Detroit Crisis Leads to Call: !Sí Se Puede! 12 Feed the Cities

workers.org Workers and oppressed peoples of the world unite! APRIL 21, 2005 VOL. 47, NO. 157 50¢ Detroit crisis leads to call: !Sí se puede! 12 Feed the cities

WW PHOTO: MONICA MOOREHEAD Starve the Pentagon UNION RIGHTS By Cheryl LaBash The money is there to guarantee everyone employees of the city out there—a private NOW! Detroit a decent life. This is the richest country in contractor got the job. the world.” Those privately contracted crews were Black workers The hundreds of billions of dollars A May 14 strategy meeting called by the a sneak peek of what to expect from the organizing the South 6 spent by the Pentagon on the illegal war Million Worker March leadership will 2005-2006 proposed City Budget, to be and occupation of Iraq have meant more take place in Detroit to take up this con- announced April 12. City workers and res- poverty, more cutbacks and a plummeting ference initiative, among other important idents will be told to pay for the budget standard of living for the workers, poor issues. deficit through layoffs, service cuts, and people of color in the U.S. There are plenty of good reasons for health and pension benefit cuts and PUBLIC HOUSING Now a national call has been issued for holding an important conference of this privatization. Boston workers a broad, multinational, united fightback kind in large cities and even small towns. Already, shortened hours at Neigh- spearhead campaign 5 movement to push back the White House Detroit, once the heartland of the auto borhood Services offices are hurting the and the military generals. industry, has come to symbolize a crisis homeless and other desperate Detroiters. This fightback response comes from that is creating a seething anger from the Layoffs have robbed almost 1,000 work- Black elected officials as well as trade workers and oppressed population in ers of their secure livelihood. The Belle Isle unionists and community activists, based many parts of the country. Aquarium, a 100-year-old cultural institu- mainly here in Detroit. The call is for a tion, has closed down. national conference to “Reclaim Our Cities Black city ready for struggle City workers and the community won’t STUDENT/ and Fight the Bush Budget that Starves the For instance, on April 6, Detroit city accept the wage and service cuts quietly. LABOR UNITY Cities to Feed the Pentagon”—to be held workers closely watched the aftermath of Resistance has already prevented or this coming fall in Detroit. a 42-inch water main break on Jefferson reduced some of the city administration’s Sit in at Washington U 3 The initial endorsers of this call range Avenue. Round-the-clock emergency attempts to balance the budget at the from unionists to community leaders to crews swung into action to restore pres- expense of the people. elected officials. sure to a hospital, four schools, residences Reflecting the mood and concerns of the They include Maryann Mahaffey, pres- and the General Motor’s headquarters in residents, half the members of the Detroit MASSIVE IRAQI MARCH: ident of the Detroit City Council; JoAnn the Renaissance Center. But it wasn’t Continued on page 4 Watson, Detroit City Council member; ‘U.S. out now!’ 11 Marian Kramer, co-president of the National Welfare Rights Union; Millie Hall, president of Metro-Detroit Coalition of Labor Union Women; Nathan Head, CHINA VS. president of Metro-Detroit Coalition of IMPERIALISM Black Trade Unionists; David Sole, president of UAW Local 2334; Maureen Taylor, What sparked chairperson of the Michigan Welfare anti-Japan protests 9 Rights Organization and Sylvia Orduno of the same group; Tom Stephens, staff attorney of the Guild/Sugar Law Center; and Clarence Thomas, national co-chair of the Million Worker March and a leader of FREE THE CUBAN 5 Local 10 of the International Longshore Political struggle and Warehouse Union. The call expresses the frustration of so needed 8 many who are burdened with the budget cuts: “Many cities are facing devastating budget crises. We are tired of accepting further cutbacks, more layoffs and pres- Subscribe to sure to privatize. We need a national movement to demand that the billions Workers World wasted on war and the occupation of Iraq Trial subscription: $2 for 8 weeks and Afghanistan be used instead to meet One year subscription: $25 the needs of the people here at home. “The new Bush budget cuts 150 domestic programs while it pushes the spending NAME for war to over half a trillion dollars a year! Tax breaks for the rich, attacks on our ADDRESS Social Security, and skyrocketing health care costs (with tens of millions having no CITY/STATE/ZIP health coverage at all) all add to the crisis. Debts to the big banks strangle our cities EMAIL PHONE with tens and hundreds of millions of dol- Workers World Newspaper lars in interest alone each year. 55 W. 17 St. NY, NY 10011 “It is time to launch a struggle to win our 212-627-2994 right to health care, quality education, www.workers.org decent housing, food, utilities and a job. Page 2 April 21, 2005 www.workers.org Young Harry Hay

and the Wobblies In the U.S. By Leslie Feinberg etally imbued with and which remained unexamined and Feed the cities, starve the Pentagon ...... 1 unchallenged. Young Harry Hay and the Wobblies...... 2 The Mattachine movement for homosexual emancipa- However, the Wobblies gave Hay an IWW card that was Students sit in at Washington U ...... 3 tion in the United States was initiated by a core group of his ticket to work on a tramp steamer. The experience with Mumia on: A Native Nazi? ...... 3 five leftists in 1950 at the height of the anti-communist these militant miners gave him more than that. Anti-draft conference ...... 3 and anti-gay McCarthyite witch hunt. Two of the founders Timmons summed up, “Though he had already been Delivery man stuck in elevator, cops terrorize building 4 were members of the Communist Party (CPUSA), another earning money for several years, and the silver spoon of Calif. workers protest cuts ...... 4 had been active in the party in the Midwest after the war, his infancy had long tarnished, he now had words to iden- Boston workers spearhead campaign for justice. . . . . 5 and the other two leftists could be described as “fellow tify himself as ‘a working-class kid.’ He played down any Police brutality trial to begin...... 6 travelers.” class rebellion on his part, and said that his new politiciza- Black Workers for Justice ...... 6 The short-lived Mattachine movement drew an esti- tion merely gave a theoretical basis for his personal hatred Black Waxx tackles censorship and racism ...... 7 mated 5,000 homosexuals in California to its ranks in the of his father’s staunch conservatism. early 1950s. And, Will Roscoe “The Wobblies’ praise for his Activists and artists honor Robeson...... 7 noted, “its name, carrying the honest toil strengthened this new Cuban 5 still wait for justice ...... 8 promise of freedom, spread through- Lesbian•gay•bi political bond, and each winter he Civil rights groups denounce REAL ID Act ...... 8 out the United States and the world.” and trans eagerly awaited the return of summer Wal-Mart fined–for wrong reason ...... 8 (“Radically Gay”) and their companionship.” The political beliefs and experience of the Around the world PRIDE Hay’s first ‘bulls-eye’ Why Asians fear U.S./Japanese militarism ...... 9 founding members were far from incidental to SERIES WHO calls mother/child deaths a ‘massacre’ ...... 10 organizing for homosexual emancipation. PART Hay’s first gay experience was with someone Huge Baghdad protest says ‘U.S. out now!’ ...... 11 That was particularly true for Harry Hay, the key 31 who had ties to the much shorter-lived 1924 figure in launching the Mattachine movement. Society for Human Rights based in Chicago, whose Ali Kased, Palestinian activist and orator ...... 11 Hay had spent more than 17 years in the CPUSA. He founder, Henry Gerber, had been deeply inspired by Italy right swamped, gay communist wins seat . . . . 11 wasn’t just a member; he had been a respected Marxist contact with the Germany Homosexual Emancipation teacher and a tireless organizer. Communist politics, a Movement. Editorials Marxist world view, a historical materialist vista of his- Hay, who never lost his early love of theater, moved to May Day...... 10 tory, and immersion in the class struggle gave material Los Angeles—an urban magnet for many homosexuals— Cuba’s human rights ...... 10 shape to Hay’s vision of homosexual emancipation. and became a struggling actor during the depths of the capitalist economic Depression of the early 1930s. Noticias En Español Ticket to the working-class struggle It was Will Geer, perhaps best remembered today as César Chávez: la lucha continúa...... 12 Hay had been born in England in 1912 with a silver “Grandpa Walton” of the 1970s television series “The spoon in his mouth. He spent his early years in Chile, Waltons,” who first introduced Hay to the left-wing WW CALENDAR where his father was a wealthy mining engineer employed current in Los Angeles and to the Communist Party. Over BOSTON. Local 8751, 25 Colgate Rd., by Anaconda Copper. The family returned to the U.S. in coffee with Geer and Maude Allen, said Timmons, Roslindale, Mass. For info Int'l. 1917, where he grew up in southern California. “They hashed over the anti-socialist Palmer Raids made Sat., April 16 Action Center (617) 522-6626. Justice for Bromley Heath Workers Hay so loved theater and opera that at the end of his by the federal government in the 1920s, the Sacco and LOS ANGELES. & Tenants. Day of Solidarity: 11 freshman year in high school, at the age of 13, his father Vanzetti trials, and various strikes—fascinating stuff to a.m. rally at Heath and Bickford Fri., April 22 sent him to labor for the summer in the hay fields of this young man.” St.; 12:30 p,m. march followed by IAC Forum: Upheaval in Lebanon: Western Nevada to “toughen him up.” Geer and Hay helped organized demonstrations during a BBQ. Sponsored by: Rank and What U.S. progressives need to File Committee of Local 3 and know and how the U.S. presence Hay worked alongside miners who did farm work in the these hard Depression years to support unemployed work- SEIU/NCFO Local 3 Endorsed by: in the Middle East hurts working summers. Many were Wobblies—members of the ers, exploited field laborers and labor unions. They City Councilors Chuck Turner and people here at home. Hear Joyce Felix Arroyo; Boston School Bus Industrial Workers of the World—whose ambition was to Chediac, a Lebanese-American chained themselves to a lamppost at the old UCLA cam- Union; New England Organization who has written extensively on organize workers into “one big union.” pus while distributing leaflets for the American League for Human Rights in Haiti; MLK, Jr. the Middle East for Workers World Bolivarian Circle; International Those hay wagons became a school of Marxism for Hay. Against War and Fascism. newspaper. Also John Parker, West Action Center; Women’s FightBack Coast Coordinator of the In his biography, “The Trouble with Harry Hay,” Stuart One of the most life-altering demonstrations for Hay, Network. For info: The Bromley International Action Center. Timmons described, “Among the greasy, thumbworn which he reportedly loved to rehash, was in Bunker Hill Heath Rank & File Committee: 7:30 p.m. At IAC, 5274 W Pico (617) 938-8965; Chuck Turner’s Blvd, Suite 203 (between LaBrea pamphlets, Harry remembered Karl Marx’s Value, Price in downtown Los Angeles. Says his biography, “The Milk office (617) 427-8100, USWA and Fairfax). and Profit and Wage-Labor and Capital. By day, they Strike was an action called in 1933 by the wives and moth- Local 8751 at (617) 524-7073 For info (323) 936-7266. drilled him in the principles of exploitation, organization ers of the poor and unemployed to make the government Sat., April 23 NEW YORK. and unity. By campfire, they told him stories. ‘I was stop allowing surplus milk to be poured down the storm Solidarity with the People’s Struggle in Colombia & Bolivarian Fri., April 8 immersed in the first great railroad strike of 1887, the drains to keep the price up. They wanted it for the needy. Revolution in Venezuela. Featured Workers World Party Meeting: Haymarket Massacre, and the dreadful Ludlow Massacre, A crowd of thousands turned out downtown in the shadow speakers: Gerardo Cajamarco, Guest speaker Jorge Farinacci, a Colombian Trade Unionist; Dario leader of the Socialist Front of where Rockefeller goons gunned down 14 women and of the newly built City Hall.” Zapata, Permanent Committee for Puerto Rico. 7 p.m. (Dinner at children in the snow on Christmas Eve, 1913.’” Hay saw police posted atop nearby buildings aiming Colombian Peace; Jorge Marin, 6:30) 55 W. 17 St., 5th Fl., Hay also recalled being chilled by the anti-gay attitudes their machine guns at the crowd. Cops charged, swinging MLK, Jr. Bolivarian Circle; Berta Manhattan. Joubert, IAC; City Councilperson For info (212) 627-2994. that many workers, including Wobblies, had been soci- Continued on page 3 Chuck Turner. 6 p.m. At USWA Workers World Join the Workers World Supporter Program 55 West 17 Street Supporters receive a year’s subscription, a monthly letter and five free trial subscriptions. New York, N.Y. 10011 Sponsors also get a book published by WW Publishers. Sustainers also get five books or videos. Phone: (212) 627-2994 Please send me more information about the Supporter Program. Fax: (212) 675-7869 Give to the Workers World Spring 2005 Fund Drive E-mail: [email protected] I pledge $ ______to the Workers World Fund Drive. Enclosed is my payment of $ ______. Web: www.workers.org

