Rail Engineers Confront Bosses and Gov't Over Right to Strike

Chrysler workers strike . 3 THE Draft opponents speak out . 7 Women & budget cuts . 12 A SOCIALIST NEWSWEEKLY PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF WORKING PEOPLE VOL. 46/NO. 36 OCTOBER 1, 1982 75CENTS U.S. shares Israeli guilt for massacre in Beirut Unarmed civilians gunned down in their homes, women and children rounded up and driven away in cattle trucks, wounded patients murdered in their hospital beds - the entire world has reacted with shock and anger at the appalling images of the massacre in West Beirut. Denying "any blame whatsoever" for the massacre, the Israeli government said that those charging it with compli city in the deed were leveling "a blood libel." But the Israeli cabinet formally ap proved the entry of the rightist forces into the Palestinian refugee camps. Is raeli troops escorted the killers to the place of their crime, backed them up with tanks, and lighted their way with EDITORIAL flares. Israeli cabinet ministers knew of the murderous rampage at least 24 hours before it ended. President Reagan said he was "hor rified" by the massacre. But the Israeli invasion of Lebanon was fully supported by Washington from the very beginning. The Israeli phosphorous bombs, clust er bombs, and high explosive shells that had caused nearly 50,000 casualties in Lebanon even before the latest massacre were all made in the USA. Palestinian woman and child flee refugee camp after word spread that Phalangist terrorists were returning. Again and again, in votes at the United Nations, the U.S. and Israeli del egates stood alone in defense of the inva sion. Reagan officially welcomed the election of Phalangist leader Bashir Gemayel as president of Lebanon- the Rail engineers confront bosses terrorist president who was responsible for planning the massacre before his as sassination. and gov't over right to strike The massacre in West Beirut has stripped away the covering of lies that obscures the real role of U.S. im BY STEVE WATTENMAKER Rail traffic across the United States overcome ail these legal obstacles and perialism and its .Israeli junior partner AND TOM PONTOLILLO ground to a virtual standstill. was supposedly free to strike. in the Middle East. "You know, Reagan gives Israel the Locomotive engineers' union Presi At the bargaining table, rail industry right to go into Beirut, but he won't let dent John Systma explained that the en representatives continued to demand The slaughter of Palestinian refugees us strike," said an angry Denver rail gineers were forced out on strike by the substantial givebacks, especially in in Lebanon stems from the same funda worker as 26,000 members of the rail industry's demand for a no-strike wage rates and work rules. mental source as U.S.-backed death Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers pledge on issues that remained unresol After voting by a margin of95 percent squads in El Salvador and-Guatemala; (BLE) walked off their jobs September ved in the contract negotiations. to strike, the BLE announced June 30 U.S.-backed dictatorships in Chile, the 19. "We are striking for the right to that the engineers would begin a nation Philippines, South Korea, and other In all, the BLE struck 117 railroad strike," he said. wide walkout July 11. countries. It is of the same cloth as the lines, halting all major rail freight and The White House and Congress im The Reagan administration quickly massacres carried out by racist South passenger service across the country. mediately rushed through strike-break rode to the rescue of the railroad mag African forces in Angola, Namibia, and Only the Conrail system in the East ing legislation ordering the engineers nates. On July 10 Reagan signed an against the Black population of South and Midwest escaped the walkout. The back to work after five days on the picket Executive Order, invoking Section 10 of Africa itself. It is one in a series of sav BLE and Conrail are negotiating a sepa line. the Railway Labor Act. This provision age colonial wars, such as the U.S. inter rate agreement. Jumping in on the side of the rail com allows tlie White House to declare a vention in Indochina. At 12:01 a.m. Sunday morning, en panies, Democrats and Republicans final60-day "cooling-off' period before a Atrocities like these are the real face gineers began setting up picket lines at forced the BLE to accept the industry strike can begin. of imperialism. the gates of the sprawling Southern proposals - including the no-strike pro The measure also instructs the presi Pacific and Santa Fe rail yards in Los vision. dent to appoint an "impartial" A handful of the most powerful Angeles. · Emergency Board to hear both sides and capitalist ruling classes, headed