MUNDO OBRERO  OtaN  tOrtUra 12

Workers and oppressed peoples of the world unite! workers.org MAY 1, 2008 VOL. 50, NO. 17 50¢ MAY DAY 2008 A world of reasons for ALL workers to unite By Deirdre Griswold that have torn apart families and left them destitute. This year, courageous longshore workers will be shutting YOUTH IN ACTION This May Day, International Workers’ Day, there will be plen- down the West Coast ports for eight hours on May 1 in a strike Anti-sweatshop sit-in 8 ty of reasons for workers in the United States—and around the against the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Other unions are pledg- world—to take to the streets in protest over their conditions and ing their support, showing that workers in this country believe to raise their demands. this endless war, with its horrendous casualties and enormous NEPAL ELECTION There are of course the issues around disastrous layoffs, cost, is defi nitely an issue for the labor movement. shrinking pay, speedup, shortened hours and other deteriorat- In many parts of the country, particularly the Midwest, the 11 Red victory ing working conditions. epidemic of housing foreclosures and the demand for a morato- But also on the agenda are the many ways in which the work- rium will be raised as an urgent issue on May Day. Workers there AMERICAN AXLE ers and their communities fi nd themselves under assault from are being hit with a double whammy: losing jobs with union pay a billionaire class that uses racism, sexism, homophobia, immi- just as the cost of subprime mortgages is ballooning. Being job- International solidarity 4 grant bashing and pro-war propaganda to keep the people from less and homeless is a worker’s worst nightmare. being able to fi ght back effectively. This nightmare is compounded for many tens of millions It was a huge outpouring of immigrant workers on May 1, in the United States by racism and national oppression. Black FORECLOSURE CRISIS 2006, organized rapidly and from the grassroots in response to workers, as well as Latin@s, are losing their jobs and homes in Direct actions stop evictions 5 legislation threatening their rights, that restored May Day in the disproportionate numbers. The survivors of Katrina, those who United States as the premier day of workers’ struggle. made it through the hurricane and fl ooding only to almost perish For decades, since the rabidly right-wing period of the 1950s of neglect in the aftermath, are struggling to actually keep decent Attacks on immigrants, known as McCarthyism, May Day had been suppressed in this public housing from being torn down in New Orleans. country as “too left.” It was “unpatriotic” to march in synch with The U.S. prison system, by far the largest in the world, is stuffed workers millions of workers all over the world demanding a better life— with people of color who are locked up for supposed “crimes” of A basis for fi ghtback 6-7 even though May Day actually originated in the struggle of work- survival. A recent study showed the U.S. rate of incarceration is ers in Chicago in 1886. Unions here were restricted to parades fi ve times the world average! on Labor Day that left out the broader social issues. And while corporate criminals who swindle billions of dollars WORLD HUNGER But now it is clearer than ever that the problems workers face get out in a few months or years—assuming they ever go to jail Who's responsible? 9 are global—and international working-class solidarity is vital to at all—there are countless African American, Native and Latin@ the solution. prisoners, like Mumia Abu-Jamal, the Angola 3 and Leonard The immigrant workers who brought back May Day have been Peltier, who spend most of their lives behind bars because they WW 1970 the target of massive government repression since then. This refuse to knuckle under to the system. They are truly political year’s marches by workers of all backgrounds must be dedicated prisoners, as are the Cuban 5 who tried to shield their country Women’s march 10 to the tens of thousands who can’t participate because they have from U.S.-based terrorists. been subjected to widespread raids, arrests and deportations Continued on page 7

MarCH DeMaNDS ‘Free MUMIa!’ 3

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Melvin Van Peebles’ tribute

Why we should support H In the U.S. May Day 2008...... 1 an ‘Ex-Doofus’ Melvin Van Peebles’ tribute...... 2 March demands ‘Free Mumia!’...... 3 By U-Savior Washington Film Festival, Melvin will Sean Bell verdict due ...... 3 Black Waxx Multimedia Inc. be the first to tell you not Broad support strengthens American Axle strike. . . . . 4 to settle. We’re in this to Pick any industry and you can point to a few pioneers win, to dominate. This is On the picket line...... 4 who inspired us with their courage, innovation and drive. just another step in the National protest against foreclosures...... 5 As time passes, these visionaries achieve godlike status right direction down a Movement backs down bank, halts eviction...... 5 and become the stuff of legend. We learn their methods, road we’ve been walking Bank heads: ‘Greedy pirates of Cleveland’ ...... 5 but only through books or disciples who are little more for a long time. than knockoffs of the original. Many will want to ICE raids round up 400 workers at Pilgrim's Pride. . . . 6 But every once in a while we get a chance to work side know what the film is Obama, immigration and media bias ...... 6 by side with these giants, to learn from them and grow about. They’ll want to Inflation, wage cuts and 8-hour workday...... 7 as artists. know who’s starring in Students sit in against sweatshops...... 8 Before anyone ever heard of Tyler Perry or Spike Lee, it. It doesn’t matter what Melvin Van Peebles Melvin Van Peebles was making history. the film is about. What matters is that Black people have Play about Lucasville prisoners cheered ...... 8 His infamous film, “Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss taken control over their intellectual property. Forum on Irish struggle history ...... 8 Song,” grossed millions, made him the undisputed god- A movement cannot exist without industry. But how do WW 1970: The Day Women Took to the Streets. . . . 10 father of independent cinema and introduced the world we turn our intellectual and creative property into indus- Kathleen Kelly ...... 10 to a one-man revolution. try? We do it by creating our own stars and helping them Melvin has been a mentor for Black Waxx Multimedia to prosper. They, in turn, feed into the movement and H Around the world and for me personally. He stresses the importance of make it stronger. Then repeat this process until through Marxism Conference in Cuba...... 7 Black people knowing the all of the different segments that we have supported and difference between telling strengthened, we form an industry that we control. Imperialists’ policies cause worldwide hunger...... 9 a joke and being a joke. He I’ll put it in political activist terms. We’re going to have Protest meets S . Korean Pres . Lee...... 9 taught me not to give away to CONVERGE on the Tribeca Film Festival. We need to Women’s group hosts Filipina leader...... 9 my formula in hopes of MOBILIZE all the people that we can to DEMONSTRATE Communists sweep elections in Nepal ...... 11 being accepted, but to pass that buying not just one ticket but more than one ticket my formula down to other to “Confessionsofa Ex-Doofus-ItchyFooted Mutha” is a Chinese Olympic wheelchair athlete attacked . . . . . 11 brothers and sisters in need DIRECT ACTION that will result in a mass MOVEMENT H Editorials of the information. toward the support of INDEPENDENT film and inde- He showed me that some- pendent thinking. This is one SIT IN you need to stand Self determination! But where?...... 10 thing is said with action that up for. H Noticias En Español words cannot pro­nounce. No matter how many great films MVP—as I like to call On a Melvin Van Peebles him—makes, he is greater than the sum of his parts. His OTAN ...... 12 set, you work on every résumé extends beyond his filmography and his legacy Tortura ...... 12 U-Savior Washington aspect of filmmaking from will serve as a reminder for us to reach for greatness and building the set to rigging costumes. One day we were to never settle for less. shooting several green screen scenes in a studio with a Melvin Van Peebles has seen to it that the revolution Workers World black floor. When we finished, the floor was covered with will be televised, whether on an iPod, a flat screen com- 55 West 17 Street scuff marks and dust. puter monitor, a 60-inch HD set up or the big screen. New York, N.Y. 10011 Melvin—The Melvin—grabbed some rags, got down on All the better to see us with. Phone: (212) 627-2994 his hands and knees and started wiping. That’s when I ‘Confessionsofa Ex-Doofus-ItchyFooted Mutha’ Fax: (212) 675-7869 realized I was dealing with a singular individual. He’s a debuts at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City E-mail: [email protected] great director not because he’s good at telling people what on Sun., April 27th at 7:30 p.m. at Pace University. For Web: www.workers.org to do (which he is). He’s great because he shows people tickets and directions, visit www.tribecafilmfestival.org Vol. 50, No. 17 • May 1, 2008 what to do. I’d be a liar if I said he wouldn’t curse you out Closing date: April 23, 2008 if you screwed up. But he’s just as quick to take you aside Marxism, and show you why he set up a shot a certain way. Editor: Deirdre Griswold Reparations Technical Editor: Lal Roohk Over thirty years and dozens of projects later, he brings & the Black Freedom us “Confessionsofa Ex-Doofus-ItchyFooted Mutha,” Struggle Managing Editors: John Catalinotto, LeiLani Dowell, which I had the honor to collaborate with him on through The following sections present an Leslie Feinberg, Monica Moorehead, Gary Wilson Black Waxx Multimedia Inc. It’s an original, trippy, outline of the contents beginning West Coast Editor: John Parker shocking, wise, brilliant and hilarious call to arms for all with the Introduction: who say they long to see a revolution. • Black liberation Contributing Editors: Greg Butterfield, G. Dunkel, “Confessionsofa Ex-Doofus-ItchyFooted Mutha” & the working-class struggle Fred Goldstein, Teresa Gutierrez, Larry Hales, illustrates that sometimes the manner in which a film • The material basis David Hoskins, Berta Joubert-Ceci, Cheryl LaBash, is created—not the content—is the most political aspect for reparations in the U.S. Milt Neidenberg, Bryan G. Pfeifer, Minnie Bruce Pratt of the film. • Brief overview of racist oppression Technical Staff: Shelley Ettinger, Bob McCubbin, & heroic resistance Support “Confessionsofa Ex-Doofus-ItchyFooted Maggie Vascassenno • What Hurricane Katrina exposed to the world Mutha.” Don’t just spread the word on your list serve or • Africa: A battleground against colonialism and for sovereignty Mundo Obrero: Carl Glenn, Teresa Gutierrez, your blog. Buy a ticket and come to see it. Demand more • Justice for the Caribbean Berta Joubert-Ceci, Donna Lazarus, Carlos Vargas showings. We need to show up in droves to prove that • A salute to women revolutionaries Internet: Janet Mayes we recognize the connection between independent media • Why fight-back is inevitable and a major overhaul of the popular mindset. Supporter Program: Sue Davis, coordinator • Black labor and class solidarity Though glad his film was accepted into the Tribeca Copyright © 2008 Workers World. 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By Betsey Piette did not allow them to disrupt and passed proceeding, we’ll continue Philadelphia them by without incident. to mobilize and pack the courtroom and the streets. Over a thousand people voiced their Denied fair trial However, if Mumia gets collective outrage here April 19 that politi- On March 27, a three-judge panel of justice, we know it will not cal prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal was once the Third Circuit Court of Appeals denied come from the courts, only again denied the right to a fair hearing by Abu-Jamal’s appeal of racism in jury selec- from the pressure gener- an injustice system determined to keep this tion, going against its own precedent on ated by the people.” innocent man imprisoned for life if it can’t this issue. The appellant court panel also silence him outright through execution. rejected appeals concerning prosecutorial Mumia protest in Atlanta, April 18. ¡Sí, se puede! – Free Mumia! Protesters filled all four corners of a misconduct and pro-prosecution judicial Latin@s for Mumia brought two buses major intersection near the Federal Court bias that could have led to a new trial. who has long been an advocate for Abu- from New York, and Esperanza Martell of building for a brief rally before marching Abu-Jamal, a former Black Panther Jamal and other political prisoners. ProLibertad Freedom Campaign had the around the Liberty Bell and up Market Party activist, has been on Pennsylvania’s Attorney Lynne Stewart, currently crowd cheering as she exclaimed: “Mumia Street to City Hall for a closing rally. death row for 26 years in connection with appealing her own conspiracy conviction, is Dominican! Mumia is Puerto Rican! Along the way the march stopped for the shooting death of a Philadelphia challenged people to “keep on fighting.” Mumia is Mexicano! Mumia is all of us! street meetings where speakers explained police officer. Stewart pointed out that while this case ¡Sí, se puede! (Yes we can) Free Mumia!” the case to passers-by. The panel also upheld a 2001 ruling by goes through the courts there is a tremen- Political prisoner and Lakota activist The demon- Federal Judge William Yohn that over- dous amount of work for people to do in Leonard Peltier, recently moved to a fed- strators filled turned the death sentence in this case. fundraising and getting out publicity on eral prison in Pennsylvania, sent a mes- all four lanes of Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne the case. sage of solidarity in which he stated: “We Market Street, Abraham can still call for a new penalty- Larry Holmes, of the International are one, and we are many. We are forev- bringing traf- phase jury trial to attempt to reinstate a Action Center and the recently formed er, we are timeless. We are Crazy Horse, fic on this busy death sentence. Ad Hoc Network to Stop Foreclosures we are Geronimo, we are Mumia, we are downtown street Abu-Jamal’s lawyer is refusing to accept and Evictions, stressed the need for soli- Leonard­ Peltier, we are Malcolm X, and to a halt for over the ruling against a new trial that could darity to free brother Mumia, and to stop we are Martin Luther King. ... We are the an hour. Drivers determine guilt or innocence. Instead, the the onslaught of economic attacks against American Indian Movement, we are the of stalled buses attorney, Robert R. Bryan, is now appeal- poor and working people evidenced by Black Panthers, we are MOVE, we are the eagerly received ing to the entire Third Circuit Court of widespread foreclosures, evictions and Viet Cong, we are the Irish Republican materials to read Appeals, and if necessary, he will appeal layoffs. Army, and