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Mumia Abu-Jamal from death row In support of campus workers A Native Nazi? The recent high school shooting rampage in the Indian reservation at Red Lake, Students sit in Minn., is as ironic as it is amazing. A 16-year-old Chippewa [Ojibwe] boy sprays his school with deadly shotgun fire, is a reputed admirer of Adolph Hitler, and at Washington U doodled in his books by scribbling swastikas. According to some published sources, By Larry Hales greater bonuses for slashing wages and hour, even though last year a standard of Jeff Weise visited neo-Nazi websites, lis- benefits. Indicators that point to a recov- $9.79 plus full benefits was set by the St. tened to Marilyn College and university students across ering economy and job gains only obfus- Louis Board of Aldermen. Those hired Manson music, and went by the the country are beginning to join with cate the growing gap between rich and directly by the university make this stan- online handle of campus workers to take up their fight for poor. The Dow Jones and Nasdaq stock dard, but those subcontracted start at todesengel: benefits and better wages. Currently, the price averages indicate nothing for the $7.50 an hour. German for focus of this struggle is on Washington poor, just that corporations are becom- The Student Worker Alliance started “death angel.” University in St. Louis, where students ing more cut-throat. The jobs opening up calling for a living wage for all employees There is some- are sitting in to support workers’ are overwhelmingly in the low-paying, of the university in 2003. The current sit- thing deeply disturbing about an Indian kid demands for a living wage. few-benefits service sector. in is timed around “April Welcome,” who deeply admired Adolph Hitler. Harvard students were among the first It takes nary a degree to understand when the university has its open house The irony, of course, was that Hitler to protest. Four years ago they staged that college and university campuses and hundreds of high school seniors and viewed Native Americans—and all other large rallies and sit-ins to demand a liv- mirror what happens outside them. transfer students from around the coun- nonwhite people—as untermenschen, ing wage for the workers on their campus. Schools like Harvard have huge endow- try converge on the campus. The students German for “subhumans.” If young Jeff’s vision were to prevail, he would be spelling Students at Georgetown, Stanford, SUNY ments—Harvard’s is near $20 billion— at Washington U. are willing to miss doom for the Chippewa, the fourth-largest Purchase and now Washington U., to but the workers are not being paid living classes and to risk their standings until Indian tribe in the U.S., after the name a few, have also begun to call for wages. These workers keep the grounds, the demand of living wages for all univer- Cherokee, the Navajo and the Sioux. better wages for campus employees. repair the buildings’ facilities, and sup- sity employees is met. Indeed, it would spell the end for all peo- This includes a living wage for those ply and serve meals to the students. Across the country people are taking ple of color! hired by subcontractors, since deferring Some students are waking up to the con- notice. This mood is being matched by And therein lies the rub. jobs to subcontractors continues to be a ditions that workers face and are carry- the throngs of young people not able to How does a 16-year-old Chippewa boy, in way for university administrators to try ing the fight forward along with the attend college because of few options and modern-day America, come to loathe his to escape blame and embarrassment. workers. those wary of taking out the loans own people so profoundly that he not only Four years ago, students and workers At Washington U. such a battle is required to pay rising tuition costs. slays nine people but, before the deeds, at Harvard were victorious in getting the underway. On April 5, some 20 students This mood carries over to the fight to that they were dead to him in his heart? We all pass through the perilous desert administration to acknowledge that it occupied and began sitting-in in the stop the Medicaid cuts, the fight to beat of youth, when the words of parents, wasn’t paying the wages needed to live in admissions office of this “top-notch” uni- back the threat to Social Security, and the teachers and elders are but buzzing in the Boston and to begin addressing this versity. They brought signs, petitions, battle to stop the atrocious bankruptcy ears, annoyances to be ignored, and, if problem. Though many students at fliers, sleeping bags and food with them, bill from being passed. angry enough, if alienated enough, Harvard and other top schools don’t vowing to stay until the chancellor of the These battles are not being waged by rebelled against. come from working-class backgrounds, school decided to pay living wages to 500 capitalist politicians but by those affected Young Jeff Weise, orphaned at an early they have been responding to a further workers on the campus. the most by proposed cuts. It is all part of age by the suicide of his father and the developing sensitivity. Washington U. has an endowment of a current in opposition to reactionary death by a car accident of his mother, grew The cost of living ascends while wages more than $4 billion. It pays the major- Bushism, a current strengthened by the into a world which he met with hatred. descend. The wealthy are seeing their ity of its food-service workers, janitorial timeliness of last October’s Million [Weise’s mother is alive, but has permanent brain damage and lives in a nursing fortunes climb; bosses are getting staff and groundskeepers barely $8 an Worker March. home—WW.] What happened recently was but a manifestation of that inner hate against others. We have often discussed and written Anti-draft conference about Black self-hatred, the projection of hate against the self that splashes against With counter-recruitment efforts Notable participants include Carl those who are closest to us; who look most gaining momentum across the country, Webb, a member of the Army National like us. and the threat of a draft bringing more Guard who refused orders to deploy to That hatred is a reflection of the very youth, parents and educators into the Iraq; Hadas Their, a student who was real hatred against Black life that has ani- movement, a national conference arrested at the City College of New York mated American history for five centuries. against the draft and military recruiting for protesting against military recruiters We are not alone in this psychological will be held on April 16 at P.S. 41 in on campus; and Monique Code, a Desert tragedy. Manhattan. Storm veteran. Imagine what wells in the heart of a boy, This strategy and planning conference P.S. 41 is located at 116 W 11th St. whose people were once masters of this will have workshops that cover fighting in Manhattan, between 6th and 7th land; but are now relegated to small, iso- for military-free schools, organizing to avenues. For more information, lated communities—called “reservations,” stop the draft and counter-recruiting. visit www.NoDraftNoWay.org no less!—while these relative newcomers, Participants will include activists, mili- or call (212) 633-6646. these “palefaces,” run the country of your tary resisters, veterans, parents and —LeiLani Dowell ancient ancestors and try to run the whole students. world. Then, there is the cultural imperialism that comes through radio sets, TVs, iPods, and on the computer. These machines project the rightness of whiteness and, rarely, Young Harry Hay & the Wobblies the great and historic achievements of Red people. What would he learn? What could Continued from page 2 Timmons described what happened temperamental comings and goings in he learn, but hatred? next. “Sympathizers murmuring in the districts of town where they lived; His fellow students said he was a their clubs at protesters’ skulls. “Women Yiddish, Portuguese and English grabbed Harry felt that such figures formed a “smart” boy, but a little “weird.” were grabbing and shielding their chil- him. He heard, ‘We’ve got to hide this kid regional network of salons among some Did he know that the first great city in dren, and every so often you would see before the cops get him.’” They guided pre-Stonewall gays,” Timmons explained. North America, named Cohokia—near pres- someone go down with a bloody head. him through a labyrinth of connected old Hay himself recalled, “Clarabelle con- ent-day St. Louis!—had about 40,000 Red The police were being absolutely brutal, 1880s tenement buildings. “He was trolled Bunker Hill and had at least a residents around the year 1000? without provocation. I think they may pushed through rooms that immigrant dozen ‘lieutenants’ covering stations, one Did he know of the history of his own have wanted to incite a riot so they could women and children rarely left, across called the Fruit Tank—that was our nick- clan [nation], the Chippewa? clear the crowd.” catwalks and planks, up, up, hearing the name for the jail cell for queers. We don’t know, but it seems he did not. As he backed away from the police occasional reassurance, ‘Everything’s Clarabelle was legendary, a [1930s movie He could not. For if he did, how could he act in a way melee towards a bookstore, Harry grab- fine. Just don’t look down.’” star] Mary Boland type who really knew that made Floyd Jourdain, chairman of the bed one of the bricks used to keep stacks Hay arrived at a living room in the how to pin a curl while giving an order. Red Lake Chippewa Tribe, say the day he of newspapers from flying away in a slums filled with men. Presiding over them “‘My dear,’ she said to me, ‘we saw slew family, fellow students and, last, him- breeze. “I made no conscious decision. I was Clarabelle. Hay heard the other men what you did, knocking that old cop off self was the “darkest day in the history of just found myself heaving it and catching refer to Clarabelle, who was born male- his high horse, and it should have been this tribe.” (USA Today, March 23) a policeman right in the temple. He slid bodied, with the female pronoun. Clara- done years ago. We’ll have to hide you; He was alienated, isolated, alone—and off his horse and a hundred faces turned belle had hennaed hair and wore a peas- they’ll be after you soon. Cup of coffee perhaps lost. to me in amazement. No one was more ant blouse slung low over one shoulder. first? No, no time. They’re already on A Native Nazi! He probably knew more amazed than I. Always before, I had been “Harry had heard of Clarabelle as one their way.” about Adolph Hitler than Leonard Peltier! the one who threw the ball like a sissy. of the most powerful of the ‘Queen Next: Answering the “siren song A lost soul. This ‘bull’ was my first bull’s-eye ever!” Mothers’ who traditionally oversaw the of revolution.” Page 4 April 21, 2005 www.workers.org Delivery man stuck in elevator as cops terrorize building By G. Dunkel copter to search the roofs. On April 2, they Every time he used the intercom, a light councilperson of Chinese origin. “A law- New York went through the whole building, peering flashed indicating he was calling from suit seems to be on everybody else’s mind, down the elevator shafts and searching Elevator #2. But the security officers dis- but it’s not on his right now. He’s working Ming Kuang Chen, who delivers for a each of the 871 apartments. regarded his calls, they say, because they on his recovery and thinking about how to Chinese restaurant in the Bronx, spent 81 Tenant Richard Hoyen, 55, told the mistook his accent for drunkenness. support his family.” hours in a broken elevator—even as police Daily News, “They looked under the bed, The cops didn’t physically inspect the His wife and 10-year-old son live in were terrorizing residents of the building in all the closets. How could he be in an elevators, but looked at TV monitors, China. looking for him everywhere but in the elevator all this time?” which produce a small, poor-quality While it may not have a direct connec- most likely place. When they couldn’t get in, they broke image and don’t cover the whole space. tion to this incident, the three firms that After he finished his drops on April 1 at down doors. Troy Smith, who lives on the Finally, after more than three days, provide most of the elevator repair and Tracey Towers on Mosholu Parkway, 34th floor, came home with some friends maintenance workers responded to cries maintenance in New York—Otis, Schindler Chen took an express elevator to the lobby. to find cops with helmets and flak jackets from the elevator and called the fire and Kone—locked out their workers The elevator stopped between the third in his apartment. department, which lowered it to the lobby March 17. They would rather go with and fourth floors. They cuffed him and took him to the sta- and took Chen to Montefiore Hospital. He untrained or poorly qualified replacement Speaking through an interpreter at a tion because he was wearing a T-shirt with was treated for dehydration and released. workers, or see their work done by other news conference April 8, he explained, “I a stain on it. At the station house they The cops were so embarrassed that they firms, than bargain with United Elevator waved to the [security] camera, I tried to made him sign a statement giving the cops told the press Chen was “illegal” and prob- Workers Local 1 after the contract has stand right in front of it, hoping someone permission to test his T-shirt for blood. ably had been held by the people who expired. would see me.” They kept on asking him, “Where is the smuggled him into the country, since there Local 1 elevator mechanics have four “I kept pressing the alarm key, I tried to Chinese man and what did you do with was no urine in the elevator. Releasing this years of classroom training, four years of talk to security through the intercom. I did him?” Smith repeatedly answered he information is against city policy, but on-the-job training as apprentices, and manage to speak to somebody, but I knew nothing about what had happened Chen would have much more difficulty then are required to pass a state and fed- couldn’t understand what he said back.” to the delivery person. suing the cops or the security firm, which erally mandated mechanics examination. When Chen didn’t return to the restau- The cops finally dug up an old warrant ignored his cries for help, if he is sent back If the lockout goes on, and elevators rant, his colleagues called the police after on Smith, which let them keep him over to China. become less and less reliable and safe, the finding his bicycle locked up in front of the the weekend, but they had to let his friends As for a lawsuit, “He hasn’t ruled it out, hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers who building. go. Meanwhile, Chen was still in the ele- but he hasn’t given it any consideration at use elevators every day to move around The cops brought in bloodhounds, vator, forcing the door open when he had all,” said City Council member John Liu, their city will risk being caught in a situa- divers to search a nearby lake, and a heli- to urinate. who is helping Chen. Liu is the first city tion like Chen’s, or perhaps worse. Feed the cities, starve the Pentagon

