Socialist Alternative Kshama Sawant Runs for Re-Election in - p. 5 Issue #13 - May 2015 @SocialistAlt www.SocialistAlternative.org /SocialistAlternativeUSA Price $2

Rebuilding the What We Stand For Why I am a Socialist

Fighting for the 99% JJImmediate, unconditional legalization and Sasha Somer equal rights for all undocumented immigrants. JJNo budget cuts to education and social Seattle, WA services! Full funding for all community needs. JJBuild a mass movement against police A major increase in taxes on the rich and big brutality and the institutional racism of the business, not working people. The federal criminal justice system. Invest in rehabilitation, government should bail out states to prevent job training, and living-wage jobs, not prisons! cuts and layoffs. Abolish the death penalty. For me and people my age, now more than ever it has become obvious that we face an JJCreate living-wage union jobs for all the JJFight sexual harassment, violence against uncertain future. We face rising tuition costs, unemployed through public works programs women, and all forms of sexism. no stable job prospects, and the climate to develop mass transit, renewable energy, JJDefend a woman’s right to choose whether crisis looming over it all. infrastructure, health care, education, and and when to have children. For a publicly I tried to run away from the world. I affordable housing. funded, single-payer health care system with worked on a farm, sought to live a simple J free reproductive services, including all forms JRaise the federal to $15/hour, life and enjoy the world while it lasts. But I adjusted annually for cost of living increases, of birth control and safe, accessible abortions. Comprehensive sex education. Paid maternity learned that even if you are able to tempo- as a step toward a for all. rarily escape, the world goes on without you. JJFree, high quality public education for all from and paternity leave. Fully subsidized, high- natural world, and civilization itself. That’s quality child care. And global warming will eventually affects us pre-school through college. Cancel student all. why so many of the mainstream solutions are J debt. Full funding for schools to dramatically JEqual rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and It became clear to me, if we want a better unable to fundamentally solve the problem. lower teacher-student ratios. Stop the focus transgender people, including same-sex world then we must confront the root cause Like band-aids over bullet wounds, the root on high stakes testing and the drive to marriage. of the problems. Whether it’s hunger, global cause of the problem remains. I want to confront this system and expose privatize public education. Money for Jobs and Education, warming, or student debt, I’ve learned that JJFree, high quality health care for all. Replace the real reason that this society doesn’t work it for what it is so that we can build a new the failed for-profit insurance companies with Not War for the vast majority of us is because working society, a socialist society, where we decide a publicly funded single-payer system as a JJEnd the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan. people don’t control anything. Under capital- collectively what to do with our vast resources step toward fully socialized medicine. Bring all the troops home now! ism, all the land, the factories, and resources and the decisions made reflect the needs of society as a whole rather than the profits of J JJSlash the military budget. No drones. Shut are owned by a tiny elite who use them JA guaranteed decent pension for all. No cuts the 1%. That is why I am a socialist. J to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid! down Guantanamo. solely for profit – sacrificing human lives, the JJStop home foreclosures and evictions. For JJRepeal the Patriot Act, the NDAA, and all public ownership and democratic control of other attacks on democratic rights. the major banks. Break with the Two Parties J JA minimum guaranteed weekly income of of Big Business $600/week for the unemployed, disabled, In This Issue and On the Web stay-at-home parents, the elderly, and others JJFor a mass workers’ party drawing together unable to work. workers, young people, and activists from JJRepeal all anti-union laws like Taft-Hartley. For workplace, environmental, civil rights, and democratic unions run by the rank-and-file to women’s campaigns to provide a fighting, fight for better pay, working conditions, and political alternative to the corporate parties. social services. Full-time union officials should JJUnions and social movement organizations be regularly elected and receive the average should stop funding and supporting the wage of those they represent. Democratic and Republican Parties and JJNo more layoffs! Take bankrupt and failing instead organize independent left-wing, anti- In the Fight for $15, April 15 was the biggest day of action yet. This fight is putting companies into public ownership and retool corporate candidates and coalitions as a first the “movement” back in the labor movement. Looking forward, the struggle for a living them for socially necessary green production. step toward building a workers’ party. wage can only grow, as it is bolstered by the energy from Black Lives Matter and a grow- J JShorten the workweek with no loss in pay and Internationalism ing environmental movement. and benefits; share out the work with the JJCapitalism produces poverty, inequality, Socialist Alternative is written from the perspective of working people, the 99%. Stay unemployed and create new jobs. environmental destruction, and war. We need in touch with the movements and analysis! Subscribe online – details below! Environmental Sustainability an international struggle against this system. J JJFight climate change. Organize mass protests JRepeal corporate “free trade” agreements, In this issue we feature: which mean job losses and a race to the and civil disobedience to block the Keystone JJ Kshama Sawant’s re-election campaign, the most important electoral battle for the XL oil pipeline, coal export terminals, and bottom for workers and the environment. JJSolidarity with the struggles of workers and left in the US in 2015. fracking. Massive public investment in J oppressed peoples internationally: An injury J A socialist program on mass incarceration and the war on drugs. renewable energy and efficiency technologies J to one is an injury to all. J Material on rebuilding the labor movement. to rapidly replace fossil fuels. JJ Analysis of the nuclear negotiations with Iran, immigrants rights, the movement to J JJA major expansion of public transportation JTake into public ownership the top 500 opt out of high stakes testing and more! to provide low-fare, high-speed, accessible corporations and banks that dominate transit. the U.S. economy. Run them under the On Socialist Alternative.org you will also find articles on: JJPublic ownership of the big energy companies. democratic management of elected All workers in polluting industries should be representatives of the workers and the JJ The Greek Syriza government facing the European Union and the IMF. guaranteed retraining and new living-wage broader public. Compensation to be paid on JJ The California water crisis. jobs in socially useful green production. the basis of proven need to small investors, JJ And a review of House of Cards Season 3! not millionaires. Equal Rights for All JJA democratic socialist plan for the economy JJFight discrimination based on race, nationality, based on the interests of the overwhelming Subscribe to Socialist Alternative Today! gender, sexual orientation, religion, disability, majority of people and the environment. age, and all other forms of prejudice. Equal For a socialist United States and a socialist SocialistAlternative.org/shop/sa-newspaper-subscription/ pay for equal work. world. J Socialist Alternative comes out 10 times a year. Your $50 solidarity subscription supports Socialist Alternative Editor Tom Crean • Editorial Board Ty Moore, Tony Wilsdon, Jess Spear, Joshua Koritz our ongoing efforts to improve our publications and broaden the struggle for socialism. • 206-526-7185 • [email protected] Two Pricing $50 annual solidarity $25 annual Now with a paper- Options subscription subscription less digital option! • PO Box 150457, Brooklyn, NY 11215

2 socialist alternative.org • May 2015 Politics Stop the Persecution of Pregnant Women Kshama Sawant Column Justice for Purvi Patel April 15 Shows Lorna Garano and Erin Brightwell

