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   Vol.66/No.2            January 14, 2002 
 
 
Letters
 
 
Glass workers' strike
I am a new Militant subscriber. In the December 17 issue I especially enjoyed Maurice Williams' article, "Striking New Jersey teachers defy court order," and Louis Turner's article, "Protesters condemn political firing in N. Carolina."

However, I would like some clarification regarding a statement in Jerry Ulman and Joel Britton's article, "Glass workers fight union-busting attacks in Indiana." The statement reads: "The hired thugs, younger Black and Latino men, glared at many of the men and women on strike, most of whom were white."

Why is an issue made of the races of the security officers vs. the race of the strikers? This statement could certainly be read in a racist sense. I certainly hope this was not the intention.

David Palmer
Chicago, Illinois

Editor's note: The statement was included in the article to draw attention to the fact that, as in a number of strikes over the past decade, the bosses try to create or deepen divisions between whites, Blacks, and Latinos to weaken the walkout. Often, after following discriminatory hiring practices to keep minorities out of a plant, a company will hire a union-busting outfit to put guards who are Black and Latino at the gates. This has been followed on several occasions by the company hiring Blacks and Latinos as replacement workers to break the strike. With these moves the companies aim to get strikers to blame someone else other than the bosses, and to block off support for the walkout from Black and Latino organizations and working people.

 
 
Clarity and focus
Please accept this $6 for a six-month prisoner subscription.

I have been faithfully passing the Militant around and many of the men here have commented on the excellence of your reporting on W's war and the decaying of the world economy. There are 20 to 25 men who read each issue!

I spend an increasing amount of time discussing the collapse of the world capitalist system. Your paper provides clarity and focus on these issues for us. We just wish there was more we could do. Keep up the good work!

Joseph Barrett
Unadilla, Georgia
 
 
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