Continued from page 1 longer, voting down Proposal E by a two- and reducing class sizes in the schools? solution is to attack benefits and shift the City Council question and oppose the pro- to-one margin. The vote followed an unre- Mayor Kwame M. Kilpatrick’s “right- financial burden to the working class. posed budget cuts. That is why the word lenting, five-year grassroots struggle to sizing” city government is the public sec- The Detroit Water and Sewerage “receivership” is appearing more often in regain control of the School Board from a tor version of industrial restructuring in Workers, who watched their work go to the media. Right now it’s a threat to cool state-appointed “reform” board. auto, steel, electric, telephone and the outside contractors this week, told their the resistance. Why should a representative of the news media. The result is union busting, union for the first time that they want to Under receivership, the state appoints bond traders or banks take over a finan- lower wages, slashed benefits and a do something to fight back. In the coming an Emergency Financial Manager to run cially troubled city? Isn’t that the fox nomadic future as workers try to cobble weeks, as the class lines and issues get the city’s financial affairs in place of the guarding the chicken coop? Why not a together an economically secure life. Only even clearer, they’ll get their chance to do elected representatives. community/labor committee to run the 12 percent of U.S. workers have union just that. Some 86 percent of Detroit’s residents city’s financial affairs instead of a state protection. The public sector has the These developments and many more are African American. They remember Emergency Financial Manager? highest rate of union jobs. speak to the need for a national conference well the hard and bloody battles only 40 Wouldn’t the first order of business be General Motors, Ford, Chrysler and the that demands “Feed the Cities, Starve the years ago for the right of Black people to to protect and expand city jobs and serv- City of Detroit point to traditional defined Pentagon.” vote. Even fresher is the memory of thou- ices, to implement a policy of no utility benefit pensions and health care costs as For more information about the sands of disenfranchised voters in the shut-offs for households, to open up the root of financial woes. Instead of National Conference to Reclaim Our Cities, presidential elections of 2000 and 2004. vacant public housing units for homeless demanding national health care and bet- call UAW Local 2334 at (313) 680-5508 In November 2004, Detroiters refused families and to stop evictions? What about ter social security programs to equal their or email national_conference_of_cities to accept a second-class school board any implementing free universal health care capitalist competitors overseas, their @earthlink.net. California workers protest cuts By J. Marquardt can’t be bought—Big Business already days Schwarzenegger started San Francisco owns him,” and “Students —OUR ‘special withdrawing some of his outra- interest.’” geous proposals. Feeling the heat Several thousand labor union workers, Speaker after speaker denounced the from firefighters across the state, retirees, their families and friends stopped “governator’s” plans. A speaker from the he dropped his plans to reduce traffic for two hours on the streets sur- California Labor Council expressed the their disability and death bene- rounding the fancy Ritz-Carlton Hotel sentiments of the crowd: “The cuts are for fits. With labor picketing every here on the evening of April 5. They rallied only one thing—to go after workers. We public appearance Schwar- and picketed against Gov. Arnold Schwar- must fight and keep it in the streets on zenegger makes, more victories zenegger and his wealthy supporters, who behalf of the real heroes—the workers!” are sure to follow. were dining inside the hotel. Speaker after The protest had an impact. Within two speaker denounced Schwarzenegger’s plans to slash education funding; reduce pension, disability and death benefits to public employees; cut nursing staffs; and weaken state labor regulations. The protest was organized by both state and local unions, including AFSCME Dis- trict Council 57; California State Employ- ees Unions SEIU Local 1000; California Nurses Association; California Teachers Association; Service Employees Interna- tional Union; and United Transportation Union Local 1741, School Bus Drivers. The lively crowd held signs in Chinese, WW PHOTOS: J. MARQUARDT English and Spanish, saying: “Nurses Leon Chow, above, of the Healthcare Workers heal—Arnold wheels & deals,” “Arnold Union. www.workers.org April 21, 2005 Page 5

As Washington cuts public housing Workers lead campaign for justice

By Bob Traynham and Steve Kirschbaum Boston

The maintenance workers at Bromley Heath, Boston’s largest public housing development, are taking their campaign for contract justice and fairness for the residents to the streets of Boston in a mass day of solidarity scheduled for Saturday, April 16. The workers, members of SEIU Firemen and Oilers, Local 3, are seeking fair increases in wages and benefits for their families and improvements in the contract in order to end management’s unjust and discriminatory practices that endanger the workers’ health and safety. They are also demanding fairness for the over 1,500 tenants who, like other public housing residents throughout the country, face deteriorating, dismal conditions as a result of massive federal housing cuts and decades of city neglect. Organized by the recently formed Bromley Heath maintenance workers. WW PHOTO: LIZ GREEN Bromley Heath Workers Rank and File Committee and co-sponsored by their union, the solidarity day is designed to put tion of the contract. This violates the rights ing for a fightback against Bush’s federal that address the workers’ concerns. Local a spotlight on their issues, build solidarity of the workers and the union. cuts in housing. 3 has now formally added the committee’s for their contract struggle and lay the basis Boston’s public housing has been a vic- leaders to the negotiating committee. The for a city-wide campaign against public Support for community control tim of cutbacks from Washington admin- union played a key role when a delegation housing cuts. A unique feature of this struggle is the istrations, Democratic and Republican of seven leaders of the Rank and File The activity has been endorsed by a issue of the TMC. Bromley Heath is the alike. Now, things are slated to get even Committee attended an April 5 meeting of broad array of community, labor and only tenant-managed housing develop- worse. “If the changes sought by the the Greater Boston Labor Council that political activists, including Boston City ment in Boston and one of the few administration take effect, they will result resulted in a unanimous resolution of sup- Councilors Chuck Turner and Felix throughout the country. The community in one of the biggest cuts since Washing- port for their struggle and the day of soli- Arroyo, the Greater Boston Labor Council, won this vital concession in 1967 as a ton first began subsidizing housing: as darity. It sent out a mailing the next day Boston School Bus Union, International result of years of hard-fought battles. much as $480 million, or 14 percent, of the to all affiliates, urging members to attend. Action Center, New England Human The Bromley Heath workers stand 100 $3.4 billion federal budget for day–to-day The committee has met many difficult Rights for Haiti, Women’s Fight Back percent in support of this important gain operations, including labor, maintenance, and complex challenges while building Network and the Bolivarian Circle. The for community control. In fact, when the insurance and utilities, at the nation’s the struggle for public housing rights and day of solidarity will start with a rally at TMC was the target of a racist attack 3,100 housing authorities.” (“U.S. Plans contract justice from the TMC while 11:00 a.m. at Heath and Bickford streets, recently and was removed by the Boston New, Deep Cuts in Housing Aid,” New defending community control against followed by a march through the commu- Housing Authority, the Bromley Heath York Times, April 8) racist forces in the city. Their mobilization nity led by a mobile sound and stage truck. workers added their support to the com- At a time when Bush and the war-mak- for the demonstration is progressing at a It will end with a union-sponsored barbe- munity’s successful campaign for its ers are spending billions on criminal wars fever pitch. cue for the community in a park at restoration. of conquest, public housing must be Workers are going door to door, leaflet- Bromley Heath. It is therefore ironic and regrettable that included as a domestic casualty of war. ing supermarkets and subway stations the TMC is now playing a part in the unjust What the Pentagon spends in one week on and postering everywhere. A Latina Workers fight for contract justice treatment of the workers. In fact, since the the wars against Iraq and Afghanistan teacher at a neighborhood school told one After over two years of negotiations, the organizing began for the day of solidarity, would provide more than the funds nec- worker that she was so moved by the cam- Tenant Management Corporation (TMC) management has embarked on an ugly essary to bring every public housing unit paign that she is organizing everyone she continues to refuse to agree to the work- campaign of retaliation against the workers in Boston up to code. knows to attend the day of solidarity. BH ers’ demands for a new contract. Bromley and their leaders. There has been a wave of committee leaders have given weekly Rank and File Committee is key Heath (BH) is one of Boston’s largest unjust discipline, written warnings, threat- updates at International Action Center housing developments and one of its poor- ened suspensions and terminations. The BH Rank and File Committee was mobilizer meetings, where solidarity sup- est as a result of decades of racist neglect. “Temporary” workers pictured on a formed only one month ago. In that short port is being organized. All the tenants are people of color. leaflet and poster say they have been time they have revitalized their union and The day of solidarity is just the first step Only 30 workers, also Black and Latino, threatened. Harassment by management, waged an impressive campaign for justice in the workers’ campaign for justice. They maintain the buildings and grounds and they say, has escalated, particularly from for the workers and tenants at BH. are determined to fight until victory is repair and refurbish the apartments and two of the white supervisors, one of whom They have issued leaflets and held near- won. Messages of support and solidarity common areas. They are highly skilled is a former prison guard. daily forums in the maintenance lunch- can be sent to Bromley Heath Workers professionals—painters, carpenters, labor- room. They have expanded their steering Rank and File Committee, P.O. Box 413, ers and custodians—who are paid outra- Justice for workers and residents committee to include all the constituen- Jamaica Plain, MA 02130. geously below industry standards and The struggle of the workers for eco- cies within the local. Traynham and Kirschbaum are much less than what their counterparts in nomic justice, dignity and respect is one Local 3 staff members now meet daily steward and chief steward, respectively, the building trades unions get. with the community’s struggle for justice. with the committee and are filing griev- with USWA 8751, Boston school bus This is racism, pure and simple. The workers have deep roots in the com- ances and unfair labor practice charges drivers’ union. They serve the community under the munity. Some have grown up in the devel- worst conditions: understaffed, over- opment and have family, friends and worked and lacking adequate resources. loved ones living there now. Members of TMC illegally and unjustly directs them to the Rank and File Committee have strong RALLYon MAY DAY perform hazardous duties—such as clean- bonds with the residents. ing up human waste, blood products and They constantly struggle against man- MAY 1•INTERNATIONAL WORKERS’ DAY medical syringes—without proper train- agement’s order to “just finish the job ing or protective gear. They work under a quick” in order to guarantee that quality 1:00 pm Union Square, NYC management regime that is characterized repairs are done. They host workshops to #4, 5, 6, R, Q, N, L train to 14 St., Union Square by unjust discipline, unfair promotions, train tenants in home repair and aid other arbitrary actions regarding vacation and tenants’ rights and community endeav- sick time, denial of seniority and other ors. The workers’ contract demands will Fight for JOBS with a living wage union rights, and obstruction of the griev- concretely improve conditions for the ance procedure. residents. The workers say that TMC runs a “tem- The Rank and File Committee has made BRING THE TROOPS HOME NOW porary worker” hiring scam, firing and the struggle for economic justice for BH Sponsors: NY Area MILLION WORKER MARCH Contact: Brenda Stokely, Pres. of DC 1707 rehiring when the probationary period tenants and public housing generally a key NYC• 212.219.0022 & Chris Silvera, Sec/Treas L. 808 IBT,Qns. NY • 718.389.1900 Ext. 21 expires, to circumvent the recognition sec- element of their campaign. They are call- TROOPS OUT NOW COALITION NYC • 212.633.6646 • www.troopsOUTnow.org Page 6 April 21, 2005 www.workers.org