In February, Purvi Patel, an Indiana resident, became the first woman in the U.S. to be convicted of “feticide,” the Way and on March 30 she was sentenced to 41 years in prison Follow Kshama’s Council Work – she will serve 20 – essentially for the “crime” of having on Twitter: @cmkshama induced an abortion. This case marks a frightening precedent which, as a New York Times headline warned, “could be just the begin- ning” of a dangerous legal trend aimed at criminalizing women who miscarry or deliver stillborn babies. It also may prove an important legal milestone in the ongoing cam- paign to undermine and ultimately overturn Roe v. Wade. This draconian and senseless prosecution should be a right-wing offensive frames women as walking incubators clarion call for a new mass movement to retake the ground while marginalizing their rights as autonomous individuals. women have lost on the right to reproductive health care Although most Democratic politicians nominally sup- in recent years. As abortion continues to be a useful issue port a woman’s right to have an abortion, the Democratic for Republicans to galvanize the religious right, particu- Party has proven itself incapable and unwilling to mount larly during election time, they’ve launched a full-scale any serious challenge to the criminalization of pregnancy attack on abortion access in state after state, passing over On April 15, tens of thousands of low-paid workers and and the rollback of abortion access. We need to build a 200 abortion restrictions since 2011. In 2013, 56% of trade unionists took to the streets across the country in the movement in the streets, campuses, and workplaces women lived in a state considered to be hostile to abortion, biggest actions yet since fast-food workers first went on strike for abortion rights, connected to a campaign to end the compared to 31% in 2000, according to the Guttmacher in New York City in November 2012. gender pay gap and for paid maternity and paternity leave Institute, an organization that advocates for reproductive As we celebrate , International Workers’ Day, it is as a step toward equal rights for women. freedom worldwide. appropriate to remember that May Day was born in the U.S. out of the struggle for the eight-hour day in the 1880s. The For a New Women’s Movement eight-hour day was the key rallying cry of the labor movement Right-Wing Offensive of that time, in which socialists and other radicals played a Socialist Alternative stands for the right to a free abor- Several states are routinely prosecuting women for leading role, both in the U.S. and internationally. tion on demand, as well as free health care, and we stand child abuse if they take recreational drugs during preg- Today, the rallying cry is for $15 an hour. Like our fore- for securing all that is needed for women and families to nancy. Women of childbearing age in these more conser- bears, we are fighting to build a real, live labor movement that choose to have a child. No woman should be forced to con- vative states are on a slippery slope: having a drug abuse can fuse together all the strands of struggle against injustice tinue an unwanted pregnancy, and no woman should have problem, or even an ordinary miscarriage or stillbirth, holds and exploitation into one mighty force. to end a pregnancy solely for financial reasons. J the possibility of landing them in prison. Increasingly, this And, as in the 1880s, socialists are called upon to play a key role. After I was elected to the in November 2013, Socialist Alternative, along with a number of unions and activists, launched 15 Now as a grassroots Religious Freedom Does Not Equal working-class organization to build on the achievements of the Fight for 15 and to push for a $15 local minimum wage. We aimed to build a mass campaign with groups in every Freedom to Discriminate neighborhood and to mobilize thousands on the streets while threatening the establishment with a ballot initiative. But when we started fighting for a citywide $15 an Katie Quarles it is amended to be more in line with hour minimum wage in Seattle a mere 15 months ago, this federal religious freedom laws. seemed to many a long shot. We were up against formida- The recent state-level “religious Even so, the bill in Indiana as cur- ble opponents in the corporate and political establishment. freedom” bills in Arkansas and Indi- rently proposed would still allow reli- Amazingly, in June 2014 we won in Seattle which pushed the ana, which initially included language gious institutions and religious non- national movement to a new level. Now, 63% of the popula- which would protect businesses from profits to discriminate against LGBTQ tion supports a $15 federal minimum wage. 15 Now is lead- law suits for refusing service to LGBTQ people and an even more explicitly ing key fights in Minneapolis, Philadelphia, and Oregon, while customers on religious grounds, pro- discriminatory religious freedom bill is a labor coalition has just announced plans for a ballot initia- voked massive opposition. This came in the works in Louisiana which will tive for $15 in Washington, D.C. Student campaigns across on the heels of the Hobby Lobby also require resistance. the country are fighting for a $15 minimum wage for all work- Supreme Court decision which allowed All the attacks of the right against Demonstration against the “religious ers on their campuses. a company to refuse to provide birth freedom” bill in Indiana. LGBTQ people must be resisted. Our view was always that the fight for $15 was not an control to its employees through their Socialists believe in the right of reli- end in itself but a means to increase the confidence of work- health plan on the grounds it would from broader sections of the popula- gious communities to practice their ing people to fight for their wider interests. Winning $15 in violate the owners’ religious beliefs. tion. Even within the Republican Party faith. But owning a private business Seattle and then in San Francisco are the most important vic- Protesters came out on the streets there is a shift on marriage equality does not give you the right to discrimi- tories won by working people in a long time, but they are only in significant numbers in both states. with the more reactionary social con- nate using the cover of your religious a taste of what is possible. We know there are many difficult A national boycott including can- servatives on the defensive, at least on beliefs. challenges ahead on the road to rebuilding a fighting labor celing of planned conventions and this issue. The Supreme Court will soon issue movement, but we are supremely confident in the ability of concerts was being organized. Many Pressure from the public and a a major ruling on marriage equality. working people to overcome every obstacle. businesses, including Walmart and section of big business has forced But even if marriage equality were NASCAR came out against the bills, both the Indiana and Arkansas gov- to become the law of the land, the worried it could hurt their business by ernors to retreat, with a provision to movement must continue to end all Kshama Sawant creating negative PR. ban businesses from discriminat- other forms of discrimination against is a Seattle City This reflects a real change in ing against LGBTQ customers being LGBTQ people, including workplace Councilmember public opinion across the country on added in Indiana and the Arkansas discrimination which remains ram- and a member of LGBTQ rights, with growing support governor refusing to sign the bill until pant in many parts of the country. J Socialist Alternative socialist alternative.org • May 2015 3 Politics Mass Incarceration and the Racist Drug Laws Tony Wilsdon locked out of the mainstream soci- ety and economy – permanently,” The Black Lives Matter move- (p. 92). Upon release from prison, ment has brought into public these men and women are sys- debate the issue of police killings of tematically denied voting rights, black people and rampant racism in employment opportunities, feder- police departments. But this is only ally funded public assistance, and the most public expression of a far housing, rendering them outcasts deeper structure of mass criminal- in U.S. society. ization and incarceration of black This demonstrates the urgent people rooted in an even deeper need for the movement to also racism that is built into the founda- address the economic roots of pov- tions of U.S. capitalist society. erty that afflict large sections of the Beginning with the capture and black community, as well as the forced transportation of Africans Latino, white, and Asian communi- to America to work on slave plan- ties. By linking the struggles against tations, the ruling elite in America racism and poverty, we can build has enforced second-class citizen- unity among workers irrespective of ship on the African-American popu- color or race. But we also need to lation. Within 15 years of the over- fight to end the root causes of these throw of slavery, a new racist set of problems: capitalism, a system that discriminatory Jim Crow laws had perpetuates poverty and racism. been consolidated in the South. We need to replace it with a society The Jim Crow laws established a based on cooperation and solidar- new legal form of exploitation of ity: . black people by restricting their right to vote, attend public schools, Socialist Alternative and use public resources. Calls For: As depicted in the recent movie to re-establish the mythology and continuation of the policy. Backed debate about the need for reform. Selma, it took the heroic mass stigma of “black criminality” that up by Supreme Court decisions, In New York City, Bill de Blasio JJ An end to the racist War on struggle of the Civil Rights Move- has been a core ingredient of the systematic arrest of black youth was recently elected mayor partly Drugs. Decriminalization and ment of the 1950s and 1960s to racist narrative in the U.S. It was for standing on street corners because of his promise to end the legalization of marijuana use. remove the Jim Crow laws in the also a direct attempt to undercut was then justified. Extremely long hated “Stop and Frisk” program. Treat drug addiction through South. However, the ruling elites the radicalization of a generation mandatory minimum prison sen- While de Blasio has scaled back rehabilitation, not criminaliza- were not about to abandon the of black youth coming out of the tences were established for low- Stop and Frisk, he has not stepped tion. Release from jail and strike racist polices that had served their black liberation movement of the level drug dealing and possession back from the underlying policy of clean the criminal records, interests so well. Their biggest fear ‘60s and ‘70s and to prevent them of crack cocaine. aggressive policing in black neigh- including reinstatement of voting was that black and white work- linking up with radical-minded borhoods. He brought back former rights, of all those arrested for ers and poor people would see a white youth. Mass Incarceration police commissioner William minor, nonviolent drug offences. common interest in opposing the In a previous issue of our paper, Bratton, the mastermind behind JJ End “Broken Windows” and rich elite, who had built fortunes Eljeer Hawkins states, “Today both The statistics are staggering. In “Broken Windows.” This aggressive “Stop and Frisk.” Recall all mil- from exploiting their labor. An parties of big business – Demo- Invisible Men: Mass Incarceration policing doctrine of harassment and itary-grade weapons from police integral part of conducting these cratic and Republicans – follow and the Myth of Black Progress, Dr. arrest for minor crimes continues departments. racist policies has been the need policies that criminalize black Becky Pettit states, “Among male to maintain the New York Police JJ For community control of all to manufacture a sense of superior- and brown youth using this same high school dropouts born between Department as an occupying force aspects of policing. Local polic- ity among poor whites who, though strategy of associating blacks as 1975 and 1979, 68 percent of in the black community. It was the ing to be overseen by commit- they also were doing badly, were ‘criminals,’ ‘welfare queens,’ and blacks (compared with 28 percent policies and training of the NYPD tees of democratically elected told that they were better off than ‘menaces to society.’ This method of whites) had been imprisoned at and big business that led directly representatives from the com- poor and working-class blacks. of social control is so normalized some point by 2009, and 37 per- to Eric Garner’s death. These poli- munity and trade unions. Inde- in U.S. society that it’s not even cent of blacks (compared with 12 cies, centered on aggressive polic- pendent, anti-racist candidates “War on Drugs” critically questioned by the main- percent of whites) were incarcer- ing in black neighborhoods across from community organizations stream. Crime and drug activity ated that year.” the country, were further exposed and unions should run for these Beginning with conservative have been racialized, despite simi- From 1980 to 2008, the in the recent Justice Department boards. Republican politicians in the late lar crime rates among different number of people incarcerated in report on Ferguson. JJ End Poverty. For guaranteed 1960s, a new system of mass ethnicities and whites,” (“Book America quadrupled – from roughly In her groundbreaking book The quality jobs with a $15 an hour incarceration – this time tied Review: The New Jim Crow,” 500,000 to 2.3 million people. New Jim Crow: Mass Incarcera- minimum wage. to the newly-launched “War on 11/2012). Blacks and Latinos, who account tion in the Age of Colorblindness, JJ A massive investment in Drugs” – was introduced. However, The so-called War on Drugs for a quarter of the general popula- Michelle Alexander correctly argues public education, transit, health this policy had nothing to do with was directed overwhelmingly at tion, make up 58% of the prison that these new drug laws and the care, and other economic ser- reducing drug use. For example, one section of the population: population. Black Americans are wider criminal justice policies that vices paid for by taxes on the there is a high level of cocaine black citizens. Whipped up by only 12% of drug users, yet they surround them represent a new Jim super-rich and corporations. use among well-off white execu- sensational and false newspaper are 38% of those arrested and Crow policy of mass incarceration. JJ Build the emerging black free- tives, but there is no policy of sys- headlines about crack cocaine 59% of those incarcerated in state She explains, “people whose only dom movement through coordi- tematic harassment and arrest of addiction, sweeps began in black prisons for drug offenses. crime is drug addiction or posses- nated national protests against them. Instead, the “war on drugs” neighborhoods. High arrest num- A growing fight-back against sion of a small amount of drugs for racism, police violence, and eco- was created as a weapon aimed bers were then used to justify the these racist policies has opened up recreational use find themselves nomic inequality. J

