BY CHRIS RAYSON
SEATTLE - At a July 24 news conference, the Socialist Workers campaign submitted more than 1,200 signatures for Meg Novak for Seattle city council and Rich Stuart for Seattle Port Commission, qualifying them for the ballot. Marc Kinzel will also be on the ballot as the Socialist Workers candidate for Seattle school board.
In a statement released at the news conference, the socialist candidates highlighted the fight for "jobs for everyone." In the Seattle area tens of thousands of Boeing workers at several huge aerospace plants have been laid off, increasing the unemployment level.
The socialist campaign statement stressed, "Every worker has the right to a decent, safe, union wage-scale job," the statement said. "The central demand in our campaign is for a 30 hour workweek at 40 hours' pay."
Novak, 21, an assembly line worker at Kenworth Truck and a member of the International Association of Machinists, participated in the August 1-7 Cuba Lives International Youth Festival. The company initially denied her a leave of absence to make the trip, but reversed its position after Cuba solidarity activists, campaign supporters, and others called to protest. In all, four union members at Kenworth Truck traveled to Cuba for the festival.
After winning the leave of absence, Novak and campaign supporters distributed literature outside the plant where she works. This led to friendly discussions the next day on the job about solidarity with Cuba, jobs for all, and other campaign proposals.
Kinzel, the socialist school board candidate, declared his opposition "to any attempts to gut school desegregation."
Several members of the current school board have made various proposals to end busing for school desegregation.
"Busing is needed to counter ongoing discrimination in the city's schools," Kinzel stated. "Segregation in housing and schools is increasing as the capitalist crisis unfolds, making affirmative action measures, like busing, necessary to counter inequality and divisions among working people."