WfJRKERS IIIIN'(JIIRIJ 2S¢ No.58 ,·afJ;~~' X·523 6 December 1974 300 ,000 Auto Layoffs in December • • • conom rum In DECEMBER I-Auto's Big Four, giant oline) generally. This has cut real industrial-financial monopolies at the wages by over 5 percent in the past heart of the American economy, will year. Profits in capital goods indus­ layoff close to 300,000 workers this tries such as steel, the most viable Government Threats in Coal Talks month. Production schedules are now "ector of the economy outside of en­ being drastically cut in light of dismal e .. :.y industries, have been artificially profit reports and continued declining exab'~;er<1.ted both by inflation and re­ sales. Although the current layoffs are cent ne'arL':ng in anticipation of the supposedly for December only it is ob­ coal strike. Tn reality orders have flat­ vious that long-term "adjustments" are tened out thL;, year, and cutbacks will UMW Ranks Resist in order. Ford Motor Company is al­ soon be required in these areas as well. ready projecting permanent job losses Since President Ford suddenly "dis­ affecting at least 31,000 workers. Since covered" he recession last month his a layoff in auto means about one and economic ldvisors ar'e now admitting one half layoffs in related sectors that it has been in process already Miller Sellout (rubber, safety glass, etc.) Ford's lat­ for ten (!) months. In announcing his est cut b a c k s will ultimately put discovery of an economic slump, Sec­ about 78,000 workers on the streets. retary of the Treasury Simons said Reduced sales and layoffs are now that it would be "V -shaped," with a spreading to other areas of the econ­ sharp upswing in mid-1975. Last week, omy including appliances, textIles and however, "some administration offi­ television manufacturing. M u n i c i pal cials" were quoted as saying that some­ and state governments are also feeling thing had happened to the sec 0 n d the pinch. New York City, for instance, leg of the "vn (Sew Yor./;? Times, 24 is planning to layoff over 1,500 muni­ November). It's apparently looking cipal workers, the largest cutback in more and more like an "L" these days, the city's history including during the even when viewed through Ford's rose­ dog days of the depression. The press colored glasses. is printing: stories of workers who de­ If things are bad here they are, if cided to ~.vorl: :=,:~ ~l:e goverrallent in anything, worse in the other ac.: 'dEced order to get (they thought) permanent industrial countries except Germany. civil service job security but are on Yashica, one of Japan's leading cam­ the street without money and ineligible era companies, has recently bee n Arnold Miller talks with Harlan County miners. ED ,STREEKY-CAl1ERA 5 for unemployment insurance. Economic forced to get rid of 41 percent of its "experts" who had earlier hoped that workforce. In the past, layoffs of per­ DECEMBER 2-The fight between the unemployment would remain below 7 manent workers had been unheard of in top leadership of the United Mine Work­ . EYEWITNESS,REPORT percent nationally are now predicting Japanese industries, where a worker ers and its ranks over a new contract that joblessness will peak at some­ belongs to a company for life. The is continuing to heat up and may boil where between 8 and 10 percent, the world crisis is cracking the founda­ over at any moment. The next fewdays The Coal Sbike in West Vioonia- highest since the 1930's depression. tions of this paternalistic labor system. will determine whether or not Arnold The recent 600 percent rise in the The diminishing opportunities for Miller, in close collaboration with the price of sugar has highlighted a tre­ "profitable" investment and shrinking government and management, will suc­ mendous rise in the retail prices of international markets have led to in­ ceed in ramming through his sellout Miners Up in basic commodities (utilities, food, gas- continued on page 11 pact. On November 26 Miller finally got "'> \ his contract past the union's bargain­ • ing council, which for 11 days had re­ Arms Over \ "'" fused to put its stamp of approval on :~ the blatantly pro-company deal. This time the UMW president was ready for Contract his reluctant district directors. After the initial package was turned BECKLEY, W. Va., December 2-The down overwhelmingly (by a vote of 37 heaviest snowfall in years has delayed to 1) on November 18, the re-opened voting by UMW miners, but it has done negotiations were conducted in an at­ nothing to dampen the widespread dis­ mosphere of secrecy and melodrama. satisfaction over the proposed contract Treasury Secretary Wi 11 i a m Simons negotiated by Mine Workers" presi­ played the hard cop, openly identified dent Arnold Miller. On Saturday a with the interests of the coal operators, horn-honking car caravan here calling while W.J, Usery (director of the Fed­ for a "no" vote highlighted the rank­ eral Mediation and Conciliation Ser­ and-file disgust. Simultaneously Miller -': ~"... Demonstrators protest layoffs at Jefferson Assembly plant. WV PHOTO vice) played the role of soft cop "friend was being hooted down by local dele­ of the workers." gates at a district-wide meeting. The council again deciSively re­ Opposition to the proposed pact cen­ jected Miller's "new" deal, by a22-to- ters around its failure to include a 11 margin at a mid-afternoon session on clause guaranteeing the right to strike November 26. Yet only a few hours over local grievances, notably health later the same body accepted the same and safety issues. The Right to Strike rotten pact. Its members were turned Committee, a regional grouping in the around not by new information, but by UMW, organized the car caravan after the threatening presence of a top gov­ a meeting last Wednesday of over 100 ernment official in union headquarters miners passed a resolution calling: Juring the deliberation&. Ostensibly " ... on all miners to !'esist eff()rL;:;, by there to help explain the terms of the union and company officials to sell us contract, "soft cop" Csery's real pur­ a bad bill of goods .. , . " puse Via:, to "explain" the terms of not A yOU:1g roof-bolter Clt 0]:(' of the ..lrCel~ling the contract;; n,.lnlE-'l~~' g<Yrern­ ;:ie-lien loeal mines oW:lecl by the huge lnE'!1t strikt::breaking. r (J1150lidation Coal C011l1)any ex.presseJ Following the collapse of OPIJosition similar sentiments. As he told WOrkers in the bargaining council a phone con­ Va/lg'wni in an interview yesterday, versation was arranged between the liMy father got killed in an accident UMW chief and I-resident Ford, in which when I was five ..•. Management don't Miller promised to "do everything I can care about a man's life-they only care to get the coal flowing again for Ameri­ about the coaL" ca." Informed about the phone call, and He added, "They're trying to break JOE CLARK Detroit: Unsold Chryslers. continued on page 4 continued on page 8 xcnane:ewit Oak Park, Illinois your struggle around the Russian ques­ ferences that we mentioned in our first Therefore we were led to believe 8 September 1974 tion. Therefore we must treat your ten­ letter. that discussions with you might be of dency with the seriousness and respect Political Bureau On the other hand, it is evident that value. In particular we would have so indicated. Spartacist League the SL does not want political discus­ been interested in hearing your evalu­ Manifestly there are many differ­ sions at all. For instance, despite the ation of the earlier fervent ex-CT Dear Comrades: ences between our two tendencies. We fact that the SL approached us first, declaration on the worth of the IS: do not Wish to prejudge these, and ap­ despite our letter of acceptance and "We see the IS as the only group ser­ We have received from Comrade proach the question of discussion with iously trying to implement a prole­ Green, your local organizer, a proposal despite correspondence since then, the you comrades with an open mind. As you tarian orientation, a question which is for formal political discussions. We ac­ "SL has not proposed even a single item undoubtedly know we have had a great for discussion-hardly a sign of wanting cept this proposal. We should make fundamental for us" (Workers' Power deal of experience in approaching other to talk politics. It has become quite No. 60, July 1972). This contrasts with clear to you that we believe that serious groups in these conditions. We have clear, both from the Robertson letter your later dismissal in the first issue political differences exist between our­ probably learned more, and certainly and from the LF transcripts, what the of TRUTH, 15 September 1974, of the selves and your organization which have ourselves been more tested, by SL does want. Its sole purpose in seek­ would make fusion very unlikely. How­ IS as having always been "Shachtman­ those experiences which demonstrated ing to "discuss" with us is to engage in ite," as "having reached its peak in the ever, we feel that a serious and prin­ a fundamental lack of compatibility be­ a crude attack on our tendency for not period of middle class protest," as cipled discussion of pOlitical differ­ tween tendencies than by those which led recognizing the SL, now and in the past, "now await[ing] only the opportunity ences would aid in the development of to harmonious fusion.