4 socialist alternative.org • May 2015 Elections Join the Campaign to Re-Elect Kshama Sawant Join the many endorsers and supporters of Kshama the rapaciousness of executives and corporate Amer- Sawant’s re-election campaign! We are proud to announce ica and winning gains for working people and the middle class that the International Association of Machinists and Aero- through struggle. IAM 751 joins Teamsters locals 117 and space Workers District Lodge 751 (IAM 751) has endorsed 174, International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) the Kshama Sawant re-election campaign! Representing over 19, Washington Federation of State Employees 1488, and 33,000 workers, IAM 751 has a rich history of challenging others on the growing list of unions endorsing Kshama as their representative on the Seattle City Council. You will find a list of endorsements on the campaign website. and donate now, on KshamaSawant.org Kshama refuses to take any donations from corporations and developers. Fighting Corporate Cash Donate Now The big developer Vulcan, an engine for the gentrifica- She lives on a worker’s wage of Please visit KshamaSawant.org now and dig deep to keep tion in District 3, was already donating in the race against $40,000 after taxes and donates the Kshama as the driving force for working people on Seattle’s Kshama. The anti-teachers’-union “Alliance for Education” city council. The maximum for individuals is $700 for indi- rest of her council income to support stepped in with its money to stop Kshama. Non-union hotel viduals and $1400 if you are married. Can you donate $100, owners threw in their cash to remove Sawant from City Hall. building social justice movements. $500, or $1400 now? Every dollar helps to push back against We can defend this seat – but we need your help! Volunteer the corporate donors trying to buy elections. J

