BY MARK CURTIS
"From behind prison walls" is a regular column written
by framed-up political and trade union activist Mark Curtis.
To write to Curtis, send letters to him at #805338, Iowa
State Penitentiary, Box 315, Fort Madison, IA 52627.
Is affirmative action about to be killed and buried?
Should it be?
I think the answer to both questions is "no," but I've
heard different opinions from my fellow prisoners on the
matter. One young guy I spoke with was against affirmative
action. "It discriminates against whites and that's wrong,"
he said. His view was that companies shouldn't be forced to
hire anyone because of race and the jobs should go to the
most qualified. "The government should stay out of it," is
how he put it.
Another prisoner gave an excellent example from his own experience as an owner-operator truck driver of why that is not right.
As a Black driver he was familiar with companies that regularly sent him on the less profitable routes and only gave the money jobs to whites. He believes affirmative action is worth defending.
When I worked at Hayes Aircraft, a repair plant with a lot of military contracts, the boss's discriminatory practices were obvious. The easier, cleaner, safer, and higher paying jobs like inspectors, machinists, and mechanics were overwhelmingly white and male. A higher percentage of Blacks were found in tank sealing and sheet metal jobs, on the lower end of the pay scale.
But what was really striking was that in the hangar where old paint was stripped off the planes, everyone was Black. The noxious odor of the chemicals and the high heat and humidity made it the worst job in the plant.
Although Birmingham, Alabama, (the plant's location) is a mostly Black city, the big majority of Hayes workers were white.
Some progress had been made at Hayes, however, due to the effects of the civil rights movement and affirmative action. There used to be out and out segregation, and what used to be separate Black and white bathrooms are now men's and women's.
It might seem like the bosses have a special love for male white workers. In fact, they want us to think that. But it isn't true. Capitalists everywhere share a hatred and fear of workers of all colors, and of both sexes.
Capitalism nurtures racist beliefs for two reasons. Firstly, it keeps the working class divided and easier to rule. It blames certain groups of workers for unemployment and crime, which keeps the heat off their profit-making system. Secondly, it drives down the value of labor power of Black and brown-skinned workers, making them "cheaper to hire."
Scapegoating women for "stealing men's jobs" and making jobs like sewing into "women's work" divides our class and also lowers the value of labor power.
This enhanced exploitation of workers equals more profits for the ruling class. Discrimination pays.
Because it strengthens the working class overall and lessens its exploitation, anything that equalizes hiring, firing, wages, and schooling is most definitely in the best interests of white workers and male ones, too.
Affirmative action enjoys wide support and the political moves to weaken it are being made with one eye on what we will do about it. We should send them a clear message to keep their hands off what we've gained.