the Palestinian Liberation about the case. to the U.S. Supreme Court. Pam Africa of the MOVE organiza- Organization. Groups of The strong outpouring of support for tion and International Concerned Family “We are every man, woman and child students in Philadelphia for class trips Mumia comes at a crucial time. It follows and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal chal- who desires to see a sunrise in a land also stopped to listen. One teacher tried earlier protests in cities around the coun- lenged the courts to release Mumia now of freedom and opportunity, a land of to keep students from taking handouts try in the aftermath of this judicial pan- on the grounds that they have consistently plenty and not hunger, a land of choices about the case. When a protester pointed el’s outrageous decision. Even one of the denied his right to a fair trial. “We have without fear, a land of progress without out that the teacher was trying to keep panel’s members, Judge Thomas Ambro, absolutely no faith in the judicial system,” brutality.” n them from getting information, one stu- took strong exception in a 41-page dis- she said, “but if Mumia does have a court dent responded, “Yeah, it happens all the sent strongly criticiz- time!” ing his colleagues for Another teacher, however, encouraged denying Abu-Jamal her students to take literature and asked the courtesy of their questions about the case so the youth own legal precedents could get a better understanding. concerning racism in In addition to a strong turnout from jury selection. Philadelphia, protesters came from Boston, New York City, California and ‘Keep on fighting’ there was also a delegation from France. Rally speakers Solidarity demonstrations also took place included former U.S. in other countries. Con­gress­mem­ber A threatened counterprotest by neo- Cynthia McKinney, Nazi skinheads turned out to be a dozen who is currently run- or so white men who looked more like off- ning for president of duty police. The pro-Mumia protesters the United States and ww photos: Greg Butterfield, Gary Wilson and Betsy Piette Support for Mumia is diverse and international. On right, Cynthia McKinney and Larry Holmes Sean Bell verdict due Mayor mobilizes 1,000 cops against community By Imani Henry A Queens grand jury indicted the three Days later the New York Post, which has “They are talking about having sharp- New York detectives on March 16, 2007. Detectives carried out a pro-cop campaign, reported shooters on rooftops,” said Shep­herd. “Do Michael Oliver and Gescard F. Isnora on April 14, “The NYPD will flood Queens not label the African-American com­mu­nity Judge Arthur Cooperman has said he were charged with first-degree and sec- with 1,000 extra cops the moment a judge as violent. Do not treat us like animals.” will announce a verdict on April 25 in the ond-degree manslaughter, Detective Marc issues the Sean Bell trial verdict, as part Even the two-week delay and scheduling Queens, N.Y., trial of the three cops who Cooper with reckless endangerment. All of a plan to maintain order and prevent of the verdict date for April 25 was orches- shot and killed Sean Bell outside of a Club three have pled not guilty and chose to possible protest riots.” trated to avoid conflict with Pope Benedict Kalua in Jamaica, N.Y., on his wedding have a judge, rather than a jury, decide the Jamaica is part of Queens’ southeast sec- XVI’s New York visit. With the pope gone, day in November 2006. verdict. The trial began on Feb. 25. tion, whose residents are 55 percent either the NYPD are freed up to mobilize a full- A New York City coalition, Peoples Attempting to vilify Bell and justify African-American or Caribbean. From scale occupation of Southeast Queens. Justice for Community Control and Police the killing, the police claimed Bell and the moment the shooting happened and Shepherd talked about the impact that Accountability, is calling for a rally and his friends had a gun and had even tried throughout the trial, the inherent racism Bell’s killing has had on her family. “All community speak-out on April 25 in front to run down the cops with his car. Fifty of this case has been evident. Bloomberg we want is for the trial to be over. We of the Queens district attorney’s office in witnesses, including Trent Benefield and plans to increase police presence in several have not had a restful night of sleep since solidarity with the Bell family. Joseph Guzman, testified otherwise for Southeast Queens neighborhoods, includ- November. But we will never forget Sean, Bell’s aunt, Oniaya Shepherd, told WW, the prosecution. ing near the site of the shooting and along and we don’t want any more families to “We will never get him back. They can’t As the verdict approaches, it has major streets such as Roosevelt Avenue go through what we have been through.” bring Sean back. All my sister and our become apparent that Mayor Bloomberg and Woodhaven Boulevard as well as at the A broad coalition of groups has endorsed family want is justice for Sean.” and the New York Police Department are 103rd NYPD precinct, where the Bell fam- the call to come out in support of the Bell Like the cop killing of West African nervous about the community’s reaction. ily has held monthly candlelight vigils. family at 5:30 p.m. on April 25 in front of immigrant Amadou Diallo in 1999, the According to the April 7 Queens news ser- Although the Bell family has insisted the Queens DA’s Office, 125-01 Queens 23-year-old Bell’s death was also in a hail vice, the Times Ledger, Mayor Michael that they too want “peace and calm” after Blvd., whether or not Judge Cooperman of bullets, 50 in his case. The gunfire also Bloomberg met with Southeast Queens’ the verdict, the mayor and NYPD con- delays his verdict. E or F train to Union seriously injured Trent Benefield and politicians, religious and community tinue to plan this assault on the Black Turnpike stop. For more information: Joseph Guzman, two of Bell’s friends. leaders “urging for peace.” community. myspace.com/peoplesjustice. n Page 4 May 1, 2008 www.workers.org on the Picket line Broad support strengthens by Sue Davis UAW strikes GM in Lansing, Mich. American Axle strike Workers at General Motors’ newest assembly plant in Lansing, Mich., went on strike April 17 By Bryan G. Pfeifer order to increase solidarity with your over substantive contract issues like work rules Detroit struggle,” read the statement from GM and grievances. The workers have been negotiating workers from a plant in São Jose dos since June 2007 for their first contract since Auto Presently 3,600 workers at Campos in Brazil, where the company Workers’ Local 602 was set up. “This is the first American Axle & Manufacturing is also trying to slash new workers’ local agreement for a brand-new assembly plant, on strike since Feb. 26 continue wages by 50 percent. so it is very imperative that we get respect for our fighting back against an attempt- International Association of membership,” local president Doug Rademacher ed bosses’ onslaught aimed at all Machinists (IAM) members at the five told the New York Times. (April 18) “We produce workers internationally, specifi- struck AAM plants continue to refuse the hottest thing on the market today. It’s time to cally people of color, immigrants to cross the picket lines, foregoing pay. respect that work force.” Local 602 joins nearly 30 and women. They’ve had to wait seven weeks to get GM plants currently closed or partly shut due to the Negotiations are taking place, unemployment. weeks-long strike at GM parts supplier American but slowly. AAM has rejected WW photo: Alan Pollack A rally in Three Rivers, Mich., on Axle. outright two concessionary pro- Strikers and their labor-community allies at April 17, sponsored by UAW Local posals from the United Auto American Axle, April 20 2093, drew hundreds of labor-com- Labor supports May Day protest Workers International. The rank- and could be the decisive factor in this munity-student supporters. and-file are clear: no concessions. epic struggle. And, as they have since the first day Labor groups on both coasts—the Vermont AFL- American Axle wants to cut the The rally cancellation added to of the strike, donations, provisions CIO and the California Federation of Teachers— workers’ pay in half, eliminate pen- the anger of strikers, who had not and support resolutions continue to passed resolutions in mid-April supporting the sions and gut benefits—although the received any strike bulletins or vir- pour into the locals. 8-hour strike on May Day by the longshore workers company made $37 million in profits tually any other information from On April 20 Ed Childs, a chief in Oakland, Calif. The Vermont resolution, which last year and CEO Richard Dauch him- the International about the status of steward for UNITE HERE Local 26 passed unanimously, expressed “unequivocal” sup- self was paid $10.2 million. Workers negotiations since the beginning of in Boston, joined the picket lines, vis- port for what it called the first U.S. labor strike make on average about $45,000 to the strike. ited the Local 235 union hall and met against the war in Iraq. It is also the first state labor $50,000 before taxes. Adolphus Heahth, a Black worker with Bill Alford Jr., Local 235, vice federation to publicly back the strike. The CFT The week of April 13 a high-profit from Local 235, began working for president. Childs was in Detroit as a resolution “publicly supports statewide and local sports utility vehicle plant in Lansing, GM in 1977 and has been working at keynote speaker for a Workers World actions on May Day against the war and in support Mich., was idled when GM workers American Axle since 1994. Heahth Party Irish forum and while in town of immigrant rights, including the ILWU’s portwide walked out during negotiations over captured the sentiment of the rank- for the weekend spoke at a morato- West Coast shutdown, marches, boycotts, and other local contract issues. As of April 22, and-file when he said the April 18 rally rium coalition meeting and visited the mobilizations of labor, community, and student workers at two other plants in Michigan shouldn’t have been cancelled. Gaelic League. organizations.” and one in Kansas are also close to “We need a rally big time to change “You can’t come to Detroit without Equal Pay Day, April 21 striking over local contract issues. the way people think,” Heahth told being on the American Axle picket Workers World. line. It’s a tremendous experience just Even though it’s been 45 years since equal pay Rally canceled, rank & file resist He added: “It’s a class war. We to be near these huge plants and these was mandated by law, working women are still not Discussions among the rank and need to be striking nationally. If we historic workers who are picketing,” paid as much as men for the same work. White file of the UAW locals now on strike go down the tubes here it’s going to said Childs. women average 77 cents for every dollar a white at AAM are becoming more militant, be rough nationally. We need to get Asked about the rally cancellation, man is paid, while African-American women aver- particularly in Detroit. There an April organized.” Childs said, “The cancellation was a age 63 cents and Latin@s only 52 cents. It’s esti- 18 mass support rally for the strikers at This type of resistance and anger mistake. You always should be at the mated that a 25-year-old woman worker will be AAM, expected to draw thousands from from the rank-and-file forced the lead- table with as much strength as you robbed of $523,000 over the course of her lifetime. throughout the Midwest, was canceled ership to agree to a rally and march for possibly can and do whatever you can CEOs and shareholders benefit directly from such by the union International less than 48 April 24 beginning at 1 p.m. Strikers to strengthen your side. It’s the whole widespread crime. Equal pay advocates are observ- hours before it was to take place. and their allies will march from Local class question of negotiations: they ing Equal Pay Day on April 21 by demanding that Besides the massive mobilization 235 in Hamtramck to AAM headquar- negotiate with strength and you nego- Congress pass the “Lilly Ledbetter” Fair Pay Act, by the rank-and-file and their allies ters a few blocks away to protest at the tiate with strength. It doesn’t matter if which is coming up for a vote in the Senate. The bill throughout Metro Detroit and beyond company’s stockholders’ meeting. it’s a union struggle or it’s a national seeks to reverse a biased 2007 U.S. Supreme Court for the rally, Local 235 and Local Like Heahth, most of the strikers liberation struggle. The Vietnamese decision and allow workers the right to sue for pay 262 were receiving solidarity state- hope that the march won’t stop at the showed us that. They came to the table discrimination. ments for the rally from union locals AAM headquarters; they insist the with strength and the U.S. tried to in the U.S. and around the world. rank-and-file should go into the com- bomb them with strength. The Irish Extending unemployment These included messages from auto munities to make alliances and build did the same thing. In the history of insurance and other workers in Brazil, Canada, coalitions. the union movement it’s always been China, Australia and India. Some who “There are some things we can do,” those who have strength that get the A bill to extend unemployment insurance for had been planning to go to the rally said Heahth, who is talking with fel- best deals at the table. What does another 13 weeks was passed by the House Ways instead went to the picket lines in low strikers in an effort to build cre- strength mean? Strength means that and Means Committee on April 17. Only after “offi- Hamtramck, Mich. ative fight-back actions to win the you get out as widely as possible the cial” unemployment jumped at the end of March A fax sent to the UAW Region 1 strike and broaden the working-class strength that you have.” to 5.1 percent of the U.S. workforce did Congress locals on strike from Region 1 Director struggle. Some suggestions he had Childs said his message to labor- finally taken note of the plight of 7.8 million jobless Joseph Peters on April 16 at 12:56 were to rally and march on a designa­ community-student organizations workers. How long will it take to actually make this p.m. declared, “UAW Rally in support ted day every week or every day with after participating on the picket lines bill a law? Will President Bush even sign it? Stay of American Axle strikers has been strikers and their loved ones at the was: “Learn from history. Learn from tuned. postponed.” plants in Hamtramck and to bring in struggles around the world.” Florida tomato fields slave-like The body of the fax read: “Please be the over 40,000 strikers on layoff or He added: “There was one thing advised that the rally has been post- strike at GM and other auto plants and that one of the white workers had an On April 15 the Senate held a hearing on slave- poned. UAW President Gettlefinger suppliers. understanding of and that’s that in like working conditions that mostly Latin American and Vice President Settles believe that Heahth said labor-community soli- Detroit