facebook.com /VoteSawant Follow Kshama Sawant’s campaign in Seattle at #ReadyForKshama @votesawant KshamaSawant.org Kshama Sawant’s reelection cam- 300,000 have urged Warren to run. primaries, will he just leave the activ- paign is the most important battle for Warren has fought to regulate the banks ists he encouraged to get active, tell- independent left politics in the U.S. in and to tackle student debt. This points ing them to fight for Hillary against Jeb Arctic Drilling Rigs in 2015. But at the same time the 2016 in the right direction, but in the view of Bush or any other right-winger? presidential election is already underway Socialist Alternative, it does not go far We urge to go all-out Seattle? and a major topic of political discussion. enough. in the presidential election and run as We are ready for a president ending But even if we put aside our larger an independent socialist. His campaign the discrimination against women, clos- differences, the question remains: How could bring together working people to ing the gender pay gap, ending poverty can we win even the limited regulations create the backbone of a party really wages – which predominantly affect of the banks that Warren is advocating? able to challenge the billionaires. women – implementing a $15 an hour Wall Street considers Warren’s modest minimum wage. proposals a declaration of war. The Ready for Kshama Unfortunately, Hillary Clinton is not power of corporate politics – including the change we’re waiting for. PACs, super PACs – and media under We need to build an alternative, not big business control – will not be altered just for the presidential elections, but Hillary Clinton without the mobilization and organiza- to implement and enforce completely tion of hundreds of thousands of work- different policies. The domination of Clinton’s gender alone does not ing people. the top .1% will not be broken through James Kahn mean she will make strides on deci- If Warren were to run for President – the channels of their parties. Working sive issues to change the situation for which she has said she will not do – and people need to organize independently. After Shell Oil spent $4 billion lobbying in Wash- women in the U.S. were to win the Democratic primaries, If the much-better-positioned Bernie ington, D.C. to win support for Arctic drilling, activists Clinton is Wall Street’s candidate would the corporate-dominated leaders Sanders and Elizabeth Warren do not in Seattle are mobilizing to stop them. A Shell drilling to continue the politics of bailing out of the Democratic Party be prepared take on this vital challenge, others like rig is on its way to Seattle. Shell plans to use Terminal banks – she voted for it – and hawkish to tolerate such a mass mobilization Jill Stein of the Greens will an offer an 5 of Seattle’s port to repair the rig and send it back militarism – she cast her ballot for the within its ranks? No. Warren could not independent voice. to drill in the Arctic “no matter what in the pursuit of Iraq war. She’s completely absent on be expected to build an independent In response to Hillary Clinton’s profit,” said Kshama Sawant in a phone conversation the minimum wage debate and trailing force of working people and undertake announcement to run for president, with Greenpeace activist Aliyah Field, who was aboard on social issues, as she just came out a battle against the big banks and large @OccupyWallStreetNYC tweeted the oil platform headed for Seattle. in support for gay marriage … in April corporations when she seems to shy #ReadyForKshama. “It is activists on the ground – ordinary people like 2015! away from running against Hillary Clin- Clearly Kshama’s not running for all of us – who will be building this movement, who will Is she the best we can get to avoid ton at all. national office, nevertheless her race be reminding everybody that this is the People vs. Shell another Bush presidency – this time Jeb for a City Council seat in Seattle’s 3rd Oil,” said Kshama. – or a union-bashing Scott Walker? Sanders’ Storm District this year is of truly national “As long as Shell and big oil corporations control all No, there are alternatives. importance. It shows workers, young these resources, we don’t have a say in these backroom Before the Calm? people, and left activists that we can deals that they made. The lesson is that we cannot con- Warren Wing Waiting Bernie Sanders criticized Hillary Clin- run our own candidates – independent trol what we do not own,” said Kshama later in that ton for not being “prepared to take on of corporate cash and the Democratic same call. “These climate-destroying corporations need The “Elizabeth Warren wing” of the the billionaire class,” and he is getting Party – and win! We can use such hard to be transferred into democratic public ownership to Democratic Party is not happy with Clin- ready to run. He could inspire hundreds won positions, to promote organizing allow a transition toward clean energy, and we need a ton. New York City Mayor – and former of thousands. Unfortunately, Sanders from below as Kshama did with winning massive green jobs program where we can demonstrate Hillary Clinton campaign manager – de also plans to stay within the frame- $15 an hour in Seattle. If you agree, that we can create good living-wage jobs and maintain Blasio is hesitant to endorse Hillary. work of the Democratic Party. After the join us! J the sustainability of our environment.” J socialist alternative.org • May 2015 5 order to persuade companies to keep produc- tion in the country. But the jobs disappeared anyways, many to “outsourcing” but most due to automation. Union density dropped sharply. Industrial workers who were still unionized were increasingly disengaged from their union structures after experiencing decades of sell- out contracts with no fights. High-wage union jobs were shipped out by the thousands, with little to no resistance put up by unions or their leaders. Now, in the current “recovery,” we face a situation where the vast majority of new jobs being created pay low wages. Well-Paid Workers Despite the vast decline in the number of unionized workers and of the industrial work- force, the industrial working class still has massive potential power. Workers in industry still make up nearly 20% of the overall work- force, and some industrial unions continue to wield real power. For example, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) has the ability to shut down the West Coast ports, through which over 40% of U.S. trade moves. Many unionized industrial and manual work- ers are very well-paid in comparison to many young people entering the workforce now, but this doesn’t mean that they’re “middle class.” Socialists don’t define class based on how much money you make; we define it based on who you work for, how you get paid, and what you do at work. Again, in order to sur- vive, workers have no choice but to sell to the employer their ability to work. Dockworkers are well-paid because they fought their employers Bryan Koulouris dishwasher, are all part of the government of workers’ repre- last historical period, workers have through unionization and strikes. working class. Working people sentatives, we do have power in been forced to work longer hours Many people see themselves not as workers, Occupy brought a discussion produce the vast wealth of society, collective organization. Unions with forced overtime, working con- but as professionals. But socialists see a dis- about economic inequality to the but we only receive a small part are the strongest organizations ditions are becoming more dan- tinction between skilled workers, like nurses, forefront of political debate in this of that in our wages, while the we have to improve our living gerous, and “benefits” like good and top managers, whose role it is to control country. Importantly, the move- employers, especially the capital- standards, but they are declin- health plans and pensions are a workforce and squeeze as much productivity ment named an enemy: the rich- ists, extract huge profits from our ing in membership, almost never increasingly a thing of the past. out of them for as little cost as possible. est 1%, the people hoarding cash, labor. take strike action, and are under While understanding the poten- Some jobs that were previously well-paid buying politicians, becoming poli- Socialists see working people attack from laws undermining our tial power of the working class and due to unionization are now being ushered into ticians and getting bailed out by as the central force to change the right to fight. With Wisconsin Gov- the labor movement, we need to the low-wage workforce. This is true of many the government. Meanwhile, the world and end all forms of oppres- ernor Scott Walker recently sign- work out effective strategies to truckers and auto workers. Many of these rest of us, the 99%, form the vast sion. This isn’t out of some nos- ing “right to work” into law, fully address the huge changes in the workers, if organized, could choke corporate majority and are getting ripped off talgia for categories of the past. half of all states now have laws workforce that have taken place in profits considerably. For instance, many busi- by those at the top. But figuring To change the world, we must severely hampering the last period. ness plans run on tight timescales, with “just out a strategy to change the world first understand it: who has the activity. in time” shipping. A strike, or even a slowdown, requires that we must go deeper potential power in society, who is The super-rich attack unions Assault on Our of warehouse workers and truckers could make in our understanding of inequality, exploited, and who has the capac- for a reason: they know what Organizations, Our all the Walmarts and big grocery chains shake class, and power in society. This ity to fight back and win. unions have done in the past in their boots while looking at potential lost question is made even sharper by The working class is the vast to undermine super-profits and Living Standards profits. majority of society. We build improve the lives of working the events of April 15, when tens The last forty years have seen The concentration of workers in the big everything; we make everything; people. Unions make the working of thousands of low-wage workers a huge shift toward “globalization” urban centers greatly increases the potential we transport everything; we pro- class stronger because, in unions, came out on the streets in over – including removing restrictions power of the working class. But this would vide all the services, teach all we can bargain together, instead 200 cities across the U.S. in the on capital flows and trade. Trade mean the unions reaching out to build power- the kids, open all the cash reg- of as individuals, for better bene- biggest day of action yet for the deals like the North American ful solidarity actions and launching new orga- isters, clean all the floors, mend fits and pay. When strike action is union-backed Fight for 15. Even Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) nizations of struggle that can help others get the sick, and cook and serve the necessary, a well-organized union the corporate-dominated media have been done at the expense organized and win. For example, transit work- food. We do everything that makes is indispensable. When unions are talked about this as indicating the of workers, at the expense of ers throughout the country, organized mostly this system run, and if we’re suf- strong, wages even for nonunion potential for the reemergence of both in “advanced” and develop- into the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU), ficiently well organized, we can workers go up, as the bosses give the labor movement as a serious ing countries. Neoliberal policies have a leadership that is more focused than force the employers to make sig- concessions to cut off the desire force in U.S. society. We in Social- were implemented in country most on organizing and building movements. nificant concessions by shutting of workers to organize. In the past, ist Alternative also see this poten- after country, leading to privati- ATU is one of the few unions to have come out down key areas of the economy unions won the abolition of child tial, as well the huge challenges zation of huge parts of state ser- against the Keystone XL pipeline, connecting and mobilizing ourselves as an labor, the eight-hour day, the five- ahead. vices, attacking the historic gains with the broader environmental movement and independent political force. Ulti- day workweek – establishing the of working people, implement- the community’s desire for cheap, high-quality mately, we can use this power to weekend! – as well as massive The Working Class ing austerity, and – inevitably – mass public transit that would benefit both the transform society. improvements in workplace safety. leading to a massive increase in union in good jobs created and the environ- The corporate-dominated Unions give workers a sense inequality. ment in less greenhouse gases emitted. Coali- media wants us to believe that of their collective power and their Why Unions Matter During the decades-long tions of unions and the broader community, we’re all “middle class” and that shared interests in opposition to onslaught against working people, fighting for better conditions in society, can be the working class is a thing of the While the working class is not the billionaire class. They point union leaders made huge conces- a model to mobilize millions into action. past. However, socialists say that yeWhile the working class is not toward reorganizing society on the sions to employers, giving away Hospitals and schools have become increas- people who have to work for an yet organized enough to bring basis of solidarity and coopera- high wages and benefits. It was ingly privatized, as the super-rich try to make employer in order to live, from a about decisive change through tion, not the markets. argued that it was necessary to money off of anything – our sickness, our chil- well-paid engineer to a low-paid mass strike action or electing a As unions have declined in the give up good wages and benefits in dren’s future. This process of squeezing our

