Stock Market Plunge in Asia Worries Capitalists
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• AUSTRALIA$2.00 • BELGIUM BF60 • CANADA$2.00 • FRANCE FF10 • ICELAND Kr150 • NEW ZEALAND $2.50 • SWEDEN Kr12 • UK £1.00 • U.S. $1.50 INSIDE U.S. rail crashes force government investigation THE -PAGE 10 A SOCIALIST NEWSWEEKLY PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF WORKING PEOPLE VOL. 61 NO. 31 SEPTEMBER 15, 1997 SWP leader: Stock market plunge in JOln• • actzons• Asia worries capitalists around Thailand 'bailout' means austerity for workers AFL-CIO • BY NAOMI CRAINE conventzon Two months after the Thai government was forced to devalue the baht, there is no Workers push back antilabor laws in Argentina BY DIANA NEWBERRY end in sight to the currency crisis that has AND TONY DUTROW swept countries through much of Asia. In PITTSBURGH -"Labor is Back" is the the week that ended August 29, Malaysia's theme of a series of mass actions and meet stock market dropped 11 percent, Thailand's ings during the AFL-CIO convention that fell 10 percent, Indonesia's 14 percent, the will take place here September 21-25. Philippines' 17 percent, and Hong Kong's A leaflet calling these activities states, 8 percent. Stock markets throughout the re "Thousands of delegates from all over the gion continued their plunge September 1, country and unionists from around the world including in Hong Kong, Japan, south will come to town. There will be rallies, Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia, Taiwan, commemorations of historical labor events, and Thailand. exhibits, programs, a huge street party, and The tremors have been felt on Wall Street, a community-labor teach-in." The leaflet as well as in Tokyo, Sydney, and other was issued by the Pittsburgh Community imperialist centers around the world, fueling Labor Planning Committee and the AFL the stock market roller coaster of the last CIO Labor Councils of Allegheny, Beaver, couple months. Butler, Fayette, Washington/Greene and The economic turmoil has cast a shadow Westmoreland Counties. It was distributed over what has been long praised by big at the Labor Day march here. business as the "Asian miracle." Hong The teach-in will take place at the David Kong, Singapore, south Korea, and Taiwan Lawrence Auditorium at the University of won particular claim as the so-called "four Pittsburgh on September 21. During the tigers," allegedly proving that capitalism can In order to avoid a major confrontation with the labor movement, the govern AFL-CIO convention, a Mass Solidarity usher substantial economic growth and pros ment of Argentine president Carlos Menem decided August 26 to postpone de Rally/March is planned, the leaflet says, that perity in the third world. Indonesia, Malay bate on new antilabor laws until after the October parliamentary elections. Just will proceed from the convention center to sia, the Philippines, and Thailand were also days earlier, Finance Minister Roque Fermindez had threatened that the laws the Allegheny County courthouse. "The supposedly budding financial "tigers" that would be imposed by decree if the legislature didn't act on them. A one-day battle against privatization, down-sizing and offered lucrative returns to capitalist strike paralyzed much of the country August 14, as workers demanded a halt to the fight for a living wage and decent con investors. This miracle has not been so government austerity and denounced the antilabor bills. Above, demonstrators tracts are part of the same struggle. Now is apparent for millions of workers and peas run after setting fire to a bus in La Plata during the August 14 work stoppage. the time to do something about it! Join us!" Even the main union federation, the General Labor Federation (CGT) that gen ants in these countries, however, who will "The National Trade Union Committee bear the brunt of the latest crisis. erally backs Menem and had not supported the August 14 protests, threatened (NTUC) of the Socialist Workers Party has In search of higher profit rates than can to strike if the antilabor legislation was imposed by decree. issued a call to socialist industrial Continued on Page 8 Continued on Page 14 Thousands in San Francisco protest U.S. troops new law against affirmative action in Bosnia BY BARBARA BOWMAN this state. The police estimated the crowd at gone," referring to Democratic Party politi may use SAN FRANCISCO - The day that 4,000 people. March organizers said 10,000 cian Jesse Jackson, one of the initiators of California's Proposition 209 went into ef protesters participated. the march. The other declared, "Real women fect, thousands of supporters of affirmative Many motorists on the bridge honked and don't need feminists." 