The introduction of massive part-time work; fewer workers getting benefits; two-, three-, and four-tier pay rates for workers doing the same job; harsher work rules, and greater pressure to go along with the companies in their drive to put profits before safety - these are what USAir wants more of. Union members have a stake in supporting USAir workers who want to draw the line.
The only way the labor movement can meet these kinds of assaults is to stand together and fight the company attacks. Any other course that allows the company to divide the workforce, denying some what others still have, and locking in second-class status for the lowest seniority workers, severely weakens the ability of the unions to stand up and fight for any worker.
In France, Sweden, and much of Latin America, workers are also facing bosses pleading poverty and demanding that workers sacrifice to save their profits. But they are beginning to put up some resistance. While the outcome of these fights is not settled, it is a sure bet that fighting back makes the bosses think differently about what they try next, and it helps our side get in shape for the battles down the road that are sure to come.
On June 25 workers who have been on strike against the Caterpillar company will mark the one year anniversary of their walkout with a march through the streets of Decatur, Illinois.
The rally is co-sponsored by the United Auto Workers union, the United Paperworkers International Union at A.E. Staley, and the United Rubber Workers at Bridgestone/Firestone.
These fighters deserve the active support of the whole labor movement. Workers and youth should turn out for the march to show their solidarity for the Caterpillar strikers and the other union fighters. For workers facing company demands like the ones USAir is pushing, going to the rally can be an important step in forging links with other fighters. And it will be an important act in itself, standing up today to the bosses' attacks and saying, "Enough!"