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Mzl.Nl E~S at Eastern in Deep Trouble, Admits Company Trustee

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Mzl.Nl E~S at Eastern in Deep Trouble, Admits Company Trustee THE ·Socialists fight for right to protect priva~y of campaign contributors Pages9-12 A SOCIALIST NEWSWEEKLY PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF WORKING PEOPLE VOL~ 54/NO. 29 JULY 27, 1990 $1.25 Mzl.nl e~s at Eastern in deep trouble, ra yzn • Britain admits company trustee stand up for their union BY JONATHAN SILBERMAN DURHAM, England-Thousands ofmin­ ers and their families and supporters rallied at the 106th Durham miners' gala July 14. They warmly applauded speeches from Na­ tional Union of Mineworkers President Ar­ thur Scargill, NUM North-East Area General Secretary Davey Hopper, Labour Member of Parliament Dennis Skinner, and the general secretary of the National Union of Public Employees, Rodney Bickerstaffe. Speakers at the annual event are decided by ballot vote of the NUM members in the area. Also on the platform were Bill Morris, deputy general secretary of the Transport and General Workers Union, 15 Labour MPs, and a number ofother prominent labor movement 011 figures. Their presence was particularly im­ portant in light of recent attacks on the NUM and its leaders, which have escalated over STRIKE the past two weeks. Newspaper headlines have demanded a police inquiry into the union and have smeared NUM leaders Arthur Scargill and Peter Heathfield. A string of articles and television and radio news reports have sought to discredit the International Miners' Or­ Militant/Judy Stranahan Militant/Roni McCann ganisation, of which the NUM is a leading Martin Shugrue, Eastern's court-appointed trustee, at July 13 news conference. And strikers and supporters at La Guardia Airport affiliate. in New York the next day. A union-commissioned inquiry under law­ yer Gavin Lighbnan had refuted the original BY JUDY STRANAHAN Shugrue, who was appointed trustee by reach $500 million. set of allegations: that Scargill and Heathfield NEW YORK -"I've taken a realistic the bankruptcy court on April 18 to protect At the same time, trying to maintain an had used money from Libya and the Soviet look at Eastern's revenue projections and the $1 billion invesbnent of Eastern's unse­ upbeat posture, Shugrue explained he also Union for their own personal gain. The media obviously 1990 will produce a substantial cured creditors, had just come from a meeting told the creditors that Eastern could turn then changed tack, arguing that money do­ loss to the company," said Martin Shugrue, of the creditors' committee. There he report­ a profit in 1991, although he gave no nated from miners in the Soviet Union to the trustee for Eastern Airlines at a July 13 news edly projected a 1990 loss below the carrier's specific information on how that would NUM had been diverted to the IMO for conference held at the Holiday Inn Crowne 1989 deficit of $852.3 million. Airline indus­ happen. Continued on Page 17 · Plaza. try analysts estimate the 1990 loss could Shugrue leaned heavily on "facts" that show the situation for Eastern is improving. "The fact of the matter is we complete 99 percent of our flights every day. The fact of Mohawks hold back Quebec cop attack the matter is that we are the number one carrier in this country in on time performance BY BEVERLY BERNARDO reserve, blocking it from the outside world. hole golf course onto Native land that con­ last montli . .. The fact is our customer sat­ AND ROSEMARY RAY Natives at Kanesatake set up their barri­ tains a burial ground sacred to the Mohawk isfaction is way up." Asked if the news OKA, Quebec - Early on July 11 a squad cades in the pine forest adjacent to the Oka people. Mohawk efforts to assert their claim conference was really a commercial, Shu­ of about 100 heavily armed Sfirete du Quebec golf course after the city council refused to to the disputed area date back to 1717. The grue replied, ''Of course this is a commercial. (Quebec Provincial Police) officers moved back off of plans to expand the present nine- Continued on Page 17 Continued on Page 6 in to tear down barricades erected in March by Mohawk Indians. The police launched a · barrage of bullets, tear gas, and concussion grenades at the Mohawks ~hind the barri­ Socialist petitioning for ballot spot gets good start cades at the Kanesatake settlement near Oka, a village of 1,500 people about 30 miles BY RONI McCANN the paperwork involved with the petitioning northwest of Montreal. NEW YORK-The first day of a three­ effort, arid preparing for evening forums that The Mohawks, armed to defend their land week drive to collect 30,000 signatures to featured SWP candidate for U.S. Congress and their rights, fought back, forcing the cops put socialist candidates on the ballot here was Selva Nebbia and SWP member and