with not only the strikes going immigrant workers are forced to endure while it is in the best interest in the negotia- darity committees, led and built from on, the foreclosures and other eco- harvesting tomatoes for U.S. fast-food restau- tions process to delay the rally at this the rank-and-file, could be a catalyst nomic things hitting the workers, that rants. Lucas Benítez, co-founder of the Coalition of time. While these are extremely dif- for the strikers and the larger commu- he was looking for another rebellion to Immokalee Workers in Florida, testified that work- ficult negotiations, and the outcome nity and could be used to put serious break out in Detroit like it did in the ers are sometimes held against their will, victim- is uncertain, some progress has been pressure not only on AAM but also on 1960s. And that now he was looking ized by physical and mental abuse and forced to do made and we are hopeful movement those within the UAW intent on sell- forward to it as an ally in the working backbreaking work for little or no pay. Many are will continue.” ing a concessionary contract to the class struggle. And that’s analysis that left at the end of the week with as little as $20 after A similar one-paragraph announce- rank-and-file. the movement has to take, the leader- they’re made to pay for housing and transportation. ment is posted on the UAW Inter­ ship has to take and the ranks have Thousands are trying to survive on poverty wages national’s Web site. ‘When you win, we all win!’ to take. It’s not only to look for it but with no sick leave, no job security and no freedom to The rank-and-file’s livid response Internationalist solidarity for the to build it and help support it. That’s join unions. to this capitulation to AAM contin- strikers keeps rolling. what’s going to win this working class The CIW has led a campaign, with the support of ues unabated, augmented when, on “Every time the company gains more struggle.” student, religious and community groups, and labor April 21, Gettelfinger announced that profits, they insist on taking away our Send donations and support unions, since 2001 to end these abominable condi- there really wasn’t any progress after rights. We completely support your resolutions to UAW Local 235, 2140 tions. The first breakthrough came when Taco Bell all. This of course left the strikers and struggle at American Axle, and we Holbrook Ave., Hamtramck, MI agreed to the CIW demand to pay a penny more per their allies asking many questions as know that when you win a victory, it 48212; 313-871-1190; adrianrking@ bushel of tomatoes in 2005. Since then, other major to why the rally was really canceled. A will be ours also. We will do every- hotmail.com or billalford74@yahoo. brands like McDonalds have followed suit. Burger massive boost of power from outside thing possible to share the struggle at com. For more information, www. King is currently holding out. Boycott Burger King! the bargaining room was direly neeed American Axle with others in Brasil in uawaam.org. End slave labor in the tomato fields! n www.workers.org May 1, 2008 Page 5

National protest against foreclosures Michigan group stops eviction in Detroit By Abayomi Azikiwe ties have been devastated by Detroit the mortgage banking crisis that has rendered at least A delegation of Detroit activists trav- two million dwellings vacant eled to Washington, D.C., on April 16 to throughout the country. parti­cipate in the national demonstration Sandra Hines of the Michi­ called by the Ad Hoc Network to Stop gan Emergency Committee Fore­closures and Evictions. The action Against War & Injustice took place outside the Mortgage Bankers (MECAWI) told the security Associ­ation Annual Policy Summit held in personnel and bankers stand- a hotel just two blocks away from Capitol ing outside the hotel where Hill. the summit was being held, Chanting, “Mortgage bankers lie and that “You may think this is cheat, people get thrown out on the street,” funny, but this crisis impacts a large crowd of protestors coming from people everyday in the city of WW photo: Left, Abayomi Azikiwe, Photo, right: Agnes Hitchcock New York, Baltimore, North Carolina, Detroit.” the heavily depressed Linwood Corridor Activists stop eviction in Detroit, April 17. Florida, Boston and other places hit hard Hines, who is a former Detroit Public area on the city’s west side. The homeown- by the foreclosure crises like Detroit School social worker, ran a grassroots er has three children and an 84-year-old Detroit, pledged office space to house the marched to the venue of the Mortgage campaign for a district seat on the local mother, whose wheelchair was thrown out new coalition which constituted itself as Bankers meeting, the Washington Court school board and was subsequently evict- of the home by thugs acting on behalf of the Moratorium Now Coalition to Stop Hotel, and immediately blocked the ed from her childhood home as a result of the Wayne County bailiffs who enforce the Foreclosures and Evictions. hotel’s driveway and entrance. predatory lending. mortgage banker’s evictions against hun- Coalition committees were established Hiding inside the hotel were several Also addressing the protest, organized dreds of families throughout the region in the areas of eviction reversals, legal hundred mortgage bankers, including by the newly formed National Ad Hoc everyday. It is estimated that approxi- strategies, publicity, outreach and office top executives of Bank of America, Wells Network To Stop Foreclosures and Evic­ mately 72,000 homes are in foreclosure staffing. Data is being accumulated on city Fargo, Countrywide Finance, JP Morgan tions, were the Rev. Grayland Hagler, a in southeastern Michigan alone. councils, county commissions, commu- Chase and most of the other banks that leader of the Neighborhood Assistance Around 50 activists went to the young nity organizations and other institutions have been evicting millions of people from Corporation Of America (NACA); the Rev. woman’s home and took the furniture, throughout the Detroit metropolitan area their homes. Lennox Yearwood, leader of the Hip Hop appliances, clothes, family photos and and the state. This data will be utilized in Scores of D.C. Metro police and private Caucus; Brenda Stokely of the Katrina/ documents and moved them back into the a massive mobilization campaign to win security personal positioned themselves in Rita Survivors Network; Pam Africa of house. These household items had been the moratorium. front of and around the hotel, as victims the Families and Friends of Mumia Abu- dragged out of the home and thrown vio- Atty. Jerome Goldberg, along with of home foreclosures testified, turning the Jamal; and Tyneisha Bowens of Fight lently into a dumpster parked outside the another lawyer, Vanessa Fluker, dis- protest into a public hearing against the Imperialism—Stand Together (FIST). property. cussed the persistent efforts on the part of actions of the mortgage bankers meeting Furniture and appliances were broken the mortgage bankers to drive thousands inside. Activists stop eviction in Detroit in the eviction process. Food bought for from their homes in the region. People who were outside the Washington As soon as the MECAWI delegation the children living at the home was thrown “This moratorium will not be won Court Hotel provided firsthand accounts returned to Detroit on April 17, a call went out. Telephone lines were ripped out and through traditional lobbying but will be of how their households and communi- out about a young woman being evicted in a bathroom sink was knocked from the achieved through putting people in the wall and thrown outside in the yard by streets throughout the state and at the the agents hired to carry out the bidding capital in Lansing,” said David Sole, presi- of the mortgage bankers, who incidentally dent of UAW Local 2334. Sole, who com- Movement backs down are represented by a Wall Street-based mitted himself to work on the outreach security firm. committee for the new coalition, said that seven homes were vacant as a result of bank, halts eviction Community meeting to build foreclosures on his block alone on the east broad coalition side of the city. By Maureen Skehan As a result of the national demon- A follow-up meeting of the Moratorium Dorchester, Mass. stration in Washington, D.C., and the Now Coalition to Stop Foreclosures and announcement by Michigan State Sen. Evictions will be held on Saturday, May 3 Over 50 activists from Hansen Clarke that he would introduce at 3:00 p.m. at Central United Methodist around Boston, including legislation that would impose a two-year Church. By this time the activists hope to community organizers, moratorium on foreclosures in the state, have set up the office at the church with a residents, students and MECAWI called for a meeting to press phone and donated equipment. A team of city councilors, succeeded for the formation of a broader coalition to volunteers will staff the office. in preventing US Bank/ push for the passage of the bill. The Michigan coalition will be working Wells Fargo/Premier Ser­ The meeting was attended by State Sen. with the national network that organized vicers from evicting the Hansen Clarke and members of his staff the April 16 protest in Washington to plan Meyers family from 200 along with other community activists in follow-up actions in June and beyond as Norfolk Street here on April the areas of housing, religion, education the mass struggle against the foreclosures 16. Tenants in the building and labor. The Rev. Edward Rowe, pastor grows wider and stronger. include six children, three WW photo: Maureen Skehan of the Central United Methodist Church, Azikiwe is editor of the Pan-African adults and a family-run Stopping eviction in Dorchester, Mass., April 16. where the meeting was held in downtown News Wire. childcare center. Activists arrived at the home prepared The action occurred on the same day to stand fast against any action by the con- that the Ad Hoc National Network to Stop Bank heads called: stable to evict or remove possessions. The Foreclosures and Evictions was rallying blocking turned into a victory celebration against the Mortgage Bankers Association when the bank backed down and agreed in Washington, D.C., and the Meyers’ vic- ‘Greedy pirates of Cleveland’ to negotiate. After a speakout rally on the tory was announced to the crowd there by steps of the Meyers’ home, with the fam- coordinator Larry Holmes. By Martha Grevatt plans became practically worthless as ily members smiling behind a banner that The Meyers family was facing eviction Cleveland NCB stock fell 43 percent in one day, to read, “Bankers get bailed out, people get as tenants in the foreclosed property. It a 17-year low of $7.52 a share. Now that thrown out,” the demonstrators, led by is significant that the bank was forced to It’s fairly easy and rather commonplace stock, in which workers retirement sav- the community organization City Life/ agree to negotiate, not just reschedule the to speak disparagingly about an employer ings have been invested, is valued at $6.56 Vida Urbana, proceeded to march through eviction. This was the latest of several suc- you no longer work for. Still, to call one’s compared to $38 a year ago. The situation the streets to the Dorchester Court House cessful actions in the Boston area that have ex-bosses “the scum-sucking, money-hun- is devastating. (shown here). prevented foreclosure evictions from going gry, greedy pirates of Cleveland” might Over 10 percent of the workers have There organizers read the list of 34 forward. Many more families, however, seem like strong language on the surface. been laid off. Those still working are anx- homes being foreclosed on in Boston just have in fact been foreclosed on and evicted Yet these were the exact words of an ex- ious. Recently NCB announced major this week by greedy bankers. Organizers where organizers have not been present to employee of Cleveland’s National City losses for the fourth quarter of 2007 and vowed to reach out to these homeowners shine a spotlight and point to the need for a Bank, who posted a comment in the online the loss of half a billion dollars in its mort- to pull them into this growing fightback full moratorium on foreclosures and evic- edition of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. gage division last year. Speculation in the movement against foreclosures and evic- tions. Some 33,000 families are expected The writer was probably thinking about media focused on the possible sale of NCB, tions. Miya Campbell of the Women’s to lose their homes in Massachusetts by the fate of his former co-workers, the which is a Fortune 500 company and the Fightback Network and the youth orga- 2010, according to a new study by the 32,000 employees of Cleveland’s largest tenth largest U.S. bank, or its merger with nization, FIST, delivered a solidarity Pew Center on the States and the Center bank who are facing a rerun of the Enron another bank. This would have undoubt- message. for Responsible Lending. n pension scandal. Last month their 401k Continued on page 10 Page 6 May 1, 2008 www.workers.org ICE raids round up 400 workers at Pilgrim’s Pride By Dianne Mathiowetz conditions. prison is located in a poor, rural county However, newspaper accounts from Mt. Atlanta The company, which just two days prior about two hours south of Atlanta by car. Pleasant and Chattanooga also make ref- to the raids announced it was reducing Some of the women have been released erence to acts of solidarity. Starting at 5:30 a.m. on April 16, immi- weekly production by 5 percent and closing on humanitarian grounds because they Missey Walley, principal of Chapel gration (ICE) agents accompanied by state a plant in Siler, N.C., because of decreased care for minor children. They will wear Hill Elementary School in Mt Pleasant, and local police launched a series of raids sales, stated in a press release that it had an electronic tracking ankle bracelet until remarked that when some of the children on Pilgrim’s Pride chicken processing fully cooperated with the immigration their deportation hearing. began crying and were visibly scared as plants in Mt. Pleasant, Texas; Live Oak, agency and helped with the logistics of the Of 100 workers arrested at two plants news of the raid swept the school, other Fla.; Batesville, Ark.; and Chattanooga, raids. The statement further says that it has in downtown Chattanooga, 36 have been children showed support for their class- Tenn. and arrested some 400 people. fired all those arrested and claims it was allowed to go home until their court date. mates. “It was not just the Hispanic chil- In addition, agents took some workers unaware of any immigration violations. This includes Miriam, who has a 7-month- dren who were upset. It was all the chil- from their homes. Federal officials say No charges have been filed against old baby and Candelaria, a Mayan woman, dren. It affected the whole school.” these raids are the result of a yearlong Pilgrim’s Pride. a widow who speaks little Spanish and has Likewise, community groups in investigation involving undercover agents A small percentage of those arrested three children