BLACK WORKERS FOR JUSTICE Launch Southern campaign fo

By Monica Moorehead Democratic and Republican parties. by the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Por- strikes to put food on the table. Raleigh, N.C. Decorating the walls inside the banquet ters, led by A. Philip Randolph and C.L. Thomas ended his talk with a resound- hall were a wide range of political signs: Dellums. These two Black union leaders ing, urgent call to revive May Day, or significant pro-labor, anti-racist event “Fight for a living wage.” “Stop the war on wanted to bring 100,000 Black workers to International Workers’ Day, which grew Aoccurred here in Raleigh on April 2. It Palestine.” “Stop privatization.” “Resist Washington, D.C., to demand an end to out of the struggle in this country for the was the 22nd annual Martin Luther King, war, racism and repression. End discrim- racist discrimination in hiring practices. eight-hour day. Jr. Support for Labor Banquet hosted by ination.” “We need living wages and col- The plans for the march forced President A group of Latino workers associated the Black Workers for Justice (BWFJ). lective bargaining now!” “Demand peace, Franklin D. Roosevelt to sign an executive with the Farm Labor Organizing Com- About 200 union, community, student justice and reparations.” “Honor Dr. King order prohibiting discrimination in the mittee received one of the self-determina- and political activists and supporters from with working class political actions.” hiring of people of color in the federal gov- tion awards at the banquet. FLOC won a the local area, as well as from other parts “Jobs, not jails; educate, not incarcerate.” ernment and by federal contractors. hard-fought historic union contract for of the South and the U.S., filled a hall at And “Stop the execution, save Mumia.” Thomas praised the first president of 8,000 immigrant farm workers last year, the North Carolina Association of Edu- Musical numbers were performed by the ILWU, Australian-born Harry the first of its kind in North Carolina, with cators building. Among the invited dele- the Fruit of Labor singers—the cultural Bridges, who practiced what he preached the growers. gations were the Raleigh FIST (Fight component of BWFJ—along with Wash- when it came to building anti-racist class Larry Holmes, co-director of the Inter- Imperialism, Stand Together) youth group, ington, D.C., vocalists Pam Parker and solidarity. Bridges, whom Thomas refer- national Action Center, gave a solidarity International Action Center and Workers Lucy Murphy. red to as a Marxist, made a conscious message in which he praised the BWJF World Party. Saladin Muhammad, BWFJ’s national effort to bring unorganized Black workers and ILWU Local 10 in their ongoing BWFJ, founded in 1981, played a chairperson, introduced the keynote into the ILWU back in 1934. At that time, efforts to build the MWM movement. national role in helping to build the Oct. speaker: Clarence Thomas, co-chair of the the majority-white trade unions still He, along with other members of the 17 Million Worker March rally in Wash- Million Worker March and a leader of maintained an openly racist policy of New York committee of the MWM, accep- ington, D.C., last year. It mobilized work- Local 10 of the International Longshore shutting their doors to Black and other ted a self-determination award on behalf ers from the South to heed the call to build and Warehouse Union in San Francisco. oppressed workers. This meant that Black of Brenda Stokely, AFSCME District an independent workers’ movement free Thomas recalled that a similar call for a workers, through no fault of their own, Council 1707 president and MWM leader, from the shackles of the pro-big business Million Worker March was made in 1941 were forced to cross picket lines during who was unable to attend the banquet. Ashaki Binta, the BWFJ’s director of organization, focused her remarks on a very important campaign that BWFJ, Police brutality trial to begin along with the North Carolina Public Service Workers Union, UE Local 150, ini- A police brutality trial in the beating death of tiated last August. It is called the Joey Wilbon will start April 19 in Baltimore, Md. International Worker Justice Campaign Wilbon, an auto mechanic with a family, was about to for Collective Bargaining Rights. look at a customer’s car outside his shop on July 5, 2000, when he was approached and beaten by a Baltimore city Battling horrendous conditions police officer. Wilbon died while in police custody. Asked Why is an initiative like the IWJC so about the details of the case, the Baltimore police desperately needed in North Carolina? declined comment, and the state refused to release an North Carolina is a former Confederate autopsy report. state. It is home to the arch-bigot and reac- This case of police brutality against a Black worker tionary Jesse Helms who, while no longer was first reported in Workers World of in the U.S. Senate, still has close ties to Sept. 21, 2000. multi-billion-dollar agribusiness inter- Renee Washington, Wilbon’s fiancée and ests, especially the tobacco industry. a member of Baltimore’s All Peoples North Carolina is one of 22 states that Congress, has championed this cause passed a so-called “right to work” law— through protest and determination. enacted there in March 1947. It states, in Washington’s fighting spirit has essence, that an employee “cannot be brought the case to the public eye and required to join or pay dues or fees to a now to trial. union.” WW PHOTOS: SHARON BLACK The All Peoples Congress has This law gives the green light to the Above, group demands justice in police beating death of Joey Wilbon. Right, vowed to show solidarity with profit-driven bosses and their repressive Wilbon's mother and aunt. Washington and the Wilbon family. state apparatus, including the Ku Klux —Eddie Boyd Klan, to use all kinds of illegal scare tac-

Sponsoring Organizations: International Concerned 1 PM: Rally & March starting at the Harlem State Office Building Families and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal; 3 PM: Program at the Salem United Methodist Church on 129th St. & 7th Ave. Free Mumia Coalition, – including Mayor David Dinkins, Pam Africa, City Council Members Margarita International Action Lopez & Charles Barron, The Welfare Poets, Nana Soul, Hasan Salaam, Center NYC; Carlos Coca and Seeds of Wisdom, Spirit Child and many others Sundiata Sadiq, President and Vice-President of the Ossining NAACP; Harlem Tenants Council; Pro Libertad; Iglesia San Romero; Latin@s for Mumia; The Jerico Movement; New York Friends of MOVE; The National Mumia Task Force; Patrice Lumumba Coalition; December 12th Movement

212.633.6646 • www.mumia.org • www.freemumia.net • www.millions4mumia.org • 212.330.8029 www.workers.org April 21, 2005 Page 7 or union rights

tics—from carrying out physical Organize the South! terror against union organizers Binta said the banquet was or those who are sympathetic to “the expression of our ongo- unions to promoting the vilest ing unity in the fight to anti-communist propaganda— ‘Organize the South’; to build to keep workers from wanting to the new trade union move- join unions. ment in the South; to support Based on Department of the building of UE Local 150, WW PHOTOS: LEFT, MONICA MOOREHEAD ABOVE, SUE KELLY Left to right, BWFJ leader Angaza Laughinghouse, Clarence Thomas, UE 150 Commerce statistics from the UE Local 160, the Carolina year 2000, the second most profitable member Larsene Taylor, Larry Holmes, Saladin Muhammad and Monica Moorehead. Auto, Aerospace and Metal Workers Far left, Ashaki Binta. industry in North Carolina—after finance, Union (CAAMWU), and the non-major- insurance and real estate—is the govern- ity union movement. Carolina for their violations of the Core Reports were given by Black workers ment. Government workers are consid- “It is our expression of unity to build a Labor Standards and Conventions on the from Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, ered public-sector workers. Most public- women workers’ consciousness and lead- Right to Collective Bargaining.” North Carolina, Virginia and elsewhere sector workers in the South are not ership movement; to build African- She ended her talk with an appeal to about the uphill battle they face to get their unionized. American and Latino unity; to build the “collect 50,000 signatures on petitions by grievances challenging racism and sexism Out of all 50 states, North Carolina is movements for environmental, health Dec. 1 calling for the right to collective bar- on the job heard when there is no union ranked last in the percentage of workers care, economic, social, and political jus- gaining.” She also asked that IWJC com- backing them up. in unions—less than 5 percent of all work- tice; to build the fight for Black political mittees be organized in cities and towns Black Workers for Justice are on the ers in the state are organized. North Caro- power and working class independence. ... across the state. front lines in a state and region where the lina also ranks 50th in state and local gov- “We must understand our work and The AFL-CIO, especially the Service legacy of slavery is alive and well. It is in ernmental workers having the right to col- campaign in direct relation to opposition Employees and the Food and Commercial the interests of progressive forces every- lective bargaining. to this unjust war being waged in Iraq, Workers, are targeting North Carolina and where to assist them and their union allies Government workers who have no Central Asia and the Middle East. The other “right to work” states with long over- to support IWJC, which is also an appeal union contract are left at the mercy of the massive increases in military spending ... due union drives. to globalize the struggle against the super- bosses. They can be fired without due pro- and the massive cuts in taxes for the cor- The BWFJ and UE 150 are appealing to exploitation of all workers. The IWJC is cess, suffer intense discrimination, get star- porations and the rich are forcing these these national unions to join forces with another glorious example of why solidar- vation wages, no benefits and much more. huge deficits and directly resulting in the them in mobilizing a mass, grassroots ity is not an act of charity but an act of This assault on collective bargaining is crises at the state budget levels across this union organizing drive throughout the necessity that will lead to broader class directly tied to the high poverty rate in country. ... state, from the bottom up. unity against capitalism. North Carolina. An estimated 20 percent “The United States and the State of On April 3 BWFJ hosted a strategy For more information, contact Inter- of the nearly 2 million children in this state North Carolina must be held accountable! meeting to discuss concrete ideas of how national Worker Justice Campaign, c/o live in poverty. In some counties, the child We will file charges this year with the to spread the word about the IWJC to PO Box 3857, Chapel Hill, NC 27515; poverty rate is over 40 percent. (common- International Labor Organization against broader sectors of the progressive move- phone (919) 593-7558; email sense.org) the United States and the State of North ment here and worldwide. [email protected]. At media conference Black Waxx tackles censorship and racism By Usavior a small part. Who’s flying the planes, people have the power. Always have and presently works at Black Waxx New York growing the drugs, allowing them into the always will.” Recordings, Inc. He is also the producer country? Where is the rest of the story?” Usavior, a freelance journalist, is of the Troops Out Now CD project. BLACK WAXX—the label that produced he asked. on the steering committee for CAHM For information, contact the “Troops Out Now” compact disk and The panel was a resounding success. (Committee Against Hate Media) and [email protected]. “Over the Influence”—put together a Said Priya Reddy of Warcry Independent dynamic panel of speakers to address the Cinema, “This was by far one of the best issue of racism and censorship on April 10 workshops at the conference.” JERSEY CITY . during the New York City Grassroots Wise Intelligent of the Poor Righteous Media Conference 2005, hosted by the Teachers, when asked how to mobilize our New School. The conference was designed youth, stated, “You have to make sure to encourage dialog and strategy among these kids’ basic needs are met before you Activists & artists grassroots organizations and individuals can get them to do anything. And right on how media can be inclusive and now, the gangs are meeting those needs; accountable to the diverse communities they’re buying the sneakers and paying the honor Robeson of New York. bills. So they get the allegiance.” Three generations of recording artistry The session was supposed to last one The Community Awareness Series is were represented on the panel: Abiodun and a half hours, but went on for almost entering its 28th year as an important Oyewole of the Last Poets, Wise Intel- three. Even then, the audience seemed institution that found a permanent home ligent of the Poor Righteous Teachers and reluctant to leave, continuing the energiz- at the Miller Branch Library in Jersey Nana Soul of Black Waxx. Also on the ing conversation in the lobby. City’s predominantly Black community. panel were award-winning journalist Journalist Nayaba Arinde remarked, The series’ organizers, who had to fight Nayaba Arinde of the Daily Challenge and “People need to know that they are afraid long and hard to get any kind of city fund- publisher/editor-in-chief of the Black Star of us. That’s why they come at us so hard. ing, offer progressive forums on current News, Milton Allimadi. We need to have more forums like this issues of an international, national and Usavior, the panel’s moderator and a everywhere, on a daily basis. Then we’ll local nature, free to the public. A major founder of the Artists and Activists United know that we are not the minority, and theme of CAS has been “Supporting Art, for Peace Coalition, set the tone for the dis- that we don’t have to accept those labels.” Culture and Education.” cussion by reading a resolution he drafted. Nana Soul stressed the importance of The CAS presented a moving and exhil- Paul Robeson used his powerful voice arating cultural tribute to the late, great in songs of social activism, defying It calls for city officials to hold public hear- engaging people who lack information on the McCarthy witchhunt. ings to investigate charges of censorship an equal level. “They aren’t lesser beings African American singer, actor and social activist Paul Robeson on April 9—the and to present said findings to the Federal who have to catch up to you; they are the Daoud-David Williams and Kwame 107th anniversary of his birthday. His Communications Commission to challenge real victims of white supremacy. If you Agyeman, long-time CAS representa- career was virtually destroyed in the U.S. radio stations’ broadcasting licenses. New come at them from on high, you’ll hit a tives, spoke about the contributions made by the vicious, McCarthyite witch hunt in York City Council member Charles Barron brick wall. Superiority and ego will never by Robeson to the struggle against capi- the 1950s. Robeson was openly sympa- has agreed to introduce the resolution to free the people.” talism, imperialism and racism. thetic towards socialism and communism the council for formal consideration. As far as what people thought the strat- Veteran musicians Joe Lee Wilson, and performed throughout Eastern Allimadi spoke of the dangers of believ- egy against censorship ought to be, Charles Davis, Bruce Cox, Calvin Hill and Europe, Asia, Africa and other parts of the ing everything you read in the paper. “You Oyewole summed it up best: “We don’t Richard Clemmons electrified the audi- world. His unprecedented international have to learn to read between the lines. need mainstream radio! The Last Poets ence with their jazz, blues and ballad ren- popularity as a Black performer at that [The New York Times] keeps printing sto- sold untold thousands of records and are ditions. time made him a major target of the U.S. ries with Black or Puerto Rican drug deal- known and respected throughout the — Monica Moorehead ers being led away in handcuffs. That’s just world without any radio play at all. The capitalist government. He died in 1976. Page 8 April 21, 2005 www.workers.org