union to retreat. Police officer Marcel Lemay was a success with campaign supporters gather­ garment worker Anna Schell speaking on caught in the crossfire and killed. The cops ing 5,307 names- 1,307 over their goal for ''The fight for human rights in the 1990s." the day. were also forced to abandon some half dozen Young socialists police cars and one bulldozer, which the Eighty-eight petitioners fanned out in Mohawks used to set up two new barricades Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and Long Is­ Also mobilized for the campaign effort on Route 344. Police then erected their own land July 14 to collect signatures needed to were members of the Young Socialist Alli­ barricades several hundred yards from each ance, including several who were petitioning of the new Mohawk barricades. for the first time. Rena Sitrin, a student at 7,599 signatures collected so far Bard College in upstate New York, and Matt Since then they have been reinforced by in petitioning drive over 1,000 heavily armed provincial police for Ainsworth, from State University of New and several hundred Royal Canadian New York socialist candidates York at Purchase, are both in the city for the Mounted Police. On July 17 the Canadian summer helping with the petitioning effort. army confirmed that it is preparing to in­ win ballot status for Socialist Workers Party "It's a great way to intiate political discus­ ervene to break through Mohawk barricades. candidate for governor Craig Gannon. The sions with people," said Sitrin. She and Ains­ When Mohawks on the Kahnawake re­ SWP ticket for the state elections also in­ worth explained that YSA members were serve on Montreal's south shore learned of cludes Susan Anmuth for lieutenant gover­ calling friends to join the campaign and both the police invasion of Kanesatake, they im­ nor, Aaron Ruby for comptroller, and Derek felt they could win new members to the mediately moved to set up a blockade closing Bracey for attorney general. Selva Nebbia revolutionary youth organization through the down the Mercier bridge. This key traffic and Cathy Sedwick are SWP candidates for campaign effort. artery leading to the island on which the city U.S. Congress in the 15th and 11th districts. Luis, who met the YSA during the Nelson of Montreal is located still remained closed Supporters from New Jersey and Pennsyl­ Mandela tour, petitioned for the first time as ofJuly 17. vania came in for the day's activities, which and gathered 75 signatures. "For me it was In response, a Quebec Provincial Police included staffing the campaign headquarters good to talk to workers. Many want a change Campaign volunteer signs up a New force of 500 has surrounded the Kahnawake in Brooklyn and Manhattan. helping out on Continued on Page S \brker during big Saturday effort. Havana carnival is theme of visiting Cuban artist BY SELVA NEBBIA He has specialized in photographing the car­ the fusing of the Catholic religion of the NEW YORK­ nival, and his photographs will be the basis Spanish slave owners and the beliefs brought During the month of of the book. by the slaves from Africa. July, the Lobby Show­ "The carnival is the largest people's cele­ "Before the revolution of 1959," Delgado case Gallery at La bration that takes place in the city," Delgado noted, "Blacks held their carnival on Satur­ Guardia Community pointed out. It goes on for about 10 days and day night, and the whites, the bourgeoisie, College in Queens is occurs around the time of the July 26 cele­ held theirs on Sunday afternoon." featuring the works of bration. July 26 commemorates the date in Today there is only one carnival, said Cuban photographer 1953 of the attack on the Moncada Garrison Delgado, "Though about 80 percent of those Hector Delgado Pe­ by rebel forces led by Fidel Castro. This who attend are Black." rez. action opened the Cuban revolutionary strug­ Carnival is celebrated throughout the is­ Delgado, 40, cur­ gle that won victory in 1959. land, explained Delgado. "But the Havana rently works as a Carnival is a cultural expression of Cuba's carnival is unique in that unlike the others, photo journalist for African roots, explained Delgado. "It has its it is basically a show that people come to the National Union of origins way back when Blacks were brought watch, unlike, for example, the carnival in Writers and Artists of to Cuba as slaves by the Spanish colonizers. Santiago that involves more participation Cuba (UNEAC), in The different ethnic groups among the slaves, from the general public." Havana. He has been such as the Yorubas, the Carabalf, the Harara, The Havana carnival consists of floats and UNEAC's official would perform their own dances and music comparsas from the different neighborhoods, photographer since once a year when the masters gave them time as well as from different organizations, and 1982.
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