who are U.S. citizens. Chattanooga received calls from Nashville in the facilities. have been charged with identity theft for Their situation is desperate. They no and Knoxville, Tenn., and Dalton, Ga., These raids come just two weeks before falsely using an authentic social security longer have jobs and although they have offering legal assistance and financial and May Day demonstrations are being orga- number, a felony with a maximum penalty the right to legal representation at their material help for those arrested and their nized around the country, fueled largely of five years in federal prison and up to a deportation hearing, they will have to families. A Spanish-language radio sta- by the demands of immigrant workers for $250,000 fine. The majority of the work- pay for it. Their children have the right to tion in Dalton, just across the Tennessee- respect and human rights. ers, who come from Mexico, Guatemala, remain in the U.S., but there is no one in Georgia border, provided news updates Pilgrim’s Pride is one of the world’s Honduras, El Salvador and Colombia, are the U.S. to take care of them. and information on legal services and largest poultry-processing companies and being held on administrative violations When 42-year-old Abel from Honduras how to aid the children. a supplier to the Kentucky Fried Chicken of immigration law. Following a hearing, found out his wife had been arrested in Dalton is home to another Pilgrim’s restaurant chain, among others. Pilgrim’s they will most likely be deported to their the Chattanooga raid, he said: “We are not Pride plant and the site of a training facility Pride employs about 55,000 workers at country of origin. criminals. We just have the need to work for 200 ICE agents, whose presence keeps 37 plants, mostly in the South. The work Many of the men will be sent to the to help our families back home.” the immigrant community on edge. is low-paid and extremely fast-paced with Stewart Detention Facility in Lumpkin, Reports from the towns where the In addition, ICE raids were conducted the constant possibility of injury from the Ga., a private prison owned by the plants are located describe a strong atmo- April 16 at a doughnut plant in Houston, cutting instruments and the wet and cold Corrections Corporation of America. This sphere of fear and anxiety with many at employment agencies in Atlanta and businesses in immigrant neighborhoods restaurants in New York, Pennsylvania shutting down and people leaving town. and Ohio. n Letter to the editor Obama, immigration and media bias Dear America, The media has given a pass to Sen. Sen. Obama’s words regarding a Clinton regarding her lying about her portion of America being “bitter” arrival in Bosnia. You do not forget are accurate. being shot at and certainly not when The Southern Poverty Law Center you are being shot at with an AK-47 reports that hate groups have grown with your only child in tow. This is not by 48 percent between the years 2000 a little white lie or the result of sleep to 2007. This is a sign of increased deprivation. Her statement is a bold bitterness in our nation. There are 26 and clear lie. Like her husband before recognized hate groups in New York her, she is against trade bills until State alone. Timothy McVeigh and elected. Your key strategist is working Terry Nichols are tips of the iceberg to get a trade bill passed while you are regarding this bitterness that continues opposed to said bill. Why is the journal- to grow as people lose faith in their ist community giving her a pass while government. continuing to attack Barack Obama for There are vigilante actions by many what other people have said or done? on our borders with Mexico with guns It is important to note that after in hand against workers trying to find the [1995] Million Man March, crime work in America. These actions are has gone down significantly. Minister being taken by citizens who have lost Louis Farrakhan was seated at the faith in their government’s ability to White House with Ronald Reagan and “secure” the border. This is the anti- recognized for using his influence in immigrant attitude that Sen. Obama the Muslim world to secure the release describes. The various local municipal of Lt. Robert O. Goodman on Jan., 4, ordinances being passed against undoc- 1984. He was invited to Philadelphia umented workers are occurring mostly by then Mayor Ed Rendell to speak in small American communities—not in and help heal the racial divide: holding the big cities. hands, singing and lavishing praise on The borders were secure until April 15, 1997. On May 5, 2005, former President William Jefferson Clinton President Bill Clinton praised Minister signed the North American Free Farrakhan and the Millions More Trade Agreement and subsequently Movement, describing it as a positive Permanent Normal Trade Relations idea. (PNTR) with China. These trade bills The media have become bottom destroyed good union jobs with health feeders and have not helped to elevate benefits and pensions here in America. the dialogue between the candidates. The NAFTA destroyed Mexican jobs The American people’s issues: jobs, and forced this mass migration north. healthcare, social security, education The New York Times reported that and the war are more important than Después del Primero After the May 1st March, during the Kerry-Bush election of the mistakes made by all after speaking. 2004, working-class people were know- Chris Silvera de Mayo qué sigue? What’s Next? ingly voting against their economic Secretary-Treasurer, Venga a un foro de la Coalición Primero de Mayo Come to a Forum organized by the May 1st Coalition interests because of their religious International Brotherhood Sábado 31 de mayo 2-6 p.m. Saturday, May 31 2-6pm of Teamsters, Local 808 beliefs. The “Hot Button” item at that Church of the Village Calle 48 Marks Pl., NYC Church of the Village 48 Saint Marks Pl., NYC E-mail: [email protected] time was gay marriage. (1 bloque al sur de la calle 9, entre la 1ª y 2ª ave.) (1 block south of 9th St., between 1st & 2nd Aves)

www.workers.org May 1, 2008 Page 7

Marxism Conference in Cuba Low-wage imperialism & the potential for workers’ struggle Workers World Party Secretariat ed amounts of credit and borrowing to the superexploited international working members Teresa Gutierrez and Fred The Results of High-Tech, Low Pay keep their heads above water. The per- class in the oppressed countries. This rap- Goldstein will attend the Fourth Inter­ Since the dawn of capitalism, technolog­ sonal debt of the workers has been used to idly growing proletariat is being organized national Con­ference on the Work of ical innovation has been aimed at increas- stave off personal crises, daily, weekly and by the penetration and growth of capital- Karl Marx and the Challenges of the ing the productivity of labor, i.e., increas- monthly in millions of individual cases. ism which lays the basis for future class 21st Century in Havana, Cuba, May 5-8. ing the rate of exploitation of the workers. Now it has transformed itself into a crisis struggles. In the previous period of impe- We publish below excerpts focusing on High-tech means relatively fewer workers of the class as a whole and is part of the rialism the export of capital sustained the U.S. working class from Goldstein’s producing more commodities in a given general economic crisis of the system. class stability in the imperialist countries paper. Both papers will soon be available time at lower cost to the bosses. Bound up At this very moment millions of families at the expense of the oppressed. In the on the workers.org site in their entirety. with this process is refinement of produc- are faced with the prospect of losing their present phase, the export of capital is tion to incorporate the skills of workers in homes. In the twenty years between 1984 being used by monopoly capital to under- This paper is being written at the begin- machines and now embedded in software, and 2004 over 30 million workers lost per- mine the economic position of all sectors ning of a capitalist economic crisis. No one robots, etc. The historic trend is to deskill manent jobs in the U.S. Only two-thirds of the working class. This is destroying the knows at this point how it will end up. But the proletariat and thus lower their wages. were able to find new jobs and two-thirds material basis of class collaboration in the our thesis is not based upon this present In the U.S. today there are millions of them worked for less money, with fewer labor movement and class peace. crisis or any specific event. It is part of a of high-skilled workers whose skills are if any benefits. Insecurity is growing. The downward pressures will lead to broader view of the profound effects upon no longer needed by capital. Many have Meanwhile, the U.S. has the largest a break up of the present stability and a the working class of the restructuring of been laid off but many more come from prison population in the world, dispro- revival of the struggle among the work- world capitalism that has been in progress the new generation of workers graduat- portionately Black and Latin@, and it is ers and the oppressed in the U.S. that will for three decades but has accelerated in ing from college or high school with skills growing every year. Repression, police break through the surface of reactionary the last 15 years or more. and specialties which are not required by brutality and racism are used to enforce ideology and capitalist norms and lead Extremely important for the working the low-wage economy. The service jobs increasing social inequality which keeps to struggles not seen in the last 75 years. class is the change in the international eco- that have absorbed the labor surplus in the wages and living conditions of African Intensified national oppression, including nomic division of labor that has emerged the U.S. are low-skilled and pay near pov- Americans, Latinas and Latinos, Asians that of Indigenous peoples, and sexual and in the last several decades. erty level wages. Whereas GM used to and Native peoples, stuck at the bottom gender oppression, are all taking place in For the first time in the history of impe- be the largest employer in the U.S., with of the capitalist economic structure. the framework of deepening class exploi- rialism, workers in the rich, privileged 600,000 high-paying, secure union jobs, The sociological consequences of the tation. This is bound to arouse resistance. countries, in one area after another, are today Wal-Mart is the largest employer in high-tech, low-pay economy were pointed We have made this analysis not so we being thrown into direct wage competi- the U.S., with 1.2 million workers with no out by Sam Marcy in his 1985 book, “High could sit by and wait for the revolution to tion, job for job, with workers in the low- unions who work for poverty wages. Tech, Low Pay”: come, but to use Marxism as it was meant wage areas by the economic architects of This reduction of skilled jobs is adding “It is this highly significant shift from to be used—as a guide to a revolutionary world finance capital. Auto parts workers to the worldwide wage competition and the higher paid to the lower paid which is future. Our party is fighting with our lim- in Detroit compete with auto parts work- relentlessly leveling the standard of liv- dramatically changing the social composi- ited resources to stimulate the struggle ers in Mexico. Customer service workers ing downward in the imperialist countries tion of the working class, greatly increas- and to reach out to the masses in the early in Phoenix compete with customer service and the U.S. especially. A new situation is ing the importance of the so-called ethnic stages of the coming crisis. workers in the Philippines. Legal secretar- threatening, the likes of which the work- composition of the working class, that is, We are struggling for international ies in New York compete with legal secre- ers have not experienced since the Great the number of Black, Latin, Asian, women class solidarity with workers from India to taries in Bangalore. The transnational cor- Depression. and other oppressed groups, particularly Mexico who need jobs at good wages too. porations have created a worldwide wage Families have adjusted over the last the millions of undocumented workers.” In the era of globalization this is the answer competition and a race to the bottom. three decades by working multiple jobs This development will bring the to worldwide wage competition. We are Additionally, millions of immigrants to supplement lost income. Workers have oppressed into the leadership of the class fighting in defense of immigrant workers, from Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia been forced to accept lower wages and the struggle and invest it with the energy and against racism, national oppression, and and the Middle East flood into the U.S. reduction or elimination of benefits; they militancy that flows from combining the against sexual and gender oppression as fleeing imperialist-imposed poverty and have learned to live on less; they have sub- struggles against national oppression and the only road to class unity. On this basis are subjected to low wages and extreme mitted to harsh working conditions; they class exploitation. we seek to unite with all anti-imperialist exploitation with few rights and protec- have relocated or traveled long distances There are important revolutionary polit- and communist forces in the current battle tions. Immigration is an integral part of to get jobs after having been laid off. ical conclusions to be drawn from these against capitalism and in the next phase of imperialist globalization and plays an Workers have resorted to unprecedent- developments. There is a vast increase in the struggle for world socialism. n essential part in the cultivation of wage competition among workers. Marxism teaches that it is the develop- Inflation, wage cuts ment of the productive forces that not only creates new classes and destroys outmod- ed ones, but that under capitalism, which & the disappearing 8-hour workday is compelled to constantly revolutionize the means of production, the character By Gary Wilson to demand an 8-hour workday with no American economic downturn. Most of and relationships of existing classes con- reduction in pay. the attention has focused on the loss of stantly undergo transformation. If you woke up this morning, you got a On May 1, 1886, 80,000 workers jobs and the risk of layoffs. But the less- pay cut. marched down Michigan Avenue in noticeable shrinking of hours and pay for First there’s the food price hikes. Milk Chicago in that first May Day rally. In millions of workers around the country prices have increased almost 25 percent the week after the impressive march in appears to be a bigger contributor to the May Day 2008 in the last few months, going to over $4 Chicago, more than 350,000 workers decline.” a gallon in some cities. Eggs have nearly went on strike around the U.S. in support The Times continues, “The reduction Continued from page 1 doubled in price during the last year. Food of the demand for the 8-hour workday. of wages and working hours for those