Thousands Back Miners, Eastern, Phone Strikers

Interview with leaders of THE Federation of Cuban Women Page 8-9 A SOCIALIST NEWSWEEKLY PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF WORKING PEOPLE VOL. 53/NO. 31 AUGUST 25, 1989 $1.00 200,000 Thousands back miners, phone workers Eastern, phone strikers on strike 6,000 march in Pittsburgh demonstration UMWA District 4 in Ohio. BY SUSAN LaMONT Two groups of UMWA strikers, from A strike by 200,000 telephone workers Pittston in Virginia and Duquesne Light & against four of the country's seven regional Power here, led off the march. They were phone companies began August 6 when followed by Eastern strikers from the Pins 160,000 employees in 15 states walked off burgh area. the job. The strike widened a week later when Behind them carne hundreds of marchers 40,000 workers in five more states joined the wearing the red "Take a stand" T-shirts of the walkout. Communications Workers of America. Some Most strikers are members of the Commu 200,000 telephone workers have gone on nications Workers of America (CWA); a JtLsUce strike in 20 states against four regional phone smaller number are in the International companies. Behind their contingent carne Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW). hundreds of members of the United Steel The biggest issue in the strikes is the workers of America and United Electrical companies' demands that telephone opera t~,rthe workers. tors, installers, technicians, and other workers Teamsters, teachers, and fire fighters pay substantially more for medical coverage marched alongside rail, auto, postal and gov now paid for by employers. b.tSterM ernment workers, members of dozens of Involved in the strike are: other unions, and activists from civil rights • 40,000 CWA members and 20,000 and women's organizations. IBEW members at Nynex, the regional phone ~bi~rs..... company for New York, Massachusetts, Ver Eastern strikers mont, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Eastern Airlines workers staffed a table and Connecticut. and signed up people for a possible action at • 41,000 CWA members and 11,000 the Pittsburgh airport. Since March 17,000 IBEW members at Bell Atlantic, which cov Machinists union members, flight attendants, ers Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Penn and pilots have waged a fight against Eastern sylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wash Unionists and supporters from several states participated in August 13 march and Airlines. ington, D.C. rally-in Pittsburgh to support striking Pittston miners, telephone workers, and East The rally's main speakers were UMWA • In California and Nevada, 43,000 work ern Machinists, flight attendants, and pilots. See Eastern strike coverage pages 6, 14. President Richard Trumka, United Steel ers at Pacific Telesis. workers President Lynn Williams, and Inter Workers at these three companies walked national Association of Machinists official out August 6. On August 13, they were joined BY STEVE MARSHALL Airlines, Pittston Coal, and Bell Atlantic tele- . Charles Bryan. They called for unity behind by: PITTSBURGH- This city's downtown phone company. the coal, airline, and telephone strikes. • 40,000 unionists at Ameritech, which streets echoed with roars of "We ... are ... Members of the United Mine Workers of Edna Jones, speaking for the Daughters of co~ers Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and union!" as 6,000 unionists and supporters America (UMWA), arriving in bus and car Mother Jones women's auxiliary in Virginia, Wisconsin. Last month the company reached joined in a March and Rally for Labor Soli caravans from Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Vir announced receipt of a $400 donation from an agreement with IBEW locals representing darity August 13. The demonstration voiced ginia, and West Virginia, made up the largest the British group Women Against Pit Clo Continued on Page 7 support for workers on strike against Eastern contingents. Seven busloads came from sures. Greetings from South African and Salvadoran union federations were read and applauded. Most of the coal miners present were iden Apartheid regiiDe's disruption challenges tified by the camouflage they wore, which has become a symbol of the Virginia miners in their 18-week strike against Pittston Coal. NaiDibia's election process, freedom fight In June 44,000 UMWA members walked off their jobs on a sympathy strike across the BY RONI McCANN sitional process to Namibia's independence and administrative structure inside the coun country backing the Pittston miners in their "Systematic and serious violations by hangs in the balance." try that includes thousands of Black fight. South Africa of both the letter and spirit of Namibians. Some 1.1 million or 90 percent "It's the only way we can make a state the United Nations plan for the independence UN Security Council of Namibia's population is Black. ment," said a miner from Ohio. In his opinion of Namibia" are being carried out in the Both SWAPO leaders called on the UN