6 socialist alternative.org • May 2015 vital services has also led to more and more people who previously of the country. A similar climate could be emerging saw themselves as only professionals – nurses, teachers, etc. – get- now, but in the context of a deep economic crisis and ting organized and fighting back. potentially explosive struggles. Ten Books that Shook the World Community protest campaigns supported by unions Fighting to Transform the Unions can ignite truly mass struggles. The immigrant rights movement of 2006 led to mass strike action which A People’s History The long retreat and decline of the unions in the U.S. over the shut down ports and thousands of businesses through- past four decades and the largely ineffective policies of most union out the country. The key organizations in the fight for a leaders have, unfortunately, created a situation where the bulk of $15 minimum wage, including Fast Food Forward and of the United States the remaining unions lack a dynamic internal life. Real democratic 15 Now, are all centered on workers outside the unions control of the unions by their members is a precondition for devel- but supported by key unions. To win real gains, low-paid oping the kind of fighting approach essential to rebuilding union workers will need to build their own democratic fighting strength. organizations that are committed to taking forward their Many top union leaders are paid far, far more than the workers struggles. Organizing in fast food and the vast service Jeff Booth they represent. This means that they are out of touch with the day- sector poses many complex challenges. But the massive energy to-day reality of their members. We advocate that elected union on the streets across the country on April 15 shows that there is a “The ideas of the ruling class are in leaders are paid the average wage of the workers they represent; tremendous desire to fight and overcome these obstacles. they should receive increases when their members do. They should every epoch the ruling ideas, i.e. the be subject to recall at any time and held accountable by their Political Representation class which is the ruling material force members. of society, is at the same time its ruling A tragic example of a union with a heroic, fighting past which In every serious struggle, unions not only clash with individual has ended up agreeing to seemingly endless concessions is the bosses, but with their media, their politicians, and the police used intellectual force.” United Auto Workers (UAW). New hires in the “Big Three” Ameri- in the interests of the top 1%. This is a political battle. Most union -Karl Marx, The German Ideology can automakers represented by the UAW now only make $16 an leaders today avoid this issue and do all they can to trail the big- hour! By contrast, the National Nurses Union (NNU), which was business Democratic Party as a lesser evil to the right wing. This A People’s History of the United States by only formed in 2009, has fearlessly advocated bold reforms that is one of the reasons why the working class is isolated politically in Howard Zinn is an exception to a powerful rule: cor- would benefit working people generally, refused to tailor its mes- the U.S. but the anti-establishment mood is there to rally millions porate rule over mass production under capitalism, sage to suit Democratic Party politicians, and it has not been afraid to fight against corporate rule. including the mass production of ideas, reinforcing to call its members out on strike in defense of their interests. With over 90,000 votes, Kshama Sawant’s 2013 election as the corporate rule over society. Rebuilding unions as fighting organizations requires building an first socialist member of the Seattle City Council in over 100 years A People’s History breaks through this rule, in alternative to the present dominant current in labor: We need lead- spurred a battle to increase the city’s minimum wage to $15 an both method and content. It helps undermine capi- ers who base themselves on the collective power of the member- hour. Winning $15 in Seattle last June has inspired similar fights talist ruling ideology by simply turning it on its head. ship, fight back against the ongoing attacks of the top 1%, and in cities throughout the country. To build on these victories and We’re normally taught the top-down history don’t accept the limitations of what the bosses and their system take advantage of the anger at the establishment, we need a mass of “great men,” or of ideas somehow competing say they can afford. In many cases, this requires building coherent working-class party, supported by fighting labor organization and equally in a vacuum of “objectivity,” or of capital- left opposition groupings in existing unions. In other cases, it will community groups, to run hundreds of candidates who challenge ism as a “natural” state of human society – or all require building new organizations. This is where socialists have a the right-wing attacks of the Republicans and the inept response of of the above. crucial role to play within the workers’ movement: to offer such an the corporate-dominated Democratic Party. Zinn’s History examines U.S. history from a dif- alternative and to fight to rebuild the unions on such a basis. Movements against discrimination, as in the 1960s and 1970s, ferent perspective – influenced by and can be important sources of new strength for the working class and stressing the words and actions of Turning the Tide: Perspectives for Struggle movement, and unions should actively support these fights. Capi- non-rulers, the vast majority of people, the 99%. talism produces many types of oppression and exploitation beyond It’s an unusually interesting introduction to U.S. Despite the overall retreat, some working-class organizations, class. The increasingly black and Latino working class is at the history, a surprising one for many youth. It debunks like the Chicago Teachers Union and the NNU, have been influ- center of all production, distribution, and services, the exploita- myths Americans are indoctrinated with at a young enced by radical activists and have leaders tion of which produces all corporate profits. age. Figures such as Columbus (gold-crazed mur- who want to fight back. With the renewed Therefore, workers have both the power and derer), or the Founding Fathers (slave masters), and discussion on inequality, thousands of the interests to end capitalism and all forms others are exposed. young people have been radicalized, get- of oppression, even in a country where we’re A People’s History is useful for activists who ting involved in the or all told we’re “middle class.” want to begin a conversation about class society Black Lives Matter. A new generation is Young activists radicalizing today to fight and socialism in the context of U.S. history, espe- entering into an economic crisis and an against oppression need to learn the les- cially a conversation with those who aren’t familiar uncertain future. sons of labor history and the terrain of the with activism or radical politics. Occupy and Black Lives Matter are two class battles today. Only with this conscious One example from the book: “Eugene Debs movements that indicate the likelihood of approach can workers rebuild a fighting labor had become a Socialist while in jail in the Pullman increased class struggle. In the 1970s, movement that can lead the struggle to strike. Now he was a spokesman of [the Social- activists who went through the antiwar, J transform society. ist Party, which] … had 100,000 members, and women’s liberation, civil rights, 1200 office holders in 340 municipalities. Its main and black power movements newspaper, Appeal to Reason, had half a million struggled to transform unions. subscribers… There were fifty-five weekly socialist newspapers in Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, Arkan- sas, and summer encampments that drew thou- sands of people.” Who knew, right? There are many moments like this throughout A People’s History. In a capitalist- dominated society, working-class history is buried. Reading A People’s History is a way to begin redis- covering our history. J

“[The] circumstances of my own life… demanded of me a new kind of history. T h e s e By that I mean a history different y e a r s s a w from what I learned in college and in s o m e graduate school and from what I saw in of the history texts given to students all over highest the country.” s t r i k e figures -Howard Zinn, in the A People’s History of the United States histor y socialist alternative.org • May 2015 7 Education New York State Public Schools Five Reasons Why You Should Join Socialist Alternative Opt Out Revolt Against Right Now

Patrick Ayers

High Stakes Tests 1. We are helping lead the fight back against the 1% Eleanor Rodgers, Brooklyn Socialist Alternative is the organization My eight-year-old daughter Nora is part that launched the campaign that got Kshama of a mass movement. She is one of thou- Sawant elected to the city council in Seattle. We sands of children in New York state who used the victory to build a movement for a opted out of this year’s high-stakes tests. $15/hour minimum wage. Alongside the fast Journalists and opt-out groups are food workers who lead the way, unions and scrambling to get a fix on exactly how others, we helped win the highest minimum many families opted out. The education wage in the country, legitimizing the demand for authorities, normally so keen on data col- a $15/hour minimum wage and showing that lection, deny tracking this figure, but what when we organize around fighting demands, is clear is that, out of the 1.1 million chil- we can win. In Minneapolis, Philadelphia and dren eligible for the tests, it’s in the hun- more than 20 other cities we are helping bring dreds of thousands. together workers, unions, young people, and The strength of the opt-out movement others to spread the fight for $15 in all 50 states. varies dramatically from district to district and school to school. In Long Island and 2. We are building a political move- upstate New York, there are several dis- tricts where more than 80% of students ment that’s completely independent opted out. In New York City, the overall of corporate influence numbers are lower, but they vary dramati- The political system is dysfunctional and cally from school to school. In my daugh- awash in corporate cash. But, our campaign ter’s school, 17 out of approximately 330 Anna Gustafson by Photo for Kshama Sawant won 95,000 votes without students opted out, but in our district there taking a dime from business. Unlike most poli- is one school with a 95% opt-out rate and The author’s daughter, Nora (far left) protesting budget cuts outside her school in Brooklyn. ticians, Kshama kept her campaign pledge to several with opt-out rates of over 35%. City, the United Federation of Teachers corporate interests will fight to preserve fight for a $15 minimum wage, not by making (UFT) organized a week of action, which the testing edifice. An indication of this backroom deals but by using her office as a A Long Time Coming featured the largest mobilization of par- are the editorials in New York newspapers platform to build a grassroots movement. She takes only the average wage of a worker in This “anti-testing tsunami” as the New ents in recent history, and went into lobby- attacking parents as dupes of the teach- Seattle, keeping only $40,000 of the exor- York Daily News described it, has been a ing overdrive to ensure the Democratic-led ers’ unions. bitant $120,000 a year salary from the city long time coming. State Assembly would not pass Cuomo’s One of the weaknesses of the opt-out council and donating the rest to a solidarity Since the 2001 passage of the No bill. campaign to date is that there is far less fund to assist grassroots struggles. Our victo- Child Left Behind Act, corporate “educa- In the end, the worst cuts were removed participation in poor and working-class ries demonstrates what’s possible if we break tion reform” nationally has been driven by in budget negotiations, but the teacher communities than in more affluent areas. from the two parties and rely on our own inde- a focus on high-stakes testing to provide evalution bill passed. Stunningly, the UFT The entire working class, not just parents pendent power. We call on the left, unions, data which is then used to close schools claimed this as a victory on the basis that and teachers, must be mobilized to save and other progressives to come together and and attack the teachers’ unions. High- Cuomo was forced to accept an amended and transform public education. Opting run independent pro-worker candidates like stakes testing has also forced teachers to bill which gives oversight of the evalua- out must be linked to mass mobilizations. Kshama Sawant in every city as a step toward teach to the test, which is deeply detri- tion system to the “independent” Board Parents and teachers should organize an building a new party for the millions, not the mental to teaching and learning. of Regents – an appointed committee that ongoing, grassroots, democratic campaign millionaires. In New York, parents have seen their oversees New York schools – rather than with town hall meetings, production of schools’ funding cut in successive bud- being directly run by the governor. leaflets and posters, and the further devel- gets, while the amount of money spent While NYSUT, the statewide teachers’ opment of a program to take back educa- 3. We have confidence that work- on testing increases. They’ve seen test union, as well as Randi Weingarten, the tion. We also need to stand independent ing people, people of color, women, scores artificially inflated for several years national president of the American Fed- left candidates who will oppose education youth and all oppressed people will so politicians could claim the success of eration of Teachers, have come out in sup- reform and truly represent the interests of the reform agenda, and then they’ve expe- port of parents who are choosing to opt working people. J fight back and change society out, the UFT, unfortunately, continues to rienced their children’s dismay when the Capitalism faces a historic crisis. 95% of advise its members not speak out on the Save Our Schools results were adjusted downwards by the all the gains of the so-called recovery have issue of testing. state in a “correction.” Most recently, the The Fight to Defeat the Corporate Attack gone to the 1%. While the 1% sees record badly mismanaged introduction of the new on Public Education profits and stock prices, we see record levels Common Core curriculum saw students The Next Step of poverty and inequality. Women and people By Tom Crean taking tests aligned to standards that their of color are affected disproportionately, while teachers had not yet been trained for. The question is whether the opt-out $5 revolt can become the beginning of a deci- climate change is made worse by capitalism’s The final spur to action this year was Send checks to addiction to fossil fuels. Already, we have seen provided by Governor Cuomo. He tied a sive showdown to end or severely curtail high-stakes testing. The example of New PO Box 150457 the beginnings of a fightback with the upris- proposal to base 50% of teacher evalu- ing in Wisconsin, , fast food ations solely on test scores to the state York is certainly likely to inspire anti-test- Brooklyn, NY 11215 budget, which also included further major ing groups around the country. But activ- cuts to education funding. In New York ists need to clearly understand how hard Read online at SocialistAtlernative.org continued on p. 10