still It is workers and the poor who are prices have gone up almost 8 percent in Great strikes and struggles followed employed has become a primary cause of injured the most by corporate industrial the last year, AP reports. that eventually won the 8-hour workday ... the downward spiral.” pollution, not only where they work and Then there’s the soaring prices for gas and a 40-hour workweek, as well as union The report adds, “From November live, but as people on a planet rapidly and oil. Gasoline for autos is now at the rights and union wages. May Day has been through March, as employers began being degraded by global warming. highest price it’s ever been in the United celebrated as the workers’ day ever since, to scale back in a variety of ways, wage The good news is that while women’s States: over $3.50 a gallon, on average. in honor of the revolutionary movement growth fell below the pace of inflation, oppression intensifies with deteriorating The falling dollar also means more infla- begun in Chicago for the 8-hour day. meaning that paychecks were effectively economic conditions, it is women organiz- tion in all prices for consumer products, The 8-hour workday, however, has shrinking.” ing into unions who have brought about most of which are imported. In March, mostly been taken away from U.S. work- The average workweek hours are declin- the growth of the labor movement in the the dollar hit a 12-year low against the ers. That’s because 8-hour pay has not ing and overtime hours have dropped last couple of years. Japanese yen and an all-time low against kept up. It’s not unusual for workers to severely. All these issues rightfully belong in the the European euro. depend on overtime hours—that is, work But as the workers in 1886 showed, st May Day marches, along with so many Rising inflation and a cheaper dollar past 8 hours—in order to make enough even though the capitalists claim that it After the May 1 March, more concrete examples of why the work- are in reality wage cuts for U.S. workers. money just to get by. Those who can’t get is the market that makes them cut wages What’s Next? ing class needs to unite and fight, together On this May Day, workers’ day around overtime often work a second or even a and lay off workers, in most cases that’s Come to a Forum organized by the May 1st Coalition with our sisters and brothers around the the world, wage cuts, job losses, rising third job. not true. The capitalists can and will pay a Saturday, May 31 2-6pm world, against the super-rich class that is food prices and the housing crisis will be Now that’s being taken away as well. fair and full wage, if the workers fight for spreading misery to all four corners of the on the minds of most workers. The New York Times reported April it. But without the fight, the capitalists will Church of the Village 48 Saint Marks Pl., NYC globe. May Day began with the struggle by 18 that “the erosion of the paycheck take advantage and make as many cuts as (1 block south of 9th St., between 1st & 2nd Aves) E-mail: [email protected] immigrant workers living in Chicago has become a stealth force driving the they can get away with. n

Page 8 May 1, 2008 www.workers.org Students sit in against sweatshops By Linda Gomaa It is in the brands’ best interests to pay Worker Rights Consortium. Already, 42 Raleigh, N.C. as little as possible to these factories for the universities have signed on to the DSP, clothing produced by the workers. This in including Duke, Cornell, Columbia and April 22—Several students and workers turn forces factory owners to cut the wages the entire University of California system. from the University of North Carolina at of the workers producing the apparel. For three years, students in SAW have Chapel Hill are entering the sixth day of a The workers, however, have not carried out a campaign to ask the UNC sit-in in Chancellor James Moeser’s lob- remained silent. Many have tried to orga- chancellor to adopt the DSP and uphold by, the longest sit-in at UNC since 1993. nize their factories or become involved in the labor codes that the university already About 25 students and workers entered union activities. These attempts are met has in place. the administration building on April 17 with harsh consequences: union organiz- The UNC sit-in is the fourth sit-in in the and have been occupying it ever since. ers have been assaulted, harassed, fired country in the past two weeks in support of These students and workers are affili- and even killed. In addition, brands often the DSP, starting with an April 15 sit-in at ated with Student Action with Workers “cut and run” from factories in which a Pennsylvania State University where 31 stu- (SAW), a UNC group affiliated with United union has been established, sometimes dents were arrested. Later that week, nine Students against Sweatshops, as well as leaving hundreds of workers without jobs students were arrested at the University WW photo: Peter Gilbert several other campus groups that are part or means of livelihood. FIST members Ben Carroll (center) and of Montana, followed by six arrested at of the Sweatfree Coalition and the com- What is important in this situation is Salma Mirza (right) at student sit-in. Appalachian State University in Boone, munity-based youth group FIST—Fight the power dynamic. While brands have N.C. With the UNC-CH sit-in currently in Imperialism, Stand Together. power over the factories, administrations its sixth day, students at the University of Brand names such as Nike and Adidas of universities have power over the brands. In 1999, students at UNC held a 72-hour Florida have begun a hunger strike. are currently partnered with UNC to Recently, students have begun putting sit-in to pressure the university to adopt “The university tries to portray itself as make apparel bearing the “Carolina” pressure on their administrations to com- codes of conduct which would ensure a university for the people, but this strug- name. These brands source the apparel pel brands to pay enough to factories for a freedom of association and a living wage gle around the DSP exposes their true from factories all over the world and have living wage, as well as to allow freedom of for workers producing Carolina apparel. motives—profits and friendly relationships been paying increasingly lower prices for association among all workers. However, almost 10 years later, these with big corporations,” stated Ben Carroll, the apparel. codes are still not being enforced because member of both SAW and FIST. “While brands refuse to pay enough to the fac- the university likes to talk about respect- tories to allow for these worker gains. In ing workers rights, it does everything it can fact, when factories do follow these codes to ignore the demand for a DSP for apparel Play about Lucasville with the UNC logo. This apparel brings in of conduct, they are penalized by losing orders to other factories that pay their huge profits for the university because of workers lower wages. the cheap labor they are able to secure by prisoners cheered The Designated Suppliers Program was superexploitation of workers. The univer- designed to combat the practice of “cut and sity won’t sign on to this program because By Sharon Danann run” by requiring brands to source their it would contradict their established capi- Cleveland apparel from factories that uphold these talist relationships.” basic human rights—a living wage and the For more information, visit dsp4unc. Family, supporters and those right to organize. The DSP, once adopted wordpress.com/ wanting to become informed by a university, begins a gradual process Gomaa is a member of both SAW at gathered on the 15th anniver- of sourcing increasing amounts of apparel UNC and the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel sary of the 1983 rebellion in the from fair labor factories. These practices Hill chapter of the youth group FIST. She prison in Lucasville, Ohio, to put would be monitored in the factories by a has been an active participant on two performances of a play third-party non-profit agency called the in the sit-ins. about the event. A cast of 20, ranging in age from 11 to 84, pre- sented “Lucasville: The Untold Story of a Prison Uprising,” by Forum on Irish struggle history Staughton Lynd, Gary Anderson and Christopher Fidram. On April 19 the Included in the cast were two Detroit branch of sisters and two nephews, aged 11 Workers World Party and 14, of Greg Curry, one of the sponsored the forum, prisoners wrongfully convicted “In the Spirit of the following the siege. Also in the 1916 Irish Rebellion: cast was Kevin Lowery, cousin of James Connolly and Keith LaMar (Bomani Shakur), the 1981 Hunger who played Shakur. LaMar is one Strikers.” Ed Childs Graphic by Jason Robb WW photo: Alan Pollack of the five prisoners given death sentences of UNITE HERE Local 26 in Boston, who are known as the Lucasville 5. Paki has been held all this time without WWP member and longtime Irish lib- The role of Irish internationalism and Before the play opened, Gwen Curry a trial. Instead he was punished with vio- eration fighter; Abayomi Azikiwe of the the relationships between the Irish and described the indignities her brother was lations related to the uprising before the Pan African News Wire; Kris Hamel of Cubans, Indians, Mexicans, the Black and forced to go through during his trial and prison system’s Rules Infraction Board WWP; and Workers World newspaper Native nations in the U.S., Palestinians, the racist attitudes of the jury toward both (RIB). Such violations are supposed to Contributing Editor Bryan G. Pfeifer Puerto Ricans, South Africans and other him and the rest of his family. Greg Curry extend prison terms by up to 90 days spoke. Debbie Johnson of WWP chaired oppressed peoples sparked deep discus- has been subjected to continuing abuse, maximum, but Paki has been held on and, along with Mike Shane of WWP, pre- sions with regard to self-determination, such as contamination of his food with these charges for 15 years. pared a traditional Irish meal. the national question and nationalism vs. bodily waste matter. One of the performances was held in a Talks and discussion topics included the socialism from the packed house. Because of the intense legal pressure, community center in a working-class com- roles of revolutionary Irish women, dual A screening of a DVD depicting the the prison system has been forced to munity on Cleveland’s west side. Desktop power, the Black and the Green struggle, barbaric U.S.-British colonial activities in reclassify Curry to a status where he can computers were set up all around the back the 1981 hunger strikers, the Irish and the North of Ireland in the 1980s and the have full contact visits. Tears rose in his of the center so that during the intermis- Irish-Americans, the legacy of James relationships between national liberation sister’s eyes as she described with joy that sion the audience members could sign the Connolly, the 1916 rebellion, Bobby Sands struggles drew rapt attention, as did a clip for the first time in 15 years, his mother electronic petition for amnesty at www. and Mairead Farrell, Ireland today, com- from the movie, “The Wind That Shakes would be able to hug him. acluohio.org in the Lucasville Justice munism, the science of dialectical and his- the Barley.” Participants from throughout Along with many other prisoners who Project. torical materialism, transitional demands, Michigan and Milwaukee attended. either participated in the uprising or A second performance was in a com- the American Axle strike, the moratorium Pictures on lecturn are of Mairead refused to give false testimony in the trials munity center in a part of Cleveland’s east campaign and the fight for socialist revo- Farrell and Assata Shakur. that followed, the Lucasville 5 have been in side that is primarily African-American. lution in the U.S. and internationally. —Bryan G. Pfeifer solitary confinement for the past 15 years. The building had been completely reno- At the gatherings on April 11 and 12, par- vated by involving the young people of the Made in U.S.A. ticipants paid tribute to all the prisoners community and teaching them construc- War in Colombia A book from the International Action Center covers the struggle with wrongful convictions and recognized tion and maintenance skills. in Colombia from the perspective of trade unionists, human rights their families for their strength and deter- The cast’s passionate performance was activists, and the FARC and ELN insurgencies. Authors include: Fidel mination during this long period. matched by the audience’s enthusiasm on Castro, Ramsey Clark, Javier Correa, Rep. Cynthia McKinney, Mumia Many members of the LaMar family both nights, which included a standing Abu-Jamal, Gloria Gaitan, Raul Reyes, Manuel Marulanda, Stan Goff, attended, as did the wife and stepdaugh- ovation the second night. This enthusiasm Teresa Gutierrez, James Petras, Sen. Paul Wellstone, Roy Bourgeois, ter of Siddique Abdullah Hasan, another showed that the campaign for the freedom Garry Leech and others. one of the Lucasville 5. Also attending was of the Lucasville uprising prisoners has 200 pages, indexed and referenced. Order from the mother of Mosi O. Paki. become a popular movement. n leftbooks.com www.workers.org May 1, 2008 Page 9 Imperialists’ policies cause worldwide hunger By Deirdre Griswold that “Those who face persistent hunger in There were two main focuses to the economies. The result has been that, the world do not have the money to exer- SAPs: privatization and deregulation. where once these countries were fairly When hungry people rebel in the cise effective demand in a ‘free’ market. … To continue to get loans so they could self-sufficient in food, much of their agri- streets over the high cost of food, it is only Nobody needs to go hungry—each person pay their “debt” and hopefully have some- cultural land has now been taken over by because they have tried every other way that does is the victim of conscious policy thing left over, the poor countries had to transnationals, which produce cash crops to feed their families—and come up with choices and policy failures.” sell off what had belonged to the state: for export. nothing. What Murphy, and others who work natural resources, airports, land, even Flowers, palm oil for biofuel, cattle for That is what is happening around the in various organizations trying to miti- water. the huge hamburger chains, and costly world today—in so many countries that gate the effects of the “free market,” are They also had to end import tariffs that fruits and vegetables for export year- those whose economic policies have creat- referring to are the Structural Adjustment had protected their farmers against the round to the colder and more affluent ed this situation are truly alarmed. When Programs (SAPs) imposed by the World inflow of cheap agricultural products— countries of the North are replacing the the problem was just hunger, it was very, Bank, the International Monetary Fund especially products from the U.S., where indigenous crops that had provided a bal- very low on their agenda. But now that the and the World Trade Organization on grains in