by the As the midnight deadline passed, two Reagan to the rescue make a nonbinding recommendation. one headquartered on Wall Street, domi nate the world economy. Their corpora Amtrak trains bound for the West Coast BLE members had been working discharged their passengers in Ogden, 'Reasonable' and 'adequate' tions own the gold and diamonds of without a contract since the old one ex southern Africa, Bolivian tin, Chilean Utah. pired April 1, 1981. Engineers hadn't Not unexpectedly, the Emergency In Denver, 72 coal trains from Wyom copper, Jamaican bauxite- and Middle had a raise or a cost-of-living increase Board's proposals for ending the impasse Eastern oil. ing's Powder River Basin bound for since Jan. 1, 1981. were hardly impartial. Texas sat idle on rail sidings. Continued on Page 18 Under the federal Railway Labor Act Issued in· August, the board recom Stalled grain shipments filled rail -passed in the 1920s to limit the power mended that the BLE and United Trans MORE LEBANON COVERAGE yards in Kansas City, Des Moines, and of rail workers- rail unions are barred portation Union (UTU) accept a similar Minneapolis. wage and working condition package INSIDE: from striking until they satisfy compli See pages 8-11 for reports on By Monday morning more than cated conditions that force them to work that the railroad industry had earlier 200,000 rail commuters had to find without a contract for up to a year-and forced the rail clerks and shop craft protests in U.S. and Israel, plus another way to get to work in Chicago, a-half. unions to accept. The UTU finally ag- background articles on roots of Boston, and San Francisco. By June of this year, the BLE had Continued on Page 2 Mideast war. Socialist declares engineers will inspire others to fight The following statement was re Their sudden concern for working political party and not the so-called leased by Joe Swanson, Socialist people is touching. friends of labor in the Democratic and Workers Party candidate for gover Republican parties. But millions of workers are already nor of Nebraska. Swanson is a laid off and thousal)ds of farmers are member of United Transportation My campaign supports the formation going bankrupt. Not as a result of the Union Local305. of a labor party that would fight for the BLE strike, but as a consequence of the abolition of the Railway Labor Act, I fully support the Brotherhood of offensive by the bosses and their two which severely limits the right of rail Locomotive Engineers (BLE) in their parties -the Democrats and Republi workers to strike. fight for a just and equitable contract, cans - to squeeze even more profits The Brotherhood of Locomotive En from our labor. and their refusal to sign a no-strike gineers is the target of a union-busting pledge. They're the ones who are closing attack which is ultimately directed Their courage in standing up to the plants and laying off workers to boost against all working people. their corporate earnings. 'l:hey're the rail bosses, the Reagan administration, It's only by workers standing up and ones who broke the air traffic control and Congress is an inspiration to all saying no to concessions, no to attacks lers' strike and who called out the Na working people. on the rights of Blacks and women, no to tional Guard to help Iowa Beef Proces I believe that the right to withhold union-busting, that we can begin to de sors attack striking meat workers in one's labor is an inalienable one and fend our lives and livelihoods. Dakota City, Nebraska. that forcing people to work is no less That is why other rail workers hon than slavery. And it's a bipartisan Congress that ored the engineers picket lines. Such The government and the big-business has passed emergency legislation, under acts of solidarity by the entire labor media claim that the strike hurts other the provisions of the reactionary Rail movement can both help the engineers workers, and farmers. Plants will have way Labor Act, to force the engineers and inspire others to stand up and fight. M "'"~"'" :n~r'"" Ostrofsky to shut down, they tell us, farmers won't back to work. I pledge to use my campaign to build Joe Swanson, Socialist Workers can be able to ship their grain. Commuters These steps prove more clearly than support for the engineers in their strug didate for Governor of Nebraska. will be stranded. ever that organized labor needs its own gle for a decent contract. Rail engineers wage battle over right to strike Continued from Page 1 year pressed for an increase in line with explained, "The BN had better not fire crafts who joined the BLE on the picket reed to the proposals in mid-September. increases won in recent years by conduc anybody or we'll walk again.

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