“A lot of people decided to sign our petitions after finding out about the party’s demand for a massive public works program to create jobs at union scale and meet pressing social needs,” said Jenny Johnson-Blanchard, one of several Young Socialists that participated in the campaign. The effort was marked by the participation of young people campaigning for the socialist alternative for the first time. “I was surprised by how many young people were willing to sign for the campaign,” added Johnson-Blanchard.

One location where campaigners got a lot of friendly responses and signatures was the Como Park Zoo. Campaigners also put forward a working-class perspective at a 70th anniversary commemoration of the 1934 Teamster strikes titled “One day in July,” in downtown Minneapolis on July 24.

Campaign volunteers targeted shopping areas in St. Paul and West St. Paul in the workers district where the SWP campaign has its headquarters. Many workers had heard of Róger Calero’s fight against efforts by the U.S. government to deport him and of the battles to win a union contract at Dakota Premium Foods slaughterhouse, which Calero had been a part of.

On Saturday evening, more than 40 campaign supporters packed the Minnesota SWP campaign office and Militant Labor Forum hall in West St. Paul for a program titled “The 1934 Minneapolis Teamster Rebellion: Lessons for Workers Today.” Mario Octavio, a leader of the fight to organize United Food and Commercial Workers Local 789 at Dakota Premium Foods, spoke on the type of leadership and effort it takes to win a union organizing drive and to continue to defend the interests of workers over the course of years.

One weakness, campaigners said, was the fact they did not have a Spanish-language flyer during the weekend, even though they campaigned in areas with many Latino workers. On the first day of petitioning they also did not have the most up-to-date flyer for the SWP presidential slate. Organizers said they will use campaigning in the days ahead to overcome these shortcomings.
 
 
Related articles:
Socialist Workers close in on ballot drives in Washington, D.C., and Minnesota
SWP certified on Iowa ballot, confronts Mississippi challenge
Funds needed for socialists’ ballot efforts  
 
 
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