particular can be grown very anced diet for most of the people. problem is seen as one of “social instabil- poor countries. These institutions are cheaply because of abundant land and The structural adjustment programs ity,” the huge transnational corporations controlled by the banks and corporations modern technology. have completely broken down the sov- that control the world market know their in the rich imperialist countries and do In Mexico, for example, the flooding in ereignty of those countries drawn into “bottom line” could be severely affected. what’s best for them, even though their of cheap corn after the implementation of their web. Economic decisions are not The U.N.’s World Food Program stated mission is to help the development NAFTA ruined millions of small farmers, made in-country, as the military say, but released a report in mid-April estimating of poorer countries by loaning them mon- many of whom have lost their lands and in the boardrooms on Wall Street and its that 800 million people are going hungry ey—at interest, of course. must emigrate to the U.S. in order to get European and Japanese equivalents. every day around the globe and malnutri- It is a measure of the enormous injus- work. There will undoubtedly be many more tion is rampant. Many explanations are tice incorporated into international agree- Under the SAPs, countries also have studies that show how cruel and unsus- being given for why, suddenly, so many ments that the very countries plundered had to eliminate subsidies and price con- tainable is the new world order created by people are in a dire situation of “food inse- of their resources during centuries of colo- trols that helped keep food affordable for imperialist globalization. What will end curity” after so many promises that the nialism are now in the category of “debtor the people. this nightmare, however, is the revolu- “green revolution” pushed by agribusiness nations.” They are up to their ears in debt The imperialist bankers forced all this tionary action of the popular masses. The would end world hunger forever. and have been forced by these interna- on the developing countries in order to food rebellions are a signal of their des- Some point out that a huge and grow- tional imperialist institutions to accept squeeze out of them even more immense peration but also of their hope and belief ing area of rich cropland is now producing the most onerous “adjustment” to their profits and to take over the reins of their in their own power. n crops for biofuel—in other words, to fuel economies just to be able to participate in cars, buses and trucks instead of to feed any commerce or trade. people. Others say it’s because the earth’s In fact, in this era of neocolonialism, it population is getting too large. is the banks and the transnationals that However, the same WFP report says keep the people of the oppressed nations that food production has been rising along enslaved. This arrangement is usually with population and enough food is grown more satisfactory for the exploiters than to feed everyone in the world. Yet hun- direct rule, although the U.S. is now dreds of millions just can’t afford to eat. attempting to reconquer in the old colo- Was there any warning that a crisis like nial way countries like Iraq that exerted this was coming? some real sovereignty. Absolutely. In fact, people who study The SAPs were pushed on the poor- food production in the developing world est countries in the world beginning in have been literally pleading with the the 1980s. That was a time when the rich imperialist countries—especially the vigor of the Third World national libera- U.S.—to change their policies. tion movements was waning, along with For example, as long ago as 1999 Sophia the aid that had been given developing Murphy of the Institute for Agricultural countries by the Soviet Union and China, and Trade Policy wrote an article on whose socialist commitments had been “WTO, Agricultural Deregulation and worn down by the unrelenting pressures Food Security,” in which she concluded and costs of the Cold War. Women’s group hosts Filipina leader

ww photo; Greg Butterfield Protest meets S. Korean Pres. Lee By Eric Struch Korea (DPRK or North Korea). New York Nodutdol and its allied organizations are opposed to the FTA. If passed, the FTA will Nodutdol for Korean Community lead to massive unemployment in the RoK Development and other groups organized as well as to the relaxation or even repeal of a powerful demonstration at Manhattan’s labor laws and environmental standards. WW photo: Arturo J. Perez-Saad posh Plaza Hotel on April 15 to protest a Nodutdol also opposes the Missile Defense The Women’s Fightback Network held movement to resist all forms of human visit by newly elected South Korean presi- Shield and any further militarization of the a reception and round-table discussion rights violations taking place in her coun- dent, Lee Myung-bak. Lee is a member of Korean peninsula. The group advocates a on April 19 at the Solidarity Center in try by the U.S.-backed regime of Gloria the ultrarightist, pro-U.S. Grand National withdrawal of U.S. occupation troops, a New York City for Emmi De Jesus, secre- Macapagal Arroyo. The Philippines has Party, a party that has a close identifica- peace treaty to end the state of war with tary-general of Gabriela, a mass women’s been a semicolony of the U.S. since 1898. tion with the brutal dictatorships in the the DPRK, and peaceful reunification on organization based in the Philippines. —Monica Moorehead Republic of Korea (RoK) from the 1950s Korean terms of the northern and south- De Jesus, standing behind the podium, to the 1980s. ern halves of the nation. had toured the United States since April Lee was in the U.S. to meet with Bush to The loud, militant demonstration dis- 6, speaking on efforts by the Filipino iron out the details of the Korea-U.S. Free rupted what Lee surely thought would Trade Agreement (FTA) in addition to fast be a smooth visit. Other organizations Market Elections tracking closer military and political ties that participated in the demonstra- to U.S. imperialism. To this end, Bush, How Democracy Serves the Rich By Vince Copeland tion included Solidarity for Peace and with Lee’s full support, wants to spend bil- Every four years, big money chooses the presidential candidates. Reunification of Korea (SPARK), Congress Their war chests filled to the brim, they are then packaged by the lions of dollars to create a so-called Missile for Korean Unification, Bayan U.S.A., the media as ‘the people’s choice.’ It's U.S.-style democracy-of the rich, Defense Shield, which will contribute fur- International Action Center, the Committee by the rich and for the rich. But how do these chosen politicians ther to the militarization of the peninsula in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador win the votes of the millions as well as the millionaires? and escalate tensions between the RoK (CISPES) and the New York City People’s Order online from Leftbooks.com and the Democratic People’s Republic of Referendum on Free Trade. n Page 10 May 1, 2008 www.workers.org The day women took Self-determination! to the streets stration with a But where? Editor’s note: Workers World cold hostility which n February it was Kosovo. In April, the FBI harassed them, the agents left is in its 50th year of publication. gripped them during Tibet. Can the ruling classes in the with­out showing any judicial papers or Throughout the year, we will share this day for women. imperialist countries, those world- warrants that would allow them to arrest with our readers some of the paper’s I There were also WW in 1970 class oppressors, suddenly be major sup- or question the two. There were reports of content over the past half century. the usual fascist porters of self-determination? others being harassed. Below is a reprint from a 1970 article hecklers. One group held up a sign Only when it suits their interests. The continued efforts of the FBI and on the first massive women’s demon- in German—Children, Church and The French and Spanish rulers repress other U.S. police agencies to interfere with stration from that period in New York Kitchen—Hitler’s slogan to keep women self-determination in the Basque Country, the rights of Puerto Ricans who believe City. enslaved in the home! the British keep their troops in the north- their country has the right to sovereignty The most militant section of the ern counties of Ireland and—closer to and self-determination should be pro- By Naomi Cohen march gathered around the banner of home—Washington sends the FBI into its tested by all in the progressive movement. the Third World Women’s Alliance. It closest colonial possession, Puerto Rico, to Some already joined the April 21 protest at NEW YORK, Aug. 26—For all of us read, “Hands off Angela Davis.” This harass, frequently arrest, and sometimes Federal Plaza in New York, a worthy target who took part in the Women’s Strike contingent of Black, Spanish and other kill independence activists. of protest. There will certainly be other here today, the single most significant women of oppressed nations chanted, In mid-April, Puerto Rican indepen- opportunities to show solidarity with the fact about the day’s action was indis- “Ho, ho, hey, hey, Angela Davis is here dence activist Miguel Viqueira was about to Puerto Rican activists, who are freedom putably the enormous number of wom- today.” Behind them a group of women leave his home for work when FBI agents fighters really close to home. en who poured out onto the streets in from the YAWF Women’s Caucus car- showed up, armed and with bulletproof When the imperialist ruling class response to the call. Tens of thousands ried banners, “Support our Panther sis- vests, insulting and threatening him. That starts to champion some national group came out in an overwhelming show of ters and brothers” and “Equal pay for same morning the FBI spread their bad demanding autonomy or secession, it’s strength to demonstrate their com- equal work.” will around, approaching Tania Delgado time to get suspicious. Ask these rulers’ mitment to the struggle for Women’s Bryant Park filled up quickly as the Soto from Rio Piedras. Both are members representatives if they are also going to Liberation. In spite of all the snide marchers poured in. Organizers of the of the “Nueva Escuela” or New School in support the self-determination of the remarks, the chauvinist comments in event estimated the crowd at 50,000. Puerto Rico, not to be confused with the oppressed nations in their own sphere the bourgeois press, women, recogniz- The rally began with a spirited mes- university in New York. of influence. It isn’t hard to predict their ing their oppression as women, came sage delivered by Jo O’Brien, a mili- In the case of these two activists, after answer. n in a serious mood to demand 24-hour tant working woman from Nottingham childcare centers, free abortion on Women’s Liberation in England. demand and equal job opportunities. Journalist Gloria Steinem, who The turnout was far beyond the chaired the rally, then introduced a rep- Kathleen Kelly expectations of the organizers of the resentative of the Third World Women’s march and particularly took the police Alliance. This Black sister, whose name pioneer of radical Internet media and city administration by surprise, was never announced, gave by far the who up until the last moment were Kathleen Kelly who, with Bob Richards, in the U.S. and around the world. most revolutionary speech of the eve- insisting that the women could only was the New York Transfer News Collective, It also distributed articles from revolu- ning and in doing so explained to the have part of Fifth Avenue for the march. which broke the U.S. embargo on Cuba and tionary leftist newspapers, carrying articles largely white audience there exactly But as the marchers lined up, snaking distributed news reports from Havana’s ranging from Workers World newspaper to how Black women feel about the wom- their way deep into Central Park at 60th Prensa Latina in the United States, died the Maoist Peru Communist Party’s press. en’s movement and what their relation- Street, it became clear that there was no Jan. 22 following a stroke. She was 59. New York Transfer began distributing ship to it will be. way the cops were going to confine this Known to most as Kelly, she was an Irish Workers World articles in 1985. She began her speech by stating, enormous crowd to one lane. And as we Republican Army supporter and anti-war The distribution went far and wide. “Third World women are the most marched out of the park we could see activist during the 1960s who used her In the 1990s New York Transfer began to oppressed. ... Neither Third World women marching shoulder to shoulder training as a psychiatrist to help returning break the longtime U.S. embargo on Cuba. women nor other women can be lib- and curb to curb down Fifth Avenue as Vietnam War vets. New York Transfer was Kelly began transcribing and translating erated until this capitalist, imperialist far as the eye could see. an early bulletin board system set up by into English the shortwave broadcasts of system is destroyed.” The crowd was for the most part Vietnam vet Bob Richards. It was used pri- news from Cuba and distributing them Addressing herself to the white young, with many, many women of marily by vets seeking to deal with the war through New York Transfer. This caused a women she continued, “Until you can high school and college age. But there and with their anger against the system that stir at the time, but it also raised a demand recognize your own racism and address were also older women, working wom- sent them there. for more. yourselves to poor women, you cannot en, mothers with children and groups of The bulletin board system was connected Working closely with Prensa Latina expect us to ally with you. ... We are the Black women. Although the vast major- by phone lines; this was before there was an in Havana, Kelly and New York Transfer women who are the slaves in the gar- ity were women, some men did come, Internet. When the Internet was opened, were able to set up a daily communica- ment center, work for the telephone one group with a sign, “Men Support New York Transfer was a pioneer partici- tions link into Havana that let articles and company and in the factories.” Women’s Liberation.” pant. By 1984 the operation was renamed news reports as well as email from Cuba to “The difference between white wom- We marched down Fifth Avenue New York Transfer News Collective to reflect be exchanged in the U.S. for the first time. en and Third World women is the dif- with arms linked, chanting and carry- its change into a distribution network for The English-language edition of Prensa ference between exploitation and slav- ing banners. The street was lined with radical news. Latina continues to be hosted on New York ery. ... We cannot worry about petty spectators. Often the women among New York Transfer was the first radi- Transfer’s Web server. problems like who is going to put out them were friendly, but most of the cal news service on the Internet and it was With the death of Kelly, New York the