds for the The conviction of Amber Guyger ................. 7 important ongoing work of the LWC in organizing low- Inmates fight for health in Frackville ............. 7 wage, predominantly im/migrant, workers. Solidarity rally with Boston hotel strikers .........8 These workers are forced to endure higher incidence Office hours with Professor Abu-Jamal ..........10 of wage theft, intolerable working conditions and sexual abuse. The LWC has been in the forefront of organizing ◆ Around the world and defending the workers, many of whom— especially the women— come without a voice but with solidarity General strike rocks Ecuador .................... 1 on the job and in the streets and soon become organizers Cuba, reforestation and the climate crisis, Part 1 ...9 themselves. Mass protests in Haiti demand president resign ...11 One such person is Ricarda, who was born in Guerrero, Protest of U.S.-backed massacres in Haiti . .11 Mexico, and migrated to the U.S. at the age of 26. Ricarda has worked for 15 years at the Sunshine Shirt Laundry ◆ Editorial Center in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. She launched her first cam- paign as a LWC organizer in February. During the gala, a China’s revolution at 70........................10 video was shown of Ricarda presenting grievances to her ◆ Noticias en Español boss on the job, with other LWC members there to sup- port her. Ricarda received a plaque of recognition from the Editorial: Los verdaderos crímenes de Trump .... 12 LWC. Jeanne Mirer, a labor lawyer, received an Immigrant Huelgas climáticas mundiales .................. 12 Rights Defender award from the LWC. Rosanna Rodriguez, LWC co-executive director, reviewed the important work of the LWC over the past year. Advances included winning $220,000 in back pay for workers; initiating an anti-wage theft bill; helping to WW PHOTO: MONICA MOOREHEAD raise the minimum wage in New Jersey; and working with Juana (left) presents award to Ricarda, Oct. 4. Workers World 147 W. 24th St., 2nd Fl. New York, NY 10011 Join us in the fight Phone: 212.627.2994 E-mail: [email protected] for socialism! Web: www.workers.org Vol. 61, No. 41 • Oct. 10, 2019 Workers World Party is a revolutionary Marxist-Leninist people are gunned down by cops and bigots on a regular Closing date: Oct. 9, 2019 party inside the belly of the imperialist beast. We are a basis. multinational, multigenerational and multigendered orga- The ruthless ruling class today seeks to wipe out Editor: Deirdre Griswold nization that not only aims to abolish capitalism, but to decades of gains and benefits won by hard-fought strug- Managing Editors: John Catalinotto, Martha Grevatt, build a socialist society because it’s the only way forward! gles by people’s movements. The super-rich and their Monica Moorehead, Minnie Bruce Pratt Capitalism and imperialism threaten the peoples of the political representatives have intensified their attacks on Web Editors: Ben Carroll, John Steffin world and the planet itself in the neverending quest for the multinational, multigender and multigenerational ever-greater profits. working class. It is time to point the blame at—and chal- Production & Design Editors: Gery Armsby, Sasha Capitalism means war and austerity, racism and repres- lenge—the capitalist system. Mazumder, Scott Williams sion, attacks on im/migrants, misogyny, LGBTQ oppres- WWP fights for socialism because the working class Copyediting and Proofreading: Paddy Colligan, sion and mistreatment of people with disabilities. It means produces all wealth in society, and this wealth should Sue Davis, S. Hedgecoke joblessness, increasing homelessness and impoverishment remain in their hands, not be stolen in the form of capi- Contributing Editors: LeiLani Dowell, G.