In U.S. jails Cuban 5 still wait for justice By Teresa Gutierrez ereignty and safeguard the security of its cases in the U.S. resulting in the death of citizens, owing to constant threats of sab- U.S. agents and exposure of life-threaten- March 2005 marked one year otage and terrorist actions by the U.S.” ing national security secrets.” Fernando since the filing of the last appeal in González In February, the Irish National vowed Weinglass points out that the trial was the case of the Cuban Five. to take up the case of the Five. one of the longest in the United States. The The Five are Cubans who were In the Spanish province of Andalusia, record was massive, with 118 volumes of arrested in 1998 in the U.S. The Olga Salanueva and Adriana Perez—wives testimony and over 800 documents intro- U.S. government charged the Five of two of the Five—met with parliamentar- duced as exhibits. with engaging in espionage against ians and students in the city of Seville. The A news whiteout occurred during the military bases and threatening Andalusian Parliament presented a trial despite the fact that this was a notable “national security.” The Cubans motion urging the central government to trial. Three U.S. military generals, an Antonio Gerardo were trying to monitor and prevent Guerrero Hernández René González demand a retrial. admiral and a White House advisor to the Ramón terror attacks from U.S. soil Labañino Prensa Latina reports that the Cuban U.S. testified. against their island nation. Ramón Labañino continue to wait for jus- Five were at the center of the Venezuela- One shocking fact of the case is that the They were given unprecedented sen- tice in five federal prisons throughout the Cuba Mutual Solidarity Meeting that took lawyers filing the March appeal were tences in correspondence with these U.S. place in Caracas on April 8-10. allotted only 15 minutes to argue the case. charges. Their trial took place in Miami The slow movement in the legal chan- Organizers of the committee said that Lawyers had three minutes to defend where the anti-Cuban right wing is so nel is one example of the importance of the case of the Five was a main issue for the each client. strong that a fair trial is impossible. fighting the case politically. The most 400 national delegates at the event and Weinglass says that “if you receive a On March 10, 2004, lawyers for the Five important thing for Cuban Five support- was included in three round-table talks. traffic ticket in New York City and appear submitted an appeal of the sentences. The ers and progressives to do is to organize Organizers told Prensa Latina before in court you will be given at least 15 min- lawyers had expected a result by the end on behalf of the Five. the event, “Defending the cause of the utes. My client [Antonio Guerrero] is serv- of the year, but 2004 came and went with Cuban Five has caused much enthusiasm ing life; I had to review 20,000 pages of no notice. Struggle grows to defend the Five among Venezuelans. Videos, explanations documents, 118 volumes of transcripts to The Cuban National Assembly issued a In the U.S. and around the world, the and experiences will be presented, thus present my case in three minutes.” statement on the anniversary. movement to defend the Five continues providing an action strategy to continue Last year, right after the appeal was sub- It read in part: “A year has gone by since to grow. demanding their liberation.” mitted, a Cuban American Republican leg- the March 10 hearing. In the case of the A Cuban website reports that last Leonard Weinglass, the attorney for islator made a comment that demon- Five ... the presiding judge should have month members of the newly formed Antonio Guerrero, spoke at the University strates why Cuba is forced to monitor the looked at federal sentencing alternatives. Russian Committee for the Liberation of of New Mexico in March on the case. right wing in Florida. The maximum for their case was 26 years. the Cuban Five demanded the release He pointed out that “although no evi- Lincoln Diaz Balart, long known for his Nevertheless the judge increased this limit, from U.S. jails of these fighters against dence of espionage was introduced at the rabid anti-Cuba views, proposed on a using factors not presented to the jury, con- terrorism. trial, the five were convicted on fabricated Miami television program that Cuban demning them to serve life terms.” A statement presented in Moscow charges of conspiracy against the national President Fidel Castro be assassinated. He Antonio Guerrero, Fernando González, declared, “[T]he Cuban government was security of the U.S. Their sentences said that U.S. spies should infiltrate for- Gerardo Hernández, René González and forced to take measures to defend its sov- exceeded those of high profile espionage eign tourism in order to carry that out. Civil rights groups denounce REAL ID By LeiLani Dowell could have been issued without verifying Eleven states currently offer drivers’ This gives the secretary of Homeland recipients’ immigration status. licenses to undocumented workers. Security ultimate authority to waive all laws More than 60 different civil and human In effect, this would require state motor Passage of the act would ensure that these necessary “to ensure expeditious construc- rights organizations have denounced the vehicle departments to enforce immigra- 12 million workers—many of whom need tion of … barriers and roads.” In addition, “REAL ID Act” passed by the House of tion laws. to drive to jobs or get employment as driv- it bars courts from hearing any claims Representatives on Feb. 10. This insidi- The money needed to upgrade the sys- ers—would be unlicensed. based on such actions. Currently a wall is ously anti-immigrant act is attached to an tems of many of these agencies could be If passed, a state technically would not being built across the San Diego-Mexico $81-billion war appropriations bill. The anywhere from $500 to $700 million. have to comply with the law, but if it did- border that has prompted protests by work- Senate is set to vote on this measure on The news agency UPI estimates that n’t any license it issued would not be rec- ers and activists on each side of the border. April 14. there are 12 million undocumented work- ognized by airlines or federal agencies. With this new provision, the secretary of The “REAL ID Act” contains a laundry ers in the United States. These immigrant Exactly how this is to be enforced is not Homeland Security could suddenly declare list of attacks against immigrants. workers are often forced by neoliberal eco- clear. But if licenses were to be suspended the Minutemen—an armed vigilante group It would prohibit federal agencies and nomic policies or war imposed on their by cross-checking information with Social terrorizing immigrants at the Arizona- airlines from accepting state-issued iden- home countries by the United States to Security records—as was done recently in Mexico border—a legal enforcement tification cards and drivers’ licenses that seek work here. New York and other cities— it would also agency. The possibilities for the misuse of serve as an attack on transgender and power under this provision are endless. transsexual people. The act would also make it harder for Wal-Mart fined– If the sex of an individual in Social immigrants to be approved for asylum in Security records doesn’t match their dri- the United States and prevent them from ver’s license, that person will also lose the appealing unfavorable decisions from for wrong reason right to drive. In New York, hundreds of immigration judges, including deporta- trans people have already received letters tion. This would include lesbians, gay By Sue Davis workers for being undocumented. threatening suspension of their licenses. men, bisexuals and trans people who are The real crime is that Wal-Mart super- Anti-domestic-violence advocacy groups fleeing persecution. And it would make it Wal-Mart, the country’s largest retailer exploited the workers under such horren- also caution that passage of the REAL ID more difficult for domestic abuse sur- with 3,600 stores and $10.3 billion in dous working conditions. So why should Act would pose a threat to all survivors of vivors to seek asylum in the U.S., which stolen profits, has agreed to pay the fed- the $11 million go to the federal govern- domestic violence, because it would contradicts the Violence Against Women eral government $11 million to settle comment? The money belongs in the pockets require them to list their principal resi- Act passed in 1994. plaints that hundreds of undocumented of the workers, who deserve reparations dential address on their driver’s license The appropriations bill, which is being workers had cleaned its stores. Though for their unpaid labor—especially those and state identification card. called a “must-pass” bill in the media, this settlement is four times larger than who were imprisoned. The group Legal Momentum: Advan- includes funding for the illegal and atro- any other single payment to the govern- Attorney James L. Linsey, representing cing Women’s Rights states, “For people cious wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. This ment in similar cases, it’s but a pittance workers in a New Jersey lawsuit, is suing fleeing domestic abuse or stalking, the makes the connections between the from the retailer’s cash register, which Wal-Mart and the contractors who sup- option to use an alternate address is not a trumped up “war on terror” at home and rang up $288.2 billion in sales last year. plied the janitors for not paying 10,000 matter of convenience or preference; it abroad even clearer. Several cases, one in 2001 and another immigrants time-and-a-half for overtime. can be a matter of life or death.” The resistance needed to combat these in 2003, exposed the fact that janitors at “It’s time for Wal-Mart to focus on the wars is building. Forces are mobilizing for more than 60 Wal-Mart stores in 25 states individuals who were systematically Fight for immigrant rights! a National Day for Immigrant Rights on were routinely forced to work eight-hour exploited and to consider what amount of In what Wade Henderson, executive April 27 in Washington, D.C., and for a shifts, seven days a week, with no over- reparations is appropriate,” said Linsey. director of the Leadership Conference on “Jobs Not War” May Day rally on May 1 in time. Some workers were even locked in He added, “It’s outrageous this could Civil Rights, calls “the boldest executive New York City. the stores overnight. occur in the early 21st century.” (New York branch power grab we have seen in For more information on the April 27 Ironically, these outrageously illegal Times, March 19) decades,” the act includes a section called demonstration, contact (419) 243-3456. working conditions were only exposed Outrageous, but not unexpected, when “Waiver of Laws Necessary for Improve- For more information on the May 1 when federal investigators arrested the you consider Wal-Mart’s lust for profits. ment of Barriers at Borders.” demonstration, contact (212) 633-6646. www.workers.org April 21, 2005 Page 9 Why Asians fear U.S./Japanese militarism