garbage. We don’t have garbage well-dressed businessmen types along widely recognized for both its editorial qual- Transfer has been forced to shut down. Bob because we don’t have enough food to the way seemed to regard the demon- ity and its many exclusives and its nonsec- Richards told Workers World, “I will always eat!” And she ended her speech by say- tarian distribution policies. The news ser- feel that Kelly fell in battle.” Messages can ing, “Revolution and not reform is the vice redistributed articles from a great many be sent to [email protected]. rate. It benefits the borrower. But since only answer.” sources, including small and big newspapers — Gary Wilson the consumer has absolutely no equity Most of the speakers were the usual in the home, he has less motivation to bunch of politicians you would expect to repay the loan and that leaves the lend- find at any large rally of this kind. There er with 100 percent of the liability.” was a woman from Mayor Lindsay’s ‘Greedy pirates of Cleveland’ Now, plunging home prices in Ohio office, Bella Abzug plugging for the Continued from page 5 the 1999 purchase of the California-based have left homeowners owing more than Reform Democrats and an SWP can- edly meant more layoffs. subprime mortgage giant, First Franklin. the value of their property, and the coun- didate pushing her own election. Betty Instead, a group of investors led by for- Prior to that, only five percent of NCB’s total try’s sixth largest mortgage lender with Freidan of NOW and Kate Millett, femi- mer JP Morgan division Corsair Capital LLC profits, or $50 million, came from mort- $25 billion worth of debt it cannot sell. nist and author of “Sexual Politics,” also will buy a 50-percent stake in the distressed gages. By 2003 that figure had grown to 50 Like steelworkers, autoworkers or spoke. lender. “The deal will preserve the 163-year- percent, or $2.3 million per day! any other workers, the bosses con- It goes without saying that the lead- old bank’s Cleveland headquarters—a huge In 2006 NCB sold First Franklin to sider bank workers expendable. When ers of the August 26 action have no class relief to 7,800 local workers and to a com- Merrill Lynch for $1.3 billion—six times Merrill Lynch closed the now worth- line, that they are tied to bourgeois, munity that doesn’t want to lose another what it paid for the firm—but was left hold- less First Franklin last month, 2,100 parliamentary politics. Nevertheless, Fortune 500 company,” the Plain Dealer ing $10 billion worth of subprime loans. employees got the axe. Among the NCB this was an enormous demonstration reported on the Sunday evening the bailout The bank still holds $6.6 billion of that $10 workers laid off are 450 in the now of the fact that women do recognize was announced. Yet such buyouts usually billion and $17 billion in home equity debt, closed home equity loan division and their oppression as women and want come with strings attached—demands for including $11 billion in “piggyback” loans. 900 in the mortgage division. to struggle against it. In any huge out- “cost-cutting,” that is, job cuts. The Plain Dealer explains that “A piggy- NCB’s previous CEO David Daberko— pouring like this, the consciousness of These bank workers are the latest to suffer back loan works like this: A person who had the architect of the lending monster’s women grows and once women are on from a crisis not of their own making. Their no down payment could get an 80 percent destructive strategy—departed after the streets they will be susceptible to precarious economic position stems from first mortgage at a low rate and a 20 per- three years of “service” with compensa- a class approach to the revolutionary NCB’s predatory lending policies, including cent second mortgage at a slightly higher tion totaling $46 million. n struggle of women. n www.workers.org May 1, 2008 Page 11 Communists sweep elections in Nepal

By Sara Flounders Nepal has 40 nationalities and seven the process of the Constituent Assembly struggle against the monarchy, more than major languages, along with 125 recorded on deciding the character of the state. At 10,000 died after the 2001 U.S. interven- While focusing for weeks on Tibet, the languages. The ethnic minorities must this point 80 percent of the population tion increased the slaughter. corporate media in the imperialist coun- all be substantially represented in the is engaged in subsistence agriculture. In contradiction to the phony U.S. tries have played down the earthshak- Assembly. The Dalits and most oppressed Popular demands to cancel the debts of message of great “respect for human ing developments in the neighboring castes are also guaranteed seats in the the rural poor and for land reform will be rights” in neighboring Tibet, in Nepal Himalayan country of Nepal, the poor- Assembly. brought to the Assembly. the Pentagon rushed to supply helicopter est country in Asia. Yet the revolutionary The monarchy and the old state insisted Only private schools presently exist in gunships, night vision equipment, M-16s, communist forces of the Communist Party that there was only one language and one Nepal. Public education is the first order stores of ammunition and other military of Nepal-Maoist or CPN-M won an over- people in Nepal, leaving the overwhelm- of business. More than 80 percent of the technology to combat the peasant insur- whelming electoral victory for the national ing majority of the population ignored population lacks access to electricity and gency. Currently, Washington still has the Constituent Assembly on April 10. and unrepresented. education. The first national campaign CPN-M on its “terrorist” list. The defeat of the monarchy, the cor- Such a grouping of oppressed peo- is to organize for full literacy within five In a Feb. 13, 2007, interview in Global rupt feudal forces, pro-monarchy parties ples sitting down, not within the exist- years and electrification within 10 years. Eco Politics U.S. Ambassador Moriarty and the capitalist Nepal Congress Party, ing frame­work, but to draft wholly new Although the majority of the population com­pared the attitude toward rela- which supported the monarchy, is a blow laws and structures that more closely of Nepal is desperately poor and a third tions with CPN-M with the hostile U.S. to U.S. imperialism in this strategic coun- meet their needs, means that even bigger of the population lives on less than $1 a approach toward the democratically try of 27 million people, bordering China. changes lie ahead. day, the country is rich in undeveloped elected government of Hamas in the West Washington is unlikely to accept the pres- The demand for an election of a con- resources. It has mineral resources of Bank and Gaza. ent mass upheaval without attempting to stituent assembly to draft a completely gold, copper, iron, coal, oil and gas. It has U.S. imperialism has again and again intervene. new constitution became a powerful mass plentiful water resources and extremely shown its deep hostility to any elect- Pre-election opinion polls commis- movement. The masses saw it as a nation- fertile soil in the lowlands able to produce ed government that does not serve its sioned by the U.S. Embassy in Katmandu, al referendum on ending feudal class rule three crops a year. interests, supporting or initiating coups Nepal’s capital, gave the Maoists forces and an unpopular, repressive monarchy. The CPN-M and all the forces strug- against democratically elected gov- only 8 to 10 percent of the popular vote. Even with such a large electoral victory gling for revolutionary change in Nepal ernments in Congo, Chile, Nicaragua, Western and Indian media coverage also this is unlikely to be a smooth transition. have a formidable task ahead of them. El Salvador, Venezuela, Lebanon and predicted widespread violence, intimida- The CPN-M will now head the Defense Nepal is isolated, landlocked and almost Hamas in the Palestinian West Bank and tion and vote rigging. Ministry, managing the army that it totally underdeveloped. Even the most Gaza. In an effort to frustrate and defeat Although the final vote count will not fought for 10 years. basic improvements in the standard of popular movements for change, U.S. cor- be confirmed for two to three weeks, it is Prachandra, the leader of the CPN-M, living are up against the global capitalist porate power has used tactics of sabotage, already clear the CPN-M, out of 55 politi- has moved from having a price on his downturn and soaring fuel, construction economic strangulation, sanctions, inva- cal parties participating in the election, head, dead or alive, to becoming the prob- and food prices. sions, arming contra bands of landlords swept the direct vote and won 122 out of able next president. and property owners and orchestrating 240 direct seats, more than half. This 122 The archaic forces that have ruled Nepal U.S. intervention military coups. is more than three times as many seats for hundreds of years had no choice but After Sept. 11, 2001, U.S. imperialism The Constituent Assembly opens new as either the centrist Congress Party of to agree to the present election, which for asserted itself globally more than ever. revolutionary possibilities in Nepal. This Nepal or the social-democratic, left party the first time is not for seats in an existing Washington put the CPN-M on the “ter- unfolding process is likely to have a pro- known as the Communist Party of Nepal structure that favors the landlords and rorism” list and sent U.S. military advisors found impact throughout South Asia, (UML—United Movement of the Left). propertied classes. Mass general strikes to aid Nepal’s feudal forces, also provid- where the majority of the population is These are the two major parties that had and massive demonstrations that swelled ing a third of Nepal’s national budget. Of still impoverished peasants facing a glob- participated in the Parliament under the into a 19-day uprising in April 2006 forced 13,000 killed in the 1996-2006 peoples’ al capitalist market. n King. the collapse of the existing government. The added votes of the major parlia- An eight-point agreement was signed to mentary left and several other left parties establish a cease-fire, set up an interim will provide a potential bloc, led by the government and begin preparation for Chinese Olympic CPN-M, of more than two-thirds of the the election for a constituent assembly. seats. The monarchist parties received too The uprising in the cities was preced- few votes to secure any seats. Although ed by a well-organized, peasant-based wheelchair athlete the counting is not yet finalized for the armed resistance that lasted from 1996 to By Caleb Maupin proportional delegates, the CPN-M is 2006. It grew to control more than three- already the confirmed winner of over 100 quarters of the countryside. In district Jin Jing had a smile on her face as she of the 335 proportional seats. after district, the movement in the impov- rolled her wheelchair through the streets The vote spells the end of the feudal erished and undeveloped countryside, led of Paris. Her smile was undeterred by the monarchy and the establishment of a by the CPN-M, focused on radical land fact that anti-Chinese Tibetan separatists, democratic, federal, secular republic. reforms, cancellation of peasants’ debts, dressed in black and bearing a fictional Great new challenges lie ahead. gender equality and political representa- “Tibetan flag,” violently attacked her as tion of oppressed nationalities. she bore the Olympic torch through the Revolutionary composition The determination of the CPN-M to streets. of Assembly bypass the old parliamentary talk-shop Jin Jing, whose name means “gold,” The CPN-M only agreed to a ceasefire in Katmandu and demand a wholly was born in Shanghai, the daughter of two in June 2006 in the decade long “peoples’ new constituent assembly takes a page workers. At the age of nine she suffered war” after securing the agreement on the from the experience of the Constituent from a cancerous tumor in her ankle, holding of a constituent assembly and on National Assembly of the Third Estate which required the amputation of her leg. its character and structure. The composi- in the French Revolution of 1789 and But this did not stop Jin Jing. She helped tion of the new body indicates that it will the role of the Soviet Councils of workers her family by working as a switchboard have a revolutionary character regardless and peasants in the Russian Revolution operator at a hotel until she got the idea of the specific delegates seated. of 1917. It is also a powerful reassertion to become an athlete. (China Daily) In the proportional seats women must of the validity of peoples’ war tactics and It was when she participated in a speech be 50 percent of the delegates and 33 per- mobilization of the peasantry in the 21st contest in 2001 that she was introduced cent of the total Assembly. This is a stun- century. to the idea of getting involved in sports. ning accomplishment considering the low The stated goals of the CPN-M are to Jin Jing holding Olympic torch in Paris. She said she wanted to become a fencer status of women in Nepal. work through the mass organizations and because one of her childhood favorites she sent a text message to her mother, was Zorro, the fictional television hero reading, “You can be proud of me.” Before who fought the agents of Spanish colo- the press and the crowds of cheering Tibet and the CIA’s anti-China Crusade nialism. Perhaps images of Zorro’s battles Chinese students in the streets of Paris, Has Tibet become the front line of a new national liberation struggle? with corrupt Spanish officials were with Jin raised her left fist and shouted “Go her as she clutched the torch away from China” at the top of her lungs, according Or is something else happening there? Updated servants not of Spanish colonialism, but to reports in the Chinese media. •• Why weren't the Dalai Lama's slaves freed until 1959? of U.S. finance capital. (China Daily) Jin Jing has made it clear that she is ••Why was one of Hitler's top Nazis part of the Dalai Lama's inner circle? with articles Jin Jing has participated in six inter- in opposition to the U.S.-funded cause of national wheelchair fencing contests Tibetan separatism. Jin has also said she ••Why did the CIA create a Tibetan contra force beginning in the 1950s? from 2008 and won six medals: two silver and four is very proud to be representing her coun- ••What are the Dalai Lama’s connections to the CIA? bronze. try the first time it will host the Olympic ••How are the Tibetan poor affected by the Chinese Revolution? After defeating the anti-China agents, events. n ••What about the ruling class Tibetans who went abroad? This collection of articles from Workers World newspaper should be read by everyone who wants to look beyond the anti-China hype about Tibet and understand what’s really going on. Subscribe to Workers World newspaper 4 weeks trial subscription: $1 Strikers free One year subscription: $25 Order this booklet and many other timely books online at www.leftbooks.com WW Publishers 55 W. 17 St. 5 Fl., NY, NY 10011 212.627.2994 www.workers.org ¡Proletarios y oprimidos de todos los países, uníos!