Continued on Page 2 Continued on Page 13 southwest African country, charged Security Council to take immediate steps to Hinyangerwa Asheeke, UN representative insure the end of South Africa's campaign of for the South West Africa People's Organisa sabotage and disruption. tion (SWAPO), on August 10. "The Security Council must carry out its S. Africa leader's tour part of "South Africa's noncompliance with Res fu~J responsibility by implementing the res olution 435 violates virtually every provision olution in its original and definitive form," anti-apartheid defiance campaign of the UN plan," said Asheeke. stated Asheeke. The SWAPO representative gave numer Resolution 435 was first adopted by the BY GREG McCARTAN anyway, and organizations spoke in their own ous examples of South Africa's disruption of Security Council in 1978. In March 198 8 the A broad campaign of defiance against names. The flags of Sayco, the African Na the election process under way in Namibia. South African army was defeated by Angolan apartheid has been launched by anti-apart tional Congress, and the South African Com troops, SWAPO forces, and Cuban interna heid organizations inside South Africa. munist Party were hoisted. All of this activity South African paramilitary units tionalist fighters in a strategic battle at Cuito Backed by the United Democratic Front is considered illegal by the government." The Pretoria regime refuses to disarm its Cuanavale in southern Angola. Soon after (UDF) and the Congress of South African Detainees are activists in South Africa who paramilitary units, used to terrorize the ward the Pretoria regime signed an agreement Trade Unions (COSATU), as well as church were arrested during the past two years and Namibian people. On August 15 South Afri beginning the process of implementing Res and youth groups, the campaign is challeng held in prison with no charges filed against can-appointed Administrator Louis Pienaar olution 435. ing restrictions on political activity and seg them. After release from prison, many were ordered I ,200 members of the paramilitary regationist Jaws imposed by the regime in restricted from participating in political meet units back to their bases. SWAPO demands Elections Pretoria. ings, speaking in the name of their own orga that the units be completely dissolved as The plan provides for the withdrawal of Rapu Molekane, general secretary of the nizations, or traveling outside of certain outlined in Resolution 435. South African administrative and armed South African Youth Congress (Sayco), who areas. forces from Namibia. During the transition is in the United States on a speaking tour, The South African government is also period the country is being administered by explained that during the first week of Au Tour is part of defiance campaign taking advantage of loopholes in the Voter UN special representative Martti Ahtisaari; gust, Blacks went to white segregated hospi Molekane, himself a former detainee, is in Registration Act, which it drafted, to bus in Pienaar, the South African-appointed admin tals in Natal and Johannesburg and were the United States as part of the defiance effort. thousands of white South Africans and others istrator general; and the UN Transition As treated. · He represents the 1.5-million member Sayco to register to vote in the Namibian elections. sistance Group (UNTAG), charged with "Detainees have attended press confer on the UDF's executive committee. The On August 9 in London, SWAPO President monitoring the election process. UN-super ences and spoken at church services," he said. youth body is comprised of students, young Sam Nujoma said that notwithstanding the vised elections to establish an independent "There was also a funeral in the Western Cape workers, and unemployed youth. Molekane Namibian people's desire to see Resolution Namibia are to take place on November 6. for two who were blown up by limpet mines. was released from 16 months detention fol 435 implemented without interference, "the South Africa has ruled Namibia for 73 The government said that it was not to be a lowing a series of hunger strikes in the prisons prospects for a genuinely free and fair tran- years and has built up an extensive military political funeral, but thousands turned out Continued on Page 13 Challenges to Namibia fighters Continued from front page on UN special representative Ahtisaari to According to the law written by the South Beginning in the 1970s Pretoria began to adopt a more forceful position against police African government, South Africans who build up the 24,000-member South West Af intimidation. have lived in Namibia as civil servants, sol rican Territorial Force. Taking advantage of The UN reduced from 7,500 to under 5,000 diers, and police personnel, and their chil the economic conditions in the country, South the forces it sent to Namibia. Moreover, most dren, are all free to cross the Namibian border Africa offered Namibian volunteers a slightly are unarmed and can do nothing to prevent and vote.

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