'lethal power' action chanted, sang, and marched their way saluted the marchers with thumbs-up signs. The event, organized on short notice and across San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge Two small planes carried banners opposing dubbed the "March to Save the Dream," was BY MAURICE WILLIAMS to protest the law that will supposedly end the demands of the march. One banner read, called to commemorate the 34th anniversary Hundreds of supporters of chauvinist government sponsored affirmative action in "Affirmative action is wrong- Jesse be of Martin Luther King's "March on Wash Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic con ington." fronted 300 heavily armed U.S. soldiers March organizers had agreed not to carry September I, throwing rocks and swing BOOK AND A 12-WEEK banners and signs and tried to ban singing clubs. U.S. Apache helicopter gunships with Special offer SUBSCRIPTION TO THE . and chanting, but several contingents cap video cameras hovered over the area most Iii tured the anger and confidence of many of of the day. The protesters had gathered near 'MIUTANT' . the demonstrators. About 30 farm workers, the town of Udrigova to regain control of a The .jACK •. A.If&a including some from strawberry fields be television transmitter taken over by the .. Changing Face of U.S. Politics ing organized by the United Farm Workers NATO occupation force August 28. WORKING-ClASS ~OUTICS AND THE TRADE UNIONS union (UFW), led hundreds in chanting,"Sf, Seizing the transmitter is viewed by • JackBamas se puede," (Yes, it can be done) as the crowd Washington as key to waging its propaganda · A handbooll forworkers coming into the factories, mines, and mills, as they react poured into Crissy Field for a rally after the camp~ign, along with stepped up military to :the uncertain life..ceaseless turmoil; and brutafity of capitalism in the clOsing march. aggression. "We will use all means neces .. ·years .·.of the twentieth century. lt shows now millions of workers, as wlitical Fifty law students from Boalt Hall School sary, including lethal means, to protect our • reSistanctrmow, Will revolutionize themselves. their unions. and all of ~0!=~· Reparpricl~$1,9.95 · . .. .. of Law, University of California, Berkeley, forces and to continue our mission," said wore T-shirts that read, "I'm a Boalt Hall NATO's new military commander, U.S. ; t~:!f!n~et~ · student and I support affirmative action" on Gen. Wesley Clark, in a press conference at the front and, "Qualified and here to stay," the Pentagon on September 3. "We will not on the back. be deterred by mob violence." Proposition 209 was approved last No The September I incident was the third Available ftQntbookstQ!es, in· vember banning affirmative action programs confrontation between Bosnian Serbs and · cklding those. listed on page at state and government institutions. Only U.S. troops in five days. It occurred two days 12; l)ffTQIIIPathflnder, one Afro-American student was admitted to after U.S. ambassador Robert Gelbard 410 West St., New Ymt NY Boalt Hall this year. ..•.··.··. : ··aooKANOA4·MONTI{ .. 10014. Fax:(212} 72J..0150. threatened them to halt resistance to NATO Rashaad Ibrahim, 24, a third-year Boalt ·. '• I . SUBSCRIPTION TO Hordering by mail please add operations or "the consequences will be the $3.00 to cover postage and Law School student, explained, "We've been most serious imaginable." 'PERSPECTIVA MUNOtAL handling. having a lot of protests at Boalt Hall against Gelbard's comments came the day after Continued on Page 5 Continued on Page 7 Did UPS competitors do struck work? -page 11 IN BRIEf------------------------------- Moscow, Beijing sign arms pact fections to the United States of its ambassa China's Gen. Liu Huaquing signed an dor to Egypt and a trade official at arms agreement with the Russian govern Honduran peasants win land Pyongyang's mission in Paris. Li Gun, north ment for the delivery of weapons worth more Korean deputy representative to the United than $100 million. Gen. Liu, a member of Nations, said the Clinton administration's the Political Bureau of the ruling Chinese actions was a "grave insult" and reflected Communist Party, met with Russian prime "hostility" toward his country. The Wash minister Viktor Chernomyrdin August 27 to ington Post quoted an unnamed former se discuss further military cooperation and his nior U.S. intelligence official saying, "It's tour of military factories across Russia. the first time we don't have to wait until the Moscow has sold some $1 billion worth of south Koreans wring a guy's brain out." armaments to China over the past year. The Chang Sung Ho, former north Korean am Kremlin has pressed for strengthening mili bassador to Egypt, is the highest official of tary and political ties with Beijing in the face the Democratic People's Republic of Korea of Washington's plans to expand the NATO to defect directly to the United States rather military alliance and station U.S. troops on than south Korea. its borders. Russian president Boris Yeltsin Li said the White House actions could also is scheduled to visit China later this year.