Expansión de la OTAN, segunda parte Washington en busca de tropas Por Sara Flounders Bajo presión durante las reuniones, son parte de la “Coalición Internacional.” que mientras las fuerzas de los EEUU/ el Presidente Nicholas Sarkozy dijo que La misión en la misma—asegurar la ocu- OTAN puedan prevalecer sobre las fuerzas En la víspera de la reunión de la OTAN, Francia proveería 1.000 tropas más. El pación imperialista. Solo el nombre es locales de resistencia por el empleo de un el Almirante de la Marina, Mike Mullen, Parlamento francés inmediatamente diferente. poder militar abrumador y bombardeos presidente de la Junta de Jefes del Estado recortó esta cifra a 700. Polonia aceptó Mientras otras fuerzas imperialistas indiscriminados, solo logra incrementar Mayor, dijo que se necesitaban 7.500 enviar otras 400 tropas. Rumania, España ­–como por ejemplo Bretaña, España, Italia, aún más la resistencia y en reclutar más soldados y 3.000 entrenadores militares y Bretaña se comprometieron a enviar Australia, y Japón– se retiran de Irak, la insurgentes. Enviar más tropas solo exac- más para ser enviados inmediatamente a unos cientos más. Pero la meta inmediata reducida “coalición internacional” queda a erba el problema. Afganistán. de 10.000 tropas adicionales no se logró. cargo de las fuerzas de países más pobres El imperialismo de los EEUU está Cerca de 59.000 soldados de 39 difer- como El Salvador y Tonga, así como varios enfrentando una contradicción que es entes países están ahora ocupando a Se reduce la coalición en Irak que una vez fueron parte de o aliados a la irreconciliable. El movimiento político Afganistán, incluyendo 19.000 de Estados Los ex primeros ministros Tony Blair Unión Soviética, como Rumania, Bulgaria, progresista tiene que estar atento. Estas Unidos. De esta cifra, 47.500 están bajo el de Bretaña, John Howard de Australia, la República Checa, Ucrania, Georgia, contradicciones pueden volver más deses- comando de la OTAN. José María Aznar de España y Silvio Azerbaiyán, Armenia, Moldova, Lituania, perados y peligrosos a los multimillonar- Como su misión ha fallado y la resist- Berlusconi de Italia perdieron sus puestos Estonia, Latvia, Bosnia, Macedonia, ios. Mientras que su posición económica encia afgana ha crecido, las divisiones por la poca popularidad del compromiso Albania, Kazakstán, y Mongolia. mundial se está erosionando, junto con el internas en la alianza de la OTAN se están de enviar tropas a Irak y por su apoyo a La suma de tropas no estadounidenses en dólar todopoderoso, cada vez más están aireando públicamente. Los desacuerdos la guerra. Ahora se considera un suicid- Irak ha bajado de 23.000 en el 2003 a menos atraídos por las soluciones militares. Pero sobre la distribución de las obligaciones, io político en Europa Occidental que los de 10.000 hoy, y sigue reduciéndose. el mantenimiento de las armas, las bases la coordinación y la dirección estratégica políticos aumenten la cifra de tropas para Los costos de la participación de los y las tropas, succiona una proporción están plagando la alianza. Canadá ame- Afganistán o Irak. 20 países más pobres están pagados por creciente de los recursos disponibles. El nazó con retirar sus tropas de Afganistán Los nuevos miembros dependientes l@s contribuyentes de impuestos en los militarismo es tanto una forma de rescate si otros países no envían un número sub- pequeños de la OTAN que están siendo EEUU. El costo de las más de 160.000 con subvenciones corporativas como un stancial de tropas. Alemania ha rehusado presionados por todos lados para que tropas de los EEUU y de los 100.000 drenaje sin fin de la economía en general. expandir su fuerza de 3.200 tropas. envíen más soldados como carne de contratistas privados en Irak está pagado Cada día que pasa el costo de las guer- La administración de Bush no tenía una cañón a Afganistán, Irak y otras misiones, también por los impuestos y recortes pre- ras de ocupación infinitas se torna más esperanza realista de lograr que los alia- se confunden con la estructura de coman- supuestarios que afectan a l@s pobres y al obvio y menos soportable a l@s mil- dos de la OTAN enviaran más tropas. Pero do. El Presidente de Rumania, Traian pueblo trabajador en los EEUU. lones de pobres y gente trabajadora en aún así el Pentágono está tan sobre exten- Basescu se refirió a las tropas de su país los EEUU y en Europa. El incremento de dido en Irak que ya no puede proveer más en Irak como fuerzas de la OTAN durante Semillas de la derrota de OTAN penuria económica, recortes presupues- tropas. El mensaje de Bush—“Esperamos una conferencia de prensa el 8 de abril. La OTAN es primordialmente una tarios, y bajas militares están socavando que nuestros aliados en la OTAN provean El fue públicamente corregido con una alianza militar. Es ahí donde yacen las esta gran alianza militar. La OTAN se está la ayuda necesaria para tener éxito”—no explicación de que la OTAN no tiene una semillas de su derrota. Cada batalla en desmoronando desde abajo, a la vez que se fue muy popular. misión en Irak, donde las tropas rumanas Irak al igual que en Afganistán confirma expande numérica y geográficamente. n Tortura: la podredumbre comenzó en los altos mandos Por Dianne Mathiowetz lugar casi inmediatamente después del mentos en la administración Bush, par- Blanca? La historia no va a juzgar esto once de septiembre por entre otros, ticularmente por Cheney, para imponer la bien.” La administración de Bush ha sido atra- Dick Cheney, la Asesora de Seguridad idea de que el presidente tiene un poder Sin embargo, las revelaciones recientes pada en otra mentira. Nacional Condoleezza Rice, el Secretario ilimitado para ordenar interrogaciones de la aprobación oficial del uso de la tortu- ¿Recuerdan cómo el presidente miró de Defensa Donald Rumsfeld, el director brutales de detenidos para extraerles ra por parte de la administración de Bush seriamente a las cámaras de televisión el 6 de la CIA George Tenet, el Secretario de información estimada como necesaria son solamente una parte del cuadro. de octubre de 2007, y dijo, “Este gobierno Estado Colin Powell y el Fiscal General para proteger a los EEUU. Las cárceles y prisiones de los EEUU, no tortura a seres humanos”? John Ashcroft. La Casa Blanca, cuando era confron- los departamentos de la policía, agentes de Mientras que la cuestión de las prácti- Mientras que las palabras que definen tada con acusaciones de usar a militares inmigración, hospitales mentales, escuelas cas ilegales e infrahumanas perpetradas la tortura en los Convenios de Ginebra, la estadounidenses o agentes de la CIA y del militares disciplinarias para jóvenes y contra los prisioneros irrumpió en la con- Carta y otros convenios y declaraciones de FBI en el extranjero para torturar, inicial- otras instituciones represivas emplean ciencia pública después de la publicación la ONU, al igual que los códigos domés- mente alegó que esos sucesos eran aberra- tácticas inhumanas, racistas, sexistas y de las fotos horrendas desde Abu Ghraib ticos y militares de los EEUU se pueden ciones. Luego dijeron que la solicitud para homofóbicas similares para obligar con- en abril de 2004, memorandos secretos interpretar de varias formas, indiscutible- expandir las técnicas de interrogación vino fesiones, mantener el control o alterar el escritos mucho antes revelan que discu- mente prohíben que el uso del dolor desde “el terreno de combate”. comportamiento. siones detalladas y elaboradas sobre el intenso, sufrimiento o degradación, ya sea Documentos obtenidos por la Unión Innumerables demandas judiciales uso de la tortura fueron conducidas en la mental o físico, sea intencionalmente apli- Americana de Libertades Civiles (ACLU) detallan las condiciones en prisiones y la Casa Blanca por oficiales de los rango más cado a cualquier persona con el propósito en su batalla legal sobre los cientos de pri- práctica de tortura al estilo de Abu Grahíb altos del gobierno. de extraer información o sioneros detenidos en Guantánamo, com- y Guantánamo por todos los EEUU, desde En vez de ser unas una confesión. prueban cómo el uso de la tortura del agua el encarcelamiento en solitario por déca- pocas “manzanas podri- Éstas políticas son conocida en inglés como “waterboarding”, das a los miembros de los 3 de Angola has- das” como describieron consideradas “crímenes posturas de estrés prolongados, sesiones ta las confesiones inducidas por tortura en aquel entonces a l@s de guerra” bajo la de interrogación de 20 horas de duración, que están detrás de la acusación de los 8 soldados de rangos bajos ley internacional y el aislamiento extremo, poner capuchas, des- de San Francisco. que fueron enjuiciados encausamiento no se nudar a los detenidos, privación de sueño, Más de 2 millones de personas están por sus crímenes en Abu limita a los torturadores temperaturas extremas y otras medidas encarceladas en prisiones y cárceles esta- Ghraib, estos documen- materiales sino que brutales, fueron aprobadas desde los más dounidenses, en su mayoría hombres y tos comprueban que la también es aplicable a altos niveles del gobierno, incluyendo a mujeres de color, casi tod@s pobres que “podredumbre” comenzó aquellos que promul- George W. Bush. Instrucciones dándole suelen ser enjuiciados por crímenes de en la Avenida Pensilvania garon y emitieron las cobertura legal al uso de la tortura fueron sobrevivencia sin tener representación número 1600. órdenes de tortura. enviadas a la CIA por el Departamento de legal adecuada. Discusiones sobre Desde el once de septi- Defensa comenzando en el 2002. La conexión entre la “guerra en el exte- cómo evadir las leyes embre, se ha mantenido Ashcroft, en unas de estas discusiones rior” y la “guerra en casa” se manifiesta estadounidenses e inter- un esfuerzo sostenido sobre la “tortura”, expresó esta inquietud: abiertamente a través de las barras de las nacionales tomaron por parte de ciertos ele- “¿Porqué hablamos de esto en La Casa prisiones y los calabozos de aislamiento.