8 socialist alternative.org • May 2015 International Major Shift Behind the Proposed Nuclear Deal with Iran Robert Bechert The Aftermath of the Leader” Ali Khamenei appears to International Secretariat be supporting “centralist” President of the Committee for a Arab Spring Hassan Rouhani’s attempt to reach Workers International The 2011 revolutions in North a deal. Africa and the Middle East initially The prospect of a deal that lifts If it goes ahead, April’s outline of struck new blows against the West- the international sanctions on Iran a nuclear deal between the so-called ern powers, as some of their strong- has further fuelled the hopes for P5+1 powers – the five permanent men allies – especially Mubarak – change, especially against the back- UN Security Council members, were overthrown. They had a real drop of the oil price drop and the including the U.S. plus Germany – fear that revolutions would spread effects the sanctions have had. and Iran would mark a major shift to other countries and develop But the change can give greater in relations. Even if the final ratifica- beyond removing autocrats and dic- confidence to the Iranian working tion of the deal is delayed, the nego- tators into social revolutions. class to struggle for its demands. tiations themselves were evidence But while this initial revolutionary This could be a key development. of the realignment of forces taking wave was derailed, resulting in enor- The Iranian working class is, place in the region. mous lost opportunities for the work- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Foreign Affairs with Egypt and Turkey, one of the ing class and poor to secure a break Minister of Iran Mohammad Javad Zarif largest in the Middle East. Iran is Disastrous Aftereffects with oppression and capitalism, the a developed society; as in Turkey, allies – hence Western support for Arabia to extend its reach. around 70% live in urban areas. of the Iraq Invasion subsequent counterrevolution did the leaders of the autonomous Kurd- This is one reason why the U.S. not restore the previous position A revival of the revolutionary tradi- ish area of Iraq. In Iraq, a de facto, is warning Iran not to get involved While China’s economic growth for imperialism. In fact, imperial- tions of the Iranian working class and growing international influence unofficial working arrangementin the developing civil war in Yemen. would have an important impact in ism has lost direct influence, as the developed between the U.S. and the At the same time those amongs have chipped away at the United counterrevolution unleashed cen- the entire region, potentially offering States’ world position, the disastrous Iranian forces supporting the Iraqi the Western strategists who are more an example of mass struggle which, trifugal forces largely based upon government in its battle with ISIS. fearful of Iran are not confident this aftereffects of the invasion of Iraq nationality, tribal, or religious divi- if accompanied by socialist ideas, brought to an end the brief period It is against that background that deal does enoughto weaken Iran’s could show a way out of the poverty sions. This development, seen most behind-the-scenes efforts to achieve nuclear program. of the 1990s when the U.S. domi- clearly in the tearing apart of Libya and violence that has character- nated the world scene. This invasion a rapprochement with Iran deep- Some of the region’s Western ized the Middle East under the rule and Syria, created more misery and ened – something which the outline allies, especially the Israeli and was disastrous first and foremost instability throughout the region. It of feudalists, religious bigots, and for millions of Iraqis and secondly deal has taken to a new stage. Saudi regimes, are opposed to any capitalism. was against this background that But this tactic threatens to under- deal out of fear of losing out in a for the war’s architects. The limits the explosive advance of ISIS and to U.S. power were seen in the col- mine the Western powers’ relation- new balance of power, and in the other fundamentalist groups only ship with the rulers of Saudi Arabia Saudi case there is a further fear GOP Opposition and lapse of Bush and Cheney’s hopes added to the gloom of imperialism. of establishing a new order in the and other Gulf states, many of which that an increase in Iranian influence Obama’s Policies have supported and funded vari- will stimulate protest by their Shia Middle East by eliminating or neu- Meanwhile, the Republicans, Worries of the Old Allies ous Sunni fundamentalists. These minority. tralizing forces hostile to the U.S. with the help of Israeli premier largely autocratic, feudal rulers are In fact, the opposite happened. Not The main imperialist powers, Netanyahu, have moved to oppose in competition with Iran and fear only did the Iraq invasion destabilise sensing the weakness of many of Iran Strengthened, But the outline deal for both electoral that Iran, now playing a decisive role the entire region, it also strength- their traditional Arab allies, were in Iraq, will use the Shia populations Full of Contradictions ened Iran – in the opposite of what forced to reach out to possible new Washington intended. in countries like Bahrain and Saudi Currently, Iran’s “Supreme continued on p. 11 Québec 2015 – A Heated Spring Deirdre Grégoire, Montréal Comparing 2015 to 2012 a strong democratic structure, with elected involvement in political actions, and police leaders who are accountable to their constitu- have been admitted onto campus to enforce Though the turnout this spring is impres- ents at all times. By contrast, Comité Print- an injunction forcing a return to class. The This spring in Québec, thousands of uni- sive, it pales in the face of the 2012 student emps 2015 boasts a horizontal structure with ruling class is showing its fear of the student versity students went out on strike to protest movement - the largest student movement in no leadership: There are no specific cam- movement. In order to obtain real gains from austerity and the proposed cuts to public Canadian history. At its peak, over 300,000 paigns nor demands other than for a general them, we must work within the already exist- services. They were met with brutal reaction, students were on strike to protest proposed strike against austerity, and all decisions are ing democratic student structures in order to both from police and university authorities. tuition hikes. The strike was successful in made by unelected subcommittees with no rally the whole student population, and next This report is brought to you by Deirdre Gré- that the Parti Québécois (PQ) government accountability. This structure, and the narrow the working class. J goire, a participant in the student struggles elected in the fall cancelled the tuition hike. focus of Comité Printemps 2015 on the most and a member of Alternative Socialiste (CWI However, the PQ did not end austerity, a radicalized students, has hurt their ability to For more about the Irish struggle against - Québec). result which posed many questions to stu- reach out to the general student population to water charges, the Greek Syriza govern- dents and workers. join the movement. ment, and workers’ struggles throughout Over 35,000 students are currently on While many years of groundwork were the world, see the website of the Commit- strike, and 75,000 took to the streets on necessary to build the 2012 strike, the Repression tee for a Workers International (CWI): April 2 to protest the Liberal government’s Spring 2015 strikes were built over the austerity measures. Comité Printemps 2015 course of a few months, sometimes passing Repression from the government, the (Spring 2015 Committee), a coalition of radi- only by a few votes. The Association pour une police, and even the university administra- SocialistWorld.net cal students, is leading the current student Solidarité Syndicale Étudiante (ASSÉ), which tion to this year’s movement has been fierce: demonstrations. formed the backbone of the 2012 strike, has Ten students are facing expulsion for their socialist alternative.org • May 2015 9 Labor Movement Pressure Building for $15 at Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport

Ginger Jentzen Column 15 Now Organizer, Minneapolis

After nine months of pressure from 15 Now, the Service Employees Interna- tional Union (SEIU), and the International Us vs. Association of Machinists and Aerospace Them Workers (IAM), the Metropolitan Airports Ryan Mosgrove Commission (MAC) and Minnesota Gov- ernor Mark Dayton, who appoints the commission, are publicly debating raising Playing Ball With Big Business wages at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Inter- Georgia lawmakers are notorious for cracking down national Airport (MSP). Along with unions on people in their state who take from local resources at the airport, 15 Now is entering nego- while putting almost nothing back in. Unless you’re a tiations with the MAC with a demand for billionaire. Then it’s fine. $15 an hour for all MSP workers. In March, the Supreme Court of Georgia approved a The governor has come out publicly deal between the City of Atlanta and the Falcons foot- in support of a $10 an hour minimum ball franchise for building the Falcons’ new stadium, wage at MSP, (Pioneer Press, 03/25/15), which would give the project tax breaks on materials in an attempt to deflect workers’ exceeding millions of dollars in lost revenue and would demands for $15. MAC Chairman Dan hand over another $200 million in taxpayer money to Boivin announced public discussion on help fund the project. This must have been music to the wage issue, admitting, “There will A 15 Now demonstration on April 15 at Minneapolis-St. Paul airport. the ears of Falcons owner Arthur Blank who, according still be commissioners who will want to to Forbes, has a net worth of over $2.5 billion. Yeah, talk about higher wages … They think PrimeFlight to raise wages. The governor MSP would put substantial pressure on Georgia has a real problem with freeloaders, (ESPN. ‘15 Now’ makes more sense,” (Pioneer also appointed two rank-and-file airport large companies like Delta, United, and com, 03/16/2015). Press, 03/27/15). workers to the MAC, including the first others to set a higher wage floor gener- 15 Now initiated the demand for $15 East African and low-wage worker, Ibra- ally and to not subcontract cabin clean- Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous an hour at MSP, with the support of Delta him Mohammad. These interim victories ing and other currently low-wage jobs ramp workers organizing with the IAM, demonstrate the pressure mounting on to the lowest bidder. It is crucial for 15 According to a recent New York Post article, the followed by the SEIU local as part of its the MAC to set labor standards at MSP Now, labor unions, and airport workers city’s property tax code has overwhelmingly benefited organizing drive. In the fall, over 2,000 that are in workers’ interests. step up the fight in the weeks ahead. the rich. For instance, “One57,” the recently completed workers signed a petition for $15 an We enter into negotiations with the Any substantial raise for even a portion skyline condominium – which, as of January 2015, was hour and staged a series of demonstra- MAC and the governor’s office knowing of workers would be welcomed, but we the most expensive residence ever sold in New York tions, culminating in over 250 support- that there is broad labor support for $15 must continue to demand a $15 an hour City – paid less than $18,000 in property taxes in ers participating in a day of action last an hour by virtually all unions represent- minimum wage for all workers. 2014. That’s an effective tax rate of around 0.0017%. December. The action received massive ing workers at the airport. Some propos- A victory is possible, but it will take At the same time, while NYC’s elite are seeing a boom media attention, in part because Delta als being discussed would keep the wage a major mobilization and a firm com- in the real estate development market, working people retaliated against leading 15 Now and floor quite low, while others might leave mitment by union leaders because large are being left out in the cold. IAM organizer Kip Hedges for speaking some workers without a raise while pro- anti-union companies like Delta will use According to the Coalition for the Homeless, child out on low wages. viding one for others. But some victory their economic leverage over the MAC to homelessness hit a record high in 2015, with over The many airport demonstrations is likely soon, despite efforts by Delta, water down any rise in wages. 15 Now 25,000 children living on the street, (New York Post, have already resulted in workers win- Air Serv, and others behind the scenes to will be mobilizing to win the strongest 03/09/2015). J ning paid sick days by MSP subcontrac- minimize any wage hike. possible proposal to bring all workers up follow Ryan on Twitter @basebenzi tors, and forcing low-wage subcontractor A victory for a $15 minimum wage at to $15 an hour. J Five Reasons to Join Socialist Alternative continued from p. 8 and Walmart strikes, #BlackLivesMatter, to draw the conclusion that an alternative as the basis for a radical transformation of a fighting socialist movement. In Seattle, and big protests against the Keystone XL to the dysfunctional capitalist system is society where we could plan the economy to Kshama Sawant is up for re-election this pipeline. We believe this is just the begin- needed. A Pew Poll at the end of 2011 found meet the needs of people and the environ- year. It is by no means guaranteed that ning. Massive struggles of workers, youth, that half of young people aged 18-29 who ment, not profit. We are in solidarity with the she will win, and we need your help to people of color, women, immigrants, and answered viewed socialism more positively Committee for a Workers International fight- build an unprecedented grassroots cam- others are on the horizon. These movements than capitalism. We call for building a mass ing for a socialist world in more than 40 paign to defend her city council seat for will challenge this rotten system, and build- movement around the day to day issues, countries on every continent. working people. In other cities across the ing a strong socialist movement now will be and linking those struggles to the need to country, we will be fighting campaigns to vital to winning more historic victories. go beyond capitalism. We call for breaking raise the minimum wage to $15, while also the power of big business by taking the top 5. There has never been a better campaigning to win support for a social- 4. A socialist world is possible 500 corporations in public ownership and time to join than right now ist transformation of society. Sign up to running them democratically under workers become a member of Socialist Alternative More and more people are beginning control and management. This would serve There is a historic opportunity to rebuild today! J