By Fred Goldstein and vandalism,” the Times correspondent For the secretary of state of U.S. impe- continued: “The killing of civilians was The Chinese regard rialism to go to Tokyo, the seat of A steadily ascending campaign of widespread. Foreigners who traveled Japanese imperialism, and brazenly bask provocations by the increasingly outspo- widely through the city Wednesday found imperial Japan’s in a new military alliance while lecturing ken militarist wing of the Japanese capi- civilian dead on every street. Some of the invasion and the the government of one-fifth of humanity talist ruling class has raised political ten- victims were aged men, women and chil- on how to conduct its affairs is the height sions to the boiling point in East Asia and dren. ... Many victims were bayoneted and 1937 ‘rape of Nanking’ of imperialist arrogance. It took the great- touched off a storm of anti-Japanese some of the wounds were barbarously as their holocaust. est anti-colonial revolution in history, the demonstrations in China and South cruel. Chinese socialist revolution of 1949, to Korea. “The Japanese looting amounted But new Japanese gain independence from the two imperi- At the instigation and with the encour- almost to plundering of the entire city. textbooks have alist powers that have now formally agement of its overlords in Washington, a Nearly every building was entered by moved to “contain” China. revived Japanese imperialism has moved Japanese soldiers, often under the eyes of removed references After dropping the atomic bomb on to shed its so-called “pacifist” camouflage their officers, and the men took whatever to this and other Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, inciner- and bared its teeth in brazen defiance of they wanted. The Japanese soldiers often ating hundreds of thousands of Japanese the peoples of the region it once conquered impressed Chinese to carry their loot. ... atrocities. civilians, Washington rapidly moved to and enslaved. “Thousands of prisoners were executed revive Japanese imperialism as a base to The immediate event which touched off by the Japanese. Most of the Chinese sol- contain the Chinese Revolution and to the wave of mass demonstrations was the diers who had been interned in the safety represents a sharp departure for the threaten the Soviet Union in the east. approval by the Japanese government of zone were shot in masses. ... A favorite Japanese government, which has up until Japan, with all its U.S. military bases, was revised textbooks which removed refer- method of execution was to herd groups now avoided taking a position on the mil- known as a virtual “U.S. aircraft carrier” ences to the wars of conquest and the of a dozen men at entrances of a dugout itary defense of Taiwan. in the Pacific. atrocities committed by Japanese imperi- and to shoot them so the bodies toppled The island of Taiwan was part of China Since the collapse of the USSR, China alism during the period of 1895 to 1945. inside.” for centuries before a rising Japanese has emerged as a growing power that is The Japanese Embassy in Beijing was These accounts can be found online at imperialism, in its first major colonial challenging the U.S. and Japan economi- stoned and Japanese stores were attacked The Modern History SourceBook, www. war—the so-called Sino-Japanese War of cally in Asia, Latin America and Africa. It when thousands came out at a govern- fordham.edu/halsall/mod/modsbook.html. 1895—annexed Taiwan and made it a pre- has signed major pacts with Brazil and ment-approved demonstration on April 9. This massacre went on for days and sim- fecture of Japan. The fact that Taiwan was Venezuela. It is becoming a dominant The demonstrations spread to more ilar crimes were committed as the Japan- part of China was recognized by all the force among the Asia Pacific Economic Chinese cities the next day, “with a crowd ese imperial army advanced deeper into imperialist powers after World War II, Cooperation (APEC) countries. It has of 10,000 chanting anti-Japanese slogans China. It is understandable that the Chin- when it was returned to China. assisted the Sudan, Zimbabwe, Kenya and in Shenzen. Earlier in the day another ese regard this invasion as their holocaust. Only after the U.S-supported counter- Rwanda and is modernizing its navy and 10,000 demonstrators surrounded the It has been an added source of outrage revolutionary armies of Jiang Jieshí military to meet the growing threat of U.S. Japanese consulate in Guangzhou.” (Los that Koizumi has gone to the Yasukuni (Chiang Kai-shek) retreated in defeat to and Japanese imperialism. Angeles Times, April 11) shrine, a military burial ground that con- the island in 1949 did Washington make tains the remains of 14 condemned war Taiwan, then called Formosa, into a U.S. Despite Iraq, Bush looks East Textbook written by militarists criminals, to pay tribute. Furthermore, protectorate and a base from which to In addition, China has just signed an The Chinese ambassador in Tokyo, there is a move afoot to turn the emperor’s threaten the newly formed People’s historic agreement to settle its border dis- Wang Yi, was summoned to the Japanese birthday, which was changed to Green Day, Republic. In fact, Washington demanded pute with India and an accompanying set foreign ministry by Foreign Minister back into an imperial commemoration. that its puppet government in Taiwan be of pacts on trade. If this new partnership Nobutaka Mashimura, who asked for an Previous Japanese governments have diplomatically recognized as “China.” It can sustain itself, it will defeat a 40-year apology and restitution for damages. Wang been more conciliatory about acknowl- forced the UN Security Council to give campaign by the U.S. to manipulate India said that the Chinese government did not edging Japan’s war crimes and previous China’s seat to the Jiang clique instead of against China and set the two most popu- endorse the violence, but refused to apol- textbooks have had references to them. to the one-fourth of the human race rep- lous former colonial peoples against each ogize and would not shake hands with But the Japanese Society for the History resented by the Chinese socialist govern- other. This would be a major blow to U.S. Mashimura. Wang was quoted as saying Textbook Reform, with right-wing nation- ment. This arrangement lasted until 1971. imperialist geo-strategic policy. that “the Japanese side must earnestly and alist and militarist politics, began revising The current demonstrations in China When the Bush administration first properly treat major issues that relate to the textbooks in 2001. The new revision are also aimed at blocking Japanese mem- came into office, it turned its aggressive Chinese people’s feelings, such as the his- goes further in obliterating references to bership in the United Nations Security intentions to the East and to China. It tory of invasion against China.” Japanese war crimes and takes a new Council. To that extent they are also embarked on setting up a Theater Missile In fact, the word “invasion” was not aggressive stance. directed against the U.S. Defense System encompassing South mentioned in the revised history text- The largest newspaper in Japan, Condoleezza Rice, speaking at Sophia Korea, Japan and Taiwan. It equipped Tai- books approved by the Japanese Educa- Yomiuri Shimbun, has applauded the University in Tokyo on March 19 in her wan with advance missile destroyers. It tion Ministry on April 5. textbook changes and declared that the first visit to Asia as secretary of state, carried out provocative spy flights into Japan invaded and occupied Korea in “publishers had good reason to remove the declared that “the United States unam- Chinese air space and created an interna- 1910 and held that country until 1945. The references” to “comfort women.” (Interna- biguously supports a permanent seat for tional crisis. Japanese militarist regime in 1931 invaded tional Herald Tribune, April 7) Japan on the United Nations Security It was after Sept. 11, 2001, that Wash- Chinese territory and seized what was then The weekly magazine Guoji Shengqu Council.” ington had to shift its attention to the called Manchuria. Japan then steadily Daobao, published by Xinhua News Agency Rice demanded that China pressure Middle East and seized the opportunity to expanded its invasion and occupation to of China, ran an article accusing Mitsu- North Korea to reenter six-party talks on try to reconquer that oil-rich and the entire Chinese mainland, and remained bishi Motors, Ajinomoto Co., Hino Motors its future. She spoke of U.S. “concern” geostrategic region, where three conti- until the end of World War II in 1945. Ltd., Isuzu Motors, Chugai Pharmaceu- about a “Chinese military buildup” and nents converge. The current Japanese government of tical and Asahi Breweries, among others, said that the best way to deal with this “is While trying to manage the crisis in Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has of being supporters of the new textbooks. to keep strong alliances and make certain Iraq, Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and Rice refused to disavow the textbook revisions, But the demonstrations are about more that America’s military forces are second are now also returning to their original which removed all references to “comfort than textbooks and more than history to none.” aggressive orientation towards China, women,” a term for women forced to alone. It is about the present and the Rice added, “On both the regional and which has grown more urgent in light of become sex slaves for the Japanese mili- future plans of Japanese and U.S. imperi- global levels, the U.S.-Japanese alliance world economic tensions: the crisis of tary during the occupations. It is esti- alism in the region. The textbooks reflect is modernizing, most recently through declining U.S. exports, the loss of markets mated that up to 200,000 women suffered a new aggressive posture by Tokyo, which our agreement on Common Strategic to China, China’s growing political influ- this fate during the Japanese occupation is taking advantage of the fact that Objectives.” ence and the implications of all this for of China and Korea. Washington is playing the Japan card After talking about how the U.S. mili- U.S. capitalism as a whole. All references were removed to the infa- against the People’s Republic of China. tary will keep forces in the Pacific second The Middle East, while certainly a mous “rape of Nanking” in 1937, in which to none, she then vowed to uphold the vitally strategic region of the world, is too up to 300,000 Chinese were systemati- Taiwan and the Taiwan Relations Act, which declares U.S. limited an arena for the adventuristic, cally slaughtered by Japanese imperial anti-China alliance intention to defend Taiwan militarily and expansionist militarists in the Pentagon troops when the emperor Hirohito On Feb. 19, Secretary of State Condo- told the Chinese to restrict themselves to and on Wall Street. While they hope to ordered everyone in what was then the leezza Rice and Secretary of Defense peaceful means. reap vast oil profits there and get great Chinese capital city to be killed. Donald Rumsfeld met with their Japanese Japan has the second-largest navy in military and economic leverage, the gigan- All references to the forced labor of mil- counterparts to renew U.S.-Japanese mil- the Pacific, after the U.S. Its so-called Self tic productive forces of U.S. high-tech cap- lions of Chinese and Koreans was omitted itary ties. For the first time the two impe- Defense Force has a military budget larger italism require a much larger arena. as well. rialist powers included the security of than England’s. It is ordering new helicop- This is why the growing threats to China Taiwan as “a common strategic objective.” ter aircraft carriers and is working on a and North Korea must be taken seriously. Chinese regard invasion According to the Feb. 21 Washington joint missile-defense system with the This is why the drive to the East is so as holocaust Post: “In addition, the U.S.-Japanese Pentagon. And there is a movement afoot fraught with danger and why the anti-war A glimpse of some of the atrocities in statement drew attention to China’s rapid to revise the famous Article 9 of the movement must carefully watch U.S.- Nanking was given in a Dec. 17, 1937, dis- military modernization program, calling it Japanese Constitution which forbids Japanese provocations in the Pacific and patch to the New York Times. a matter of concern. ...” Japan from settling international disputes be ready to expand the anti-militarist, After referring to “wholesale atrocities This aggressively challenging statement by force. anti-imperialist struggle. Page 10 April 21, 2005 www.workers.org

Maternal Deaths per 100,000 live births (Maternal mortality ratio or MMR)

