BY MEGAN ARNEY
Unionists in Los Angeles are using their experience of the recent Central Organization of Cuban Workers congress in Havana to help sell Pathfinder, the Militant and Perspectiva Mundial. After discussing Cuba and the CTC congress on the job and showing his pictures around, Mark Friedman, who is in the International Association of Machinists at Northwest Airlines, sold two Militant subscriptions, a Perspectiva Mundial subscription, two issues of the Marxist magazine New International, and a pamphlet on Panama.

"One co-worker came to a forum on the CTC congress, where he got a subscription and two New Internationals. He was a strong supporter of the Grenadian revolution while active in the oil workers union in Trinidad," Friedman added.

In Houston, members of the Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers union have sold five Pathfinder titles, one Pathfinder Readers Club membership, a Militant subscription, and two copies of the CTC theses, along with seven copies of the Militant. Much of the success has come from reportbacks from the CTC congress in Havana by workers at the Shell plant. As many as six meetings are now being organized for workers who went to Cuba in April to share their experiences.

These experiences illustrate how talking socialism with workers, engaging in political activity, and selling revolutionary literature go hand in hand. That's what the campaign to increase sales of Pathfinder books and the five-week international Militant subscription drive are all about, and it's how supporters of the socialist movement can regain momentum in these campaigns, which have fallen behind this month.

As part of the international sales campaign, a team of supporters from Christchurch, New Zealand, visited Dunedin in late May. At the University of Otago and going door-to-door near the campus, the team sold more than $100 of Pathfinder literature, including two copies of New International no. 10, with the article "Imperialism's March toward Fascism and War," three Malcolm X titles, and three titles on U.S. politics and history. Activists sold 15 copies of the Militant and two subscriptions along with Pathfinder titles.

Young Socialists in Toronto went door-to-door after their YS meeting recently to work on their chapter's goal of winning three new subscribers to the Militant. They also went to a picket line at the Jockey Club in Toronto, where the Service Employee International Union has been locked out.

In Pittsburgh, Pathfinder supporters took the books to a film showing of the documentary Struggles In Steel, A Story of African American Steelworkers. They sold $30 worth of literature and signed up two people for the Pathfinder's Readers Club, which allows members a 15 percent discount on all Pathfinder titles.

Supporters from San Francisco set up a campaign and Pathfinder literature table recently at the University of Santa Cruz. A large sign saying "Defend the Socialist Revolution in Cuba" and a display of Pathfinder books attracted many students to the table. They sold seven copies of the Militant and three subscriptions.

Three students asked if they could take an issue of the paper to look through. After 30 minutes, one young woman returned and subscribed to the Militant and signed up for more information about the world youth festival in the summer of 1997. Others were interested in the U.S.- Cuba Youth Exchange this July. The supporters also took advantage of the visit to talk to the buyer for the campus library and dropped off the new 1996 Pathfinder catalogue.

On a recent sales trip in Philadelphia, Pathfinder representatives made 30 visits to bookstores, libraries and professors. They lined up four new accounts, and project initial sales of more than 100 books. Both local and national Pathfinder reps met with professors for classroom adoption sales. "We found that this was a vastly untapped market for us. Each professor we spoke to also gave us a list of other professors to talk to," explained Sara Lobman, a Pathfinder editor who spent a week doing sales in that city.

Holly Harkness described how she sold three subscriptions in one week on the job at American Axle Manufacturing, organized by the United Auto Workers Local 235. One new subscriber had attended the demonstration protesting Washington's support of Israel's bombing of Lebanon in Washington D.C. on April 23. He liked the Militant's coverage on Lebanon.

Two other new subscribers are young black women. One was in Saudi Arabia during the Iraq war and had already bought U.S. Hands Off the Mideast! The other had seen the Militant at the Selfridge Air Force base near Detroit and also at Fort Hood in Texas. They read it, liked it, and were glad to meet someone at work who distributed the paper.

This week we welcome supporters in Sweden and two more cities in United Kingdom to the charts on monthly Pathfinder sales and subscription chart of the Militant and Perspectiva Mundial.

Supporters of Pathfinder, the Militant and Perspectiva Mundial are gearing up around the world for the target week that begins June 1. They have been calling in asking for extra subscription cards and extra bundles of both the Militant and Perspectiva Mundial. Let's use the momentum of the target week to catch up in the Pathfinder sales and the Militant and Perspectiva Mundial subscription drive campaigns!  
 
 
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