10 socialist alternative.org • May 2015 Struggle 15 Now Goes to College

Keely Mullen 15 Now Northeastern 2,600 Students Get a This spring, at Northeastern Univer- sity in Boston, students and workers Raise at University of made history by being the nation’s first student body to vote for a campus-wide $15 an hour minimum wage. A coalition Washington of nine progressive student groups, led by Socialist Alternative, united under the banner “15 Now Northeastern” to put $15 an hour on the student govern- ment ballot. Whereas in previous years North- eastern’s student government strug- gled to gather the number of ballots necessary to validate the election, this year’s ballot including our $15 an hour proposal was met well before voting closed with a total of 4,564 votes – nearly 1,000 above the threshold. Reclaim UW, a coalition of UW students and workers, on April 1. When the ballot results were released Alongside a broad student and labor coalition, 15 on April 6, it was announced that 15 Now has campaigned for all University of Washington Now passed by a margin of over 76 per- 15 Now Northeastern campaigners spoke to thousands of students. workers to get $15 an hour. After demonstrations and cent. This victory is historic not only for a disruption of the UW Board of Regents meeting, the us at Northeastern, but for students, Rather than paying for workers’ raises further strengthening the unity between University announced a raise to $11 an hour for all workers, and colleges nationwide. by increasing tuition that will lead to campus workers and students. workers, impacting 70 staff and 2,600 student work- the further impoverishment of debt- Throughout the coming months, 15 ers. However, this has not satisfied workers or students, Student-Worker Solidarity ridden students, our coalition demands Now Northeastern seeks to enter into who continue their campaign for $15 an hour. J that top-paid administrators take a pay public negotiations with the school’s J J J Though our 15 Now campaign at cut so that workers’ raises come out of administration in order to implement Northeastern wants to see improve- the pockets of the University’s wealthi- the student body’s vote for $15. We ments in the material conditions of est employees. demand that, instead of creating an Spreading Campus workers at our university, this is also The University’s recent announce- opaque committee made up of stu- an effort to build student-worker soli- ment that tuition for the 2015/16 year dents and administrators, the Univer- Campaigns for $15 an Hour darity that can hold an increasingly will be increased nearly five percent sity should hold a democratically run corporate higher education system to shows the need for student-worker public hearing for the purpose of dis- 15 Now is already active on a number of campuses account. solidarity. The school also announced cussing the implementation of $15 an across the country and is preparing to launch many Both workers and students involved a meager 2.5 percent raise for North- hour. This demand for a public hear- more chapters this year. With a model in place at North- in the campaign recognize that over- eastern staff, which amounts to ing is inspired by similar demands that eastern and the victory at the University of Washington, paid university administrators and little more than $0.33 per hour. 15 have been made by 15 Now campaigns a new wave of campus living wage campaigns is in the overfunded university prestige projects Now is linking the struggle for $15 in Seattle, Portland, Minneapolis, and works. Start a chapter of 15 Now on your campus! Con- J are leaving us all swimming in debt. with the fight against tuition hikes, across the country. J tact us at www.15Now.org. Iran Socialist Alternative continued from p. 9 In Your Area For MONTGOMERY & BIRMING- For DALLAS, TX, DENVER, CO, and, for some, foreign policy reasons. They hope to exploit the remaining NATIONAL MID-ATLANTIC HAM, AL, CHARLOTTE, NC Fort Collins, CO, HOUS- INTERNATIONAL NEW YORK CITY and LOUISVILLE, KY contact TON, TX, OKLAHOMA CITY, popular hostility to Iran after U.S. diplomatic staff were held hostage for PO Box 150457 (CWI) (347) 749-1236 our national office OK, PHOENIX, AZ, and SALT 444 days in 1979-1981 and fears – especially among many Jews and Brooklyn, NY 11215 PHILADELPHIA, PA LAKE CITY, UT contact our Socialist Alternative is also in (206) 526-7185 evangelical Christians – for Israel’s future. (267) 368-4564 national office political solidarity with the [email protected] MIDWEST PITTSBURGH, PA Committee for a Workers However, the Republicans – and the Democrats who supported them – facebook.com/SocialistAlter- (412) 589-2558 CHICAGO, IL International (CWI), a world- nativeUSA PACIFIC have a big responsibility for the deepening chaos in the Middle East as a For WASHINGTON, DC, CON- (773) 771-4617 wide socialist organization www.twitter.com/SocialistAlt result of George W. Bush’s invasion of Iraq in the interests of Big Oil and NECTICUT, NEW BRUNS- MADISON, WI BELLINGHAM, WA in 47 countries, on every (608) 620-3901 (360) 510-7797 continent. Join us! trying to maintain a grip on the region. WICK, NJ, and RICHMOND, NEW ENGLAND VA contact our national MINNEAPOLIS, MN OLYMPIA, WA CANADA But Obama’s move on Iran does not represent a move toward more (612) 760-1980 (206) 579-5309 (604) 738-1653 BOSTON, MA office peaceful policies. While acknowledging the power the autocratic Iranian SPRINGFIELD, IL PORTLAND, OR contact@socialistalterna- (910) 639-3948 (217) 546-2537 (503) 916-9391 tive.ca regime has gathered, the Obama administration has approved more arms NASHUA, NH SOUTHEAST ST. LOUIS/FERGUSON, MO OAKLAND/ SAN FRANCISCO, CA www.socialistalternative.ca (603) 233-2999 sales than any U.S. administration since World War II – the majority of JOHNSON CITY, TN (952) 270-7676 (510) 220-3047 QUEBEC PORTLAND, ME (617) 721-8915 For BLOOMINGTON, IN, COLUM- SEATTLE, WA info@AlternativeSocialiste. which have gone to the Middle East and the Persian Gulf. (207) 415-8792 MOBILE, AL BUS, OH, GRAND RAPIDS, (206) 526-7185 org WORCESTER, MA Protests in the U.S. and the Western countries aiming to stop any arms (251) 300-4727 MI, MILWAUKEE, WI, and SPOKANE, WA www.AlternativeSocialiste. (617) 285-9346 NASHVILLE, TN TOPEKA, KS contact our (509) 879-7169 org exports and military interventions by the U.S. and its allies are important UMASS-AMHERST (931) 220-0427 national office TACOMA, WA acts of solidarity with working people and the poor in the Middle East (910) 639-3948 NEW ORLEANS, LA (253) 355-4211 For LOWELL, MA, NEW HAVEN, in the struggle to build a mass movement against the competing ruling (617) 676-7879 For HAWAI’I, LOS ANGELES, CA, CT and PROVIDENCE, RI SOUTHWEST TAMPA BAY, FL SAN DIEGO, CA and YAKIMA, elites and classes of the region. Only by ending their rule can the threat of contact our national office (727) 641-0252 AUSTIN, TX WA contact our national nuclear war and other armed conflicts be truly ended. J (440) 339-9793 office socialist alternative.org • May 2015 11 www.SocialistAlternative.org Price $2

Socialist AlternIssue a#13 tive- May 2015

Tom Crean Immigration Reform massive works program to create jobs, hous- working class and was then ground down by ing, social services, and free education for ferocious repression. Since then, immigrant The political establishment in Washing- all through college. On the basis of a joint “Dreamer” youth have maintained a heroic The fate of millions of undocumented ton has been deadlocked for years on the struggle for these demands, working people struggle against the unjust immigration workers for whom the threat of deportation question of “comprehensive immigration in the U.S. have no interest in maintaining laws. Workers facing deportation have gone had been lifted by President Obama’s execu- reform.” Big business supports the idea of the current position of millions of undocu- on hunger strike in ICE jails. tive order last November now rests with a granting status to immigrant workers but mented workers. In fact, the opposite is the Today, as tens of thousands of workers three-judge panel in New Orleans. Twenty- with a very long “path to citizenship” and case: Full rights for all immigrant workers and youth take to the streets calling for six Republican-led states brought the legal minimal legal rights as a way of maintaining will enormously strengthen the position of $15 and a union and to assert that Black challenge, which resulted in a right-wing the flow of cheap labor and keeping immi- the working class in its fight with the 1%. Lives Matter, there is a real opportunity to judge in Texas putting the whole program on grant workers in a third-class status. build a mass movement of working people hold in February. On the other hand, the right wants to Mass Struggle that would unite key sections of the native- From the start, we in Socialist Alterna- maintain and intensify the current regime of born working class and immigrant workers tive have said that, while Obama’s executive terror in immigrant communities and spend In 2005 and 2006, immigrant commu- around a common set of demands. Such order is an important step forward which we billions on ever-higher fences at the south- nities rose up and demanded their rights. a movement must be independent of the welcome, it does not go nearly far enough. ern border. They use the issue of immigra- Millions came onto the streets across the Democrats, who at every step loudly pro- After six years of record levels of deporta- tion, along with gun rights and abortion, to U.S. in the biggest mass demonstrations claim their sympathy with immigrants but tions on his watch, the executive order prom- whip up their base. in the country’s history. This culminated are only willing to countenance reforms ised to lift the constant terror of families With 11 million undocumented workers on May Day 2006, when hundreds of thou- acceptable to corporate America. being ripped apart for less than half of the here, the third-class status of these work- sands of immigrant workers went on strike. undocumented population. We have consis- ers only serves to divide the working class. The port of Los Angeles was shut. JJ End the threat of deportations for all tently called for lifting the threat of deporta- It forces a whole section into accepting This inspiring mass movement succeeded undocumented workers and their families tion for all those who have been forced by poverty wages, thus undermining all wages. in pushing back the attacks of the right and JJ Full rights for all immigrants economic circumstances, often the result of This can be cut across by a joint fight for pointed the way toward the revival of a fight- JJ Repeal all anti-trade union laws U.S. policies, to make their way to the United full legal rights for all undocumented work- ing mass labor movement. Unfortunately, it JJ For a mass organizing drive to bring all States. ers, an end to poverty wages for all, and a was largely isolated from the native-born low paid workers into the unions. J