May Day ll over the world workers and Today, the Million Worker oppressed peoples will scan the Movement—led by militant Black union A horizon of the United States for leaders—has called for a May Day 2005 signs of struggle on May Day. rally in New York’s Union Square, the The revolutionary tradition of May place where militant workers in solidar- Day—international workers’ day—was ity with their sisters and brothers around established through struggle here, in the the world gathered on this day for so citadel of imperialism. The battles by many years. They are joined in this call workers in Chicago in 1886 against the by the Troops Out Now Coalition, which $)*+$1,67$1 ,5$4 $1*2/$ 1,&$5$*8$ bosses and police for the right to receive just organized the successful anti-war (figures from United Nations Statistics Division, 2005) a full day’s wages for eight hours of labor march through Harlem and on to Central led to the proclamation of May Day. Park on March 19. The significance of this militant work- The cost of war for imperial empire is ing-class milestone, won in the streets, is staggering. The cities here are being WHO calls mother/child recognized more widely outside the U.S. starved to pay the high cost of attempts than inside. The unrelenting ideological to recolonize Iraq. The surplus wealth offensive by the capitalist class here— created by labor is being funneled into deaths a ‘massacre’ particularly the steady torrent of anti- the military-industrial complex. And it is By Ellen Y. backs on the collapse of basic health care, communist red-baiting—has tried to workers, disproportionately from mainly due to conflicts or political strife. replace May Day with a toned-down oppressed nationalities, who are being Each year, half a million women die in alternative: Labor Day. ordered to go kill Iraqi workers in a war childbirth. Nearly 11 million children What report doesn’t say What led to the worker upsurge of that benefits only the military contrac- under 5 die of poverty-related illnesses. Most of the poorest countries in the 1886? An anti-labor offensive by the cap- tors and oil companies. On World Health Day, April 7, Dr. Marie- world today are rich in natural and human italist class after the 1873 economic cri- The clarion call to instead “Starve the Paul Kieny, head of the World Health resources, but they have been plundered sis. The bosses tried to make workers Pentagon, feed the cities!” coming from Organization’s family health department, by colonialism and imperialism. Their bear the burden of that capitalist eco- Black leadership in the union movement called these deaths a “scandal” and a political, economic and social structures nomic crash. However, this gave rise to a must be heard and heeded. “massacre” as WHO issued its annual have been forcibly engineered to meet the tide of labor resistance and also led to On Sunday, May 1, be in Union World Health Report, this year entitled needs of foreign lenders, rather than the the organization of Black workers. Square, N.Y., at 1 p.m. Help make it a “Make every mother and child count.” people. The World Bank’s promotion of Laboring and oppressed peoples around day in which the multinational U.S. The report discusses these largely pre- user fees and privatized health care has led the world were inspired by the struggle working class takes its place alongside ventable deaths as due to lack of access to to reduced access to services for millions of workers in this country. the workers of the world. life-saving care. It estimates that an of poor people. increase of $9 billion a year for each of the Now there is concern that this stagger- next 10 years is needed for the 75 countries ing burden of poverty and illness could with the worst outcomes to achieve the undermine the ability of transnational Cuba’s goal of cutting down maternal mortality by corporations to reap profits from the less three quarters and child mortality by two developed countries. thirds. In countries directly under attack by the human rights Most of the deaths of children under 5 U.S. today or suffering from the ongoing are avoidable through existing interven- effects of undeclared “dirty wars,” mater- tions that are simple, affordable and effec- nal mortality is increasing. uman rights abuses.’ The But this year, as U.S. diplomats roam tive. They include oral rehydration ther- In places where women do not have reli- Carter administration raised the halls of the United Nations trying to apy—a simple drink of clean water with able, woman-controlled methods of con- this phrase from a vague, dem- round up a few nations’ votes—those ‘H traception, the risk of dying in each preg- some sugar and salt—for diarrhea, antibi- agogic political generality to a battle cry who are weak enough, beholden enough otics for respiratory infections, effective nancy is multiplied by the many times a against any government that didn’t or complicit enough to have been roped anti-malarial drugs and insecticide-treated woman becomes pregnant. Women in knuckle under to the demands of the into lining up against Cuba in past years netting, vitamin A, promotion of breast- Africa have a 1 in 16 lifetime risk of dying world’s greatest violator of human —they are finding it ever more difficult. feeding, immunization against measles from giving birth. rights: U.S. finance capital and its mili- The brutal military occupation of Iraq, and other diseases, plus skilled care dur- Cuba is also a country targeted by the tary might. the blank check for the Israeli military ing pregnancy and childbirth with access U.S., but it has a socialist economy and a Every administration in Washington settler occupation of historic Palestine, to high-tech obstetric care when needed. wonderful free health system. Cuban since then has used the phrase to take attempts to overturn the elected govern- Nursing newborn babies immediately mothers have only a 1 in 1,600 lifetime risk aim at the Cuban Revolution—which, by ment and revolutionary process in after birth and keeping them warm could of dying in childbirth. Other women in the way, is still standing tall decades Venezuela, support for the fascistic also reduce deaths in the critical first hours Latin America and the Caribbean have a later against imperial determination to regime in Colombia, saber rattling of life. Four million of the childhood deaths 10-fold greater risk of death, while African recolonize the island nation. against the people of Syria, Iran and occur in the first days and weeks of life. women have a 100-fold greater risk than But now a tough task has gotten a North Korea—these are the elephants The 68,000 maternal deaths resulting their Cuban sisters. whole lot tougher for the Bush adminis- sitting in the middle of the UN General from an estimated 18 million unsafe abor- In the United States, there are between tration. Washington double-speak about Assembly. tions performed every year are almost five and six maternal deaths per 100,000 the Cuban workers’ state and “human And it’s not just Abu Ghraib that’s completely avoidable. What’s needed is live births for white women, but the risk is rights abuses” invites an analysis of who become a symbol of Washington’s ruth- access to legal abortions using safe tech- four times greater for African American is the perpetrator and who is the victim. lessness when it meets opposition to its niques. women. U.S. imperialism has waged an wars of plunder and profit. Out of a total of 136 million births a year The WHO report emphasized the need unceasing, covert and illegal war against Guantanamo—that little sliver of Cuba worldwide, WHO estimates that trained for human resources: doctors, midwives, the Cuban people since they overthrew that the Pentagon militarily occupies in midwives and doctors deliver less than two nurses, technicians and others vital to the Batista dictatorship in 1959. defiance of the will of the Cuban peo- thirds the babies born in less developed maternal-child health programs. It noted The economic blockade, which ple—is now known around the world as countries, such as those in Latin America, the disparity between care for rich and Washington tries to justify by blaming a CIA torture chamber, where the and only one third in the least developed poor, in cities versus rural areas. Cuba for “human rights abuses,” is itself screams of its prisoners cannot be heard. countries, such as most of Africa. The shortage of trained personnel is an act of undeclared economic warfare Even under a narrow definition of Lack of access to skilled care and to life- made worse by the “brain drain” in poor that violates even bourgeois interna- “human rights abuses,” it is Washington saving interventions—including surgery, countries. Doctors and other skilled health tional law. that should be in the dock, not Cuba. blood transfusions, antibiotics and anti- workers, many of whom were educated at Five Cuban prisoners of that war are But what about broader human hypertension medication—is the primary public expense, often must emigrate to locked behind bars in jails in the U.S. for rights? Cuba, despite its constant strug- reason why large numbers of poor moth- Europe or the U.S. if they want to find bet- the “crime” of trying to monitor right- gle to survive Washington’s subversion, ers, particularly in rural areas, die in child- ter pay and working conditions. Well- wing Cuban exiles who have launched has been building an economic system birth. Malnutrition in young children funded non-governmental organizations terrorist attacks on the island from in which people are guaranteed a job, makes them die of diseases that would not and foundations compete with impover- Miami. inexpensive rent, free health care, free otherwise be fatal and stunts their brains ished ministries of health to hire health The Bay of Pigs invasion, political education and the opportunity to partic- as well as their bodies. care providers. NGOs may provide much- infiltration, economic sabotage, assassi- ipate in organizing their neighborhoods, The report focuses on those developing needed resources, but are not answerable nation attempts against Cuba’s leader their jobs and their country’s future. countries where progress in maternal and to local people or governments. Fidel Castro, terror bombings—it is war- The Emperor in the Oval Office must be child health is slow, stagnating or has even Ellen Y. has been a nurse practitioner lords in Washington who must stand in praying that none of his subjects will gone into reverse in recent years. The for over 20 years. the dock for these crimes. notice he isn’t wearing clothing. WHO laid most of the blame for those set- www.workers.org April 21, 2005 Page 11 Huge Baghdad protest says ‘U.S. out now!’ By John Catalinotto There were similar anti-occupation Many of the articles emphasized differ- next two years, “if all goes well.” They try protests in mostly Sunni Ramadi and in ences between responses of the Sunni and to put a smiling face on the news, claim- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld Baiji and Najaf, where al-Sadr’s Mehdi Shiite communities to the call. Others ing that resistance attacks on U.S. forces told U.S. soldiers in Iraq on April 12 that Army put up its strongest resistance last emphasized differences between Iraqis have decreased and that more Iraqis are “We don’t have an exit strategy, we have a year. who want to carry out demonstrations and being trained for the police and army. victory strategy.” Just three days earlier, Al-Sadr’s written speech pointed out those who carry on the armed struggle. Similar reports a few months ago were on the second anniversary of the U.S. cap- how the occupiers have united the Iraqi Some drew attention to an alleged dispute quickly shown to be a complete fantasy. ture of Baghdad, hundreds of thousands people against them: “In our unity, you over whether the resistance should target Even now, many observers believe the of Iraqis had sent a different message. have cut off the tongues of all the people U.S. troops or the Iraqi puppet forces. puppet Iraqi forces are thoroughly infil- Following a call by Shiite cleric Moqtada who are saying if the occupation left there Since there is no publicly acknowledged trated by people sympathetic to the resist- al-Sadr, the largest anti-occupation would be civil war.” For Sadr’s safety, his national leadership of the resistance, it is ance. With so much of the population sym- demonstration yet took place in Firdos representative Sheikh Nasir al-Saaidi hard to verify or deny these reports. But it pathetic to the resistance, this should be no Square in central Baghdad on April 9. delivered the speech. is easy to see what the imperialist media big surprise, except perhaps to Rumsfeld. Its message: “U.S. get out of Iraq!” “There will be no peace and no security refuse to print: that the overwhelming Meanwhile, Pentagon commanders are Some estimates of the crowd were as high until the occupation leaves,” al-Sadr wrote. majority of Iraqis want the U.S. and the having their own trouble filling the U.S. as 300,000. The organizers wanted the world to get other foreign occupiers out of their coun- ranks with new soldiers, sailors and The next day organizers said they would the message directly, so some held ban- try, that tens of thousands will fight for marines. In the April 12 New York Times, follow up this protest with a continuing ners in English. One read, “Force the occu- this and hundreds of thousands will risk a full-page ad for the National Guard ran non-violent campaign to get the U.S. and pation to leave from our country.” their lives in the streets. opposite the page with news from Iraq. It’s other foreign troops out of Iraq. To emphasize their feelings, the pro- Pentagon commanders are now talking hard to believe that a human, not a com- Iraqi police cars had blocked off main testers pulled down effigies of the leaders about U.S. troops leaving Iraq over the puter, decided on such a placement. roads in central Baghdad and two major of the occupation from platforms, mimick- bridges across the Tigris River, which cuts ing the staged toppling of Saddam the capital in half. Heavily armed U.S. Hussein’s statue two years earlier. troops were stationed on the rooftops. In 2003, Saddam Hussein’s statue was Meanwhile, the crowd marched through pulled down by a U.S. tank crew and a few ALI KASED the streets, chanting: “No, no USA. No, no hundred Iraqis, many recently flown in America. No, no to the occupation.” from exile abroad. Television cameras did Demonstrators carried cardboard tight shots of the crowd to make it appear Palestinian activist & orator cutouts of U.S. President George W. Bush denser than it was, and the scenes were By Michael Kramer and Bill Cecil U.S. war machine then raging in Vietnam. and British Prime Minister Tony Blair, then broadcast repeatedly on the world’s He came to support the revolutionary calling them “international terrorists.” greatest propaganda machine. Ali Kased, a well-known Palestinian Marxist current that emerged out of the While some slogans also targeted the activist and freedom fighter, died on April Arab Nationalist Movement under the Media spin former Iraqi president, they mainly criti- 3. He was an internationalist who sup- leadership of Dr. George Habash. cized Saddam Hussein for his cooperation U.S. and other occupation forces also ported national liberation and workers’ In the 1960s Kased went to study at the with the U.S. in the 1980s against Iran. tried to give their own media spin to the struggles. University of Puerto Rico and obtained a The Baghdad protest, while largely progress of the Iraq occupation and the Kased was a leader in the Palestinian Master’s degree there. In 1970 he moved Shiite, was also supported by the Sunni demonstration April 9. Much was done to and Arab communities in New York City to New York, where he worked closely with Association of Muslim Scholars. Christian try to minimize the impact of this anti-U.S. and New Jersey. Most recently he helped Youth Against War and Fascism, the youth Iraqis also participated. protest in Baghdad on world opinion. guide and inspire Al-Awda, the Palestine wing of Workers World Party, to organize Right to Return Coalition, and, despite fail- protests against visiting Israeli officials ing health, was one of the keynote speak- and U.S. aid to Israel. ers at Al-Awda’s 2003 annual international In 1975 he helped organize the Com- Italian regional elections convention. His analysis of the decades- mittee for a Democratic Palestine, so that long Palestinian struggle for national lib- the Palestinian people’s struggle would eration was both brilliant and sobering. He have a political voice inside the United Right swamped, was also a prominent member of the States. Ali and the CDP were part of the Palestine Congress of North America. coalition that launched the historic march Kased (sometimes spelled Qased) was of 100,000 people on the Pentagon in 1981 gay communist wins seat born in a Palestinian village near Ramal- —the first mass antiwar demonstration in lah on May 27, 1942. At that time Palestine the U.S. to hear a Palestinian speaker. By John Catalinotto the regions, the center-left out-polled the was a British colony where armed Zionist In 1981, Ali helped create the November rightist coalition by 53 percent to 44 per- settlers—mostly from Europe—were 29 Coalition for Palestine, a turning point Regional elections in Italy April 3 show cent. This was a complete reversal of the already in confrontation with the indige- for the Palestine support movement in the a landslide shift of votes away from the last regional elections in 2000, when nous Palestinian population. By May 1948 U.S. It was named after the date the U.S. rightist governing coalition led by media Berlusconi’s “House of Freedom” coalition over 750,000 Palestinians had been bru- forced the creation of the racist Israeli mogul Silvio Berlusconi. In Puglia, one out-polled the center-left by exactly the tally exiled at gunpoint. state in the United Nations, now marked of Italy’s southernmost regions, openly same margin. Palestine then became politically divi- as the International Day of Solidarity with gay candidate Nicchi Vendola of the Berlusconi suffered this loss even ded between racist Zionist settlers based the Palestinian people. Communist Refoundation Party (PRC) though he completely controls the private in Tel Aviv, who were closely allied with The November 29 Coalition organized was elected president of the regional broadcast television networks—he owns imperialism, and a reactionary U.S.- and the first mass marches for Palestine in the government. the three channels—and his government British-backed puppet monarchy based in United States, drawing in large numbers of The vote overall, however, was not so exerts enormous pressure on the publicly Amman, Jordan. people from outside the Arab community. much a victory for the left as a broad, mass owned channels. But the reality of every- Growing up in this environment led Ali The coalition built ties with Black, Latino, rejection of Berlusconi and his rightist day life—economic stagnation, a frontal to dedicate his life to the struggle for the Native and Asian communities. When the alliance. Even leaders of the right wing government attack on workers’ rights, right of the Palestinian people to live in Reagan regime backed the bloody Israeli have acknowledged this setback and some continued participation in the U.S. occu- freedom in their own state in all of Pales- invasion of Lebanon in 1982, the coalition have suggested that Berlusconi declare pation of Iraq—broke through the media tine and to liberate the entire Middle East organized protests of tens of thousands in national elections a year earlier than the image of the ruling group. from colonialist and imperialist oppression. Washington, D.C., and other cities across scheduled 2006. The premier has so far After the quick expulsion from office of As a teenager Kased was already an the country. refused to consider this path. Spain’s Premier Jose Maria Aznar a year activist. He was forced into exile and went In a show of Black-Palestinian solidar- A search on Google-News Italy turned ago, the Italian premier became the Euro- to Egypt, where he obtained degrees in ity, the coalition mobilized thousands to up dozens of reports from Italian lesbian pean leader most closely identified with economics and political science from the help confront and break up a Ku Klux Klan and gay organizations, particularly Arci- the policies of George W. Bush and Tony American University of Cairo. There he rally in Washington on Nov. 29, 1982. It gay and Arcilesbia, that enthusiastically Blair regarding Iraq. So far all he’s gotten was influenced by the pan-Arab ideas of later metamorphosed into the Palestine greeted Vendola’s election. This popular for it is to have Italian communist jour- Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser, Solidarity Committee, which organized gay communist’s victory was all the more nalist Giuliana Sgrena shot and a secret whose army-based nationalist movement delegations to Palestine and helped build significant since Puglia is not a region in service officer killed by U.S. troops in had overthrown the British puppet mon- solidarity with the first Intifada. which social issues like lesbian and gay Iraq. archy of King Farouk. Ali joined the Nasser- Ali will be remembered for his power- rights have made advances. The center-left coalition, now called the inspired Arab Nationalist Movement. ful oratory, both in Arabic and English, Aside from this triumph in Puglia, how- Union, itself has been no great boon to In 1967 the U.S.-financed Israeli state and his unfailing optimism, even in the ever, the PRC made no significant gains, Italy’s workers. The last time it was in launched a surprise attack on Egypt, Syria gravest situations. His work and his voice although some small communist and envi- office, it pushed Italy into the U.S.-NATO and Jordan and extended its brutal rule gave life to the Palestinian people’s strug- ronmental parties did. imperialist war on Yugoslavia. At the over all of Palestine and parts of Egypt and gle for many in the U.S. and inspired many Six of the 13 regions involved in the vote same time it sliced away at workers’ rights, Syria as well. Like many young Palestin- to become involved. switched from rightist to center-left gov- pensions and other working-class gains. ians, Kased contrasted the inability of the Kased is survived by his wife and life ernments. The center-left now controls 16 This paved the way for Berlusconi to win bourgeois Arab governments to mobilize partner of 29 years, Fatma; his daughters of Italy’s 20 regional governments. in 2001, who then attacked the workers the masses for an effective defense with Arwa, Khulood, Rama and Reem; his sons In terms of the popular vote across all head on. the powerful people’s struggle against the Jamil and Hakim; and four grandchildren. ¡Proletarios y oprimidos de todos los países, uníos! !Sí se puede! César Chávez: la lucha continúa Por Teresa Gutiérrez bajadores de las tierras. y sin pagar una com- lucha continúa para la juventud de color. Este año en la fecha de pensación adecuada. A l@s jóvenes por todas partes del mundo A finales de marzo en todos los Estados nacimiento de Chávez, Ahora disfrutamos un se les está negando el cuidado de la salud, Unidos, pero particularmente en el miles se reunieron en Los trato mejor, un salario seguridad, alimentación y en algunos sureste, hubo actividades que conmemo- Angeles. mejor y mejores condi- casos, aún el agua. raron el nacimiento de conocido chicano Su nieta Christine ciones de trabajo”. “Creemos que como activistas, es nue- dirigente laboral y activista por la justicia Chávez Delgado, dijo: Jorge de Haro ha tra- stro deber llamar la atención a estas social, César Chávez. “Para algunas personas él bajado en los campos de luchas. Antes que festejar y celebrar las Chávez nació el 31 de marzo de 1927 y era un activista por el vino desde 1973. Él dijo victorias históricas del pasado, queremos murió a la edad de 66 años el 23 de abril medio ambi- que conoce “la diferen- armar a la juventud de la clase trabajadora de 1993. Su vida es un gran ejemplo de la ente, para cia entre trabajar con con el conocimiento de su presente para rica historia de la lucha de clase en este otros hablaba un contrato de la UFW que así pueda luchar mejor contra el impe- país. por la paz. y sin él”. rialismo en el futuro.” Este líder laboral laboró para unir Pero yo siem- El miembro de la muchas luchas, llevando a los traba- pre digo que UFW Robert García Condición de l@s trabajador@s jadores a grandes logros en su proceso. Él mi abuelo fue César Chávez dijo: “Ahora tenemos agricultores es un gran ejemplo de cómo los oprimidos, primero un cuartos de baño, agua, Los Trabajadores Agrícola Unidos a pesar de grandes obstáculos, pueden líder laboral. salarios razonables en ganaron avances tremendos para l@s tra- salir adelante para defender sus derechos En 1962, con la ayuda de Dolores Huerta, algunos lugares, seguro médico, y proced- bajador@s. Hoy todavía continúa la lucha de pueblo. él fundó el sindicato United Farm imientos para dar las quejas”. Las cosas por la dignidad y por un sueldo viable. Cuando el murió en 1993, más de Workers. han mejorado. Pero es una lucha sin fin”. La agricultura es todavía la industria 50.000 partidarios fueron a honrar su Y continúa leyendo la página del portal, De hecho, muchas de las conmemora- más grande en California. El estado pro- vida. Según la página digital oficial en la “En 1962, había pocos miembros en el ciones este año estuvieron marcadas por duce más de la mitad de las nueces, veg- Red Mundial de César Chávez, el funeral sindicato. Ya para el 1970, la UFW forzó a las luchas de hoy, al enfrentar chican@s y etables y frutas consumidos en este país. “fue el más grande presenciado por un los cultivadores de uva a aceptar los con- mexican@s los ataques racistas y contra el Casi cada fruta y cada vegetal es recogido líder laboral en la historia de los Estados tratos con el sindicato organizando así la pueblo. a mano. Es trabajo que quiebra la espalda. Unidos. mayoría de la industria. La razón de esa En Salinas, California, cientos conmem- El negocio de recoger estas cosechas Ahora más que nunca, las lecciones de victoria fue el liderazgo incansable de oraron el cumpleaños de Chávez mar- depende de la obra de mano barata. Sin la vida de Chávez ilustran la necesidad de Cesar Chávez a través de la huelga de la chando en contra del cierre de tres bibliote- ella, las ganancias enormes de la industria continuar la lucha. Hoy los inmigrantes y uva de Delano, sus huelgas de hambre que cas. Una persona en la protesta dijo: agrícola disminuirían tremendamente. los campesinos enfrentan una lucha enfocó la atención nacional a los proble- “Cuando cierran las bibliotecas, cierran las Por ejemplo, la venta anual de las fresas increíble. mas de l@s obrer@s agrícolas, y la mar- oportunidades, particularmente en un bar- de California equivale a $840 millones. Arizona—donde Chávez nació—está cha de las 340 millas desde Delano hasta rio pobre. ¿Dónde pueden ir los jóvenes Ochenta por ciento de las frutillas culti- actualmente al frente de un asalto por la Sacramento en 1966”. para encontrar una computadora? vadas en los Estados Unidos es de derecha que rompe con todas las razones “Que ironía tan terrible es que la misma Salinas es una comunidad agrícola California. de su lucha. Grupos de vigilantes dominan gente que cosecha el alimento que conocida como la cornucopia del mundo. En su libro “Reefer Madness”, Eric las olas radiales con demagogia racista, comemos no tenga suficiente para sus pro- La ciudad tiene que recaudar $500.000 Schlosser muestra las muchas maneras en resultando en aún más militarización de la pios hijos”, afirmó Chávez. para junio. Si cierran las bibliotecas, será que los cultivadores rebajan los costos lab- frontera entre México y los Estados El encabezó muchas huelgas y boico- la ciudad más grande del país sin una bib- orales para acrecentar al máximo su Unidos y la criminalización de los traba- teos. En 1975 estas luchas resultaron en lioteca pública. ganancia. Una manera de hacer ésto es jadores indocumentados. la promulgación de la Ley de Relaciones El 24 de marzo en San Antonio, Texas, pagar a los trabajdores bajo la mesa para Laborales de Agricultores de California. donde aproximadamente un 70 por evitar pagar los impuestos de la seguridad Chávez: una vida de lucha Esta ley permanece como la única en ciento de la población es mexicana o chi- de desempleo, compensación de traba- Chávez nació en Yuma, Arizona. Desde el país que protege el derecho de los cana, más de 15.000 personas marcharon jadores, y los impuestos de Medicare y muy temprano él sabía del extremo rabajadores agrícolas a organizarse en para honrar a Chávez. La manifestación Seguridad Social. racismo que los mexicanos enfrentaban en sindicatos. se centró en un esfuerzo ya desde cinco Sin embargo, much@s trabajador@s este país. No es necesario estar de acuerdo con años para cambiar el nombre de Com indocumentad@spagan estos impuestos. Según la página digital de Chávez, la todas las posiciones o tácticas para ver que merce Street (calle del comercio) a Calle Los cálculos recientes muestran que l@s pequeña casa de adobe donde él nació fue la lucha de los trabajadores agrícolas que Chávez. Los políticos racistas han trabajador@s sin documentos pagan robada por gente blanca sin escrúpulos. él encabezó cambió la faz de los sindicatos frustrado los esfuerzos de la comunidad hasta $7 mil millones al año a la Seguridad En 1938 él y su familia se mudaron a –y de la industria agrícola– para siempre. chicana. Social pero no recuperan ni siquiera un California. Ellos eventualmente se Esta lucha dejó una huella tan profunda La actividad de Chávez fue una de las centavo. (New York Times, 5 de abril). quedaron en San José. en el movimiento revolucionario y progre- manifestaciones más grandes en la ciudad El trabajo como aparcero — extendido De manera interesante, Chávez y su sista que hasta hoy, los que fueron activis- desde hace mucho tiempo. por todo California —es una de las medi- familia llegaron a vivir en un barrio lla- tas en aquel entonces, aún lo piensan dos En Freehold, Nueva Jersey, inmi- das “más insidiosa por la cuál los culti- mado “Sal Si Puedes”. Décadas después, veces antes de comprar uvas o lechuga. grantes y sus simpatizantes bloquearon vadores evitan la responsabilidad para con Chávez y su movimiento social por los una acción propuesta por un grupo anti- sus trabajador@s,” escribe Schlosser. derechos de los trabajadores de las tierras La lucha continúa inmigrante, la Unión de Patriotas. Estos El libro de Schlosser describe deta este movimiento se llegó a caracterizar por Después de muchos años de lucha, reaccionarios habían reservado un salón lladamente la vida difícil de los recoge- el coro, “Sí, se puede”. California declaró el día del cumpleaños de los Veteranos de Guerras Extranjeras dores de fresas como el trabajo que paga Chávez tuvo dificultades en la escuela. de Chávez como día feriado. Pero esta vic- para un mítin en contra de l@s inmi- menos y es más duro. L@s trabajador@s Era prohibido hablar el español aunque toria ahora está siendo amenazada por el grantes latin@s. Después que una serie de migrantes llaman la fresa la fruta del dia- esta era el idioma en muchos hogares de gobernador, Arnold Schwarzenegger. llamadas demandando que los VGE can- blo, informaa Schlosser. la región. Schwarzenegger ha propuesto la elim- celaran la reservación —informando que El dolor de la espalda que sufren l@s Él contaba que recordaba muchas veces inación de dos de los 13 días feriados esta- el 80 por ciento de los usuarios del nego- recogedor@s, es tremendo. El trabajo es escuchar cuando se decían muchas tales. L@s latin@s temen que Schwarzen- cio de los VGE es mexicano, y que el por temporada y paga poco. Encontrar un declaraciones racistas y notó como las egger elimine el día conmemorativo de primer soldado latino que murió en Irak lugar dónde dormir, mucho menos una escuelas estaban segregadas, el se sintió Chávez porque lo ignoró el 31 de marzo era un inmigrante — ellos cancelaron la casa, es una preocupación constante, por como “un mono en una jaula”. cuando trabajó como si fuera un día nor- reservación. ser el costo de la vivienda astronómico. Sin embargo, después de todo, él se con- mal. En la Universidad del Suroeste en San Los pocos campamentos para l@s traba- virtió en un líder mundial, que hablaba En una conmemorización del , Mario Diego, Calif., FIST y MEChA conmemo- jador@s son “pésimos”. sobre muchos temas, incluyendo la guerra Jaramillo, un representante del sindicato raron el cumpleaños de Chávez con un En 2005 en los Estados Unidos, muchos en Vietnam. El fue el primer líder laboral en la empresa de Servicios de Tela evento que se llamaba “El Café de Chávez”. migrantes viven actualmente en acequias, que declaró la solidaridad con las les- Angelica en Vallejo California, dijo: “Por El tema fue “La Lucha Continúa”. Ruth huertos, prados, e incluso en cuevas. bianas y los gays. su trabajo [de Chávez], las cosas cam- Vela, una organizadora de FIST, dijo, Mientras existan estas condiciones, Sobre todo, Chávez dejó su marca en los biaron. En talleres no sindicalizados, el “FIST de San Diego eligió celebrar la vida líderes como César Chávez continuarán campos de California. Su nombre se contrato es malo. Presionan a los traba- y las contribuciones históricas de César emergiendo. virtió en sinónimo con la lucha de los tra- jadores duramente, demandando mucho Chávez recordándole al pueblo que la César Chávez, ¡presente!