BY JACOB GAVIN

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - In just weeks, the arrival of a few high school students to Militant Labor Forums here has led to the formation of a new Young Socialists chapter of four.

The Vancouver YS jumped into activity by initiating a class series, beginning with the Cuban revolution, the Communist Manifesto, and why the working class is a "revolutionary" force. After the class, a high school student involved in the Vancouver Cuba Friendshipment Committee, Andrea Pinochet, joined the YS.

The next day four YS members visited a picket line of Canadian Auto Workers members striking against CLS Catering, which services major airlines at Vancouver International Airport. This was the first time at a strike for three of us, and it was an eye-opening experience.

Some of the 30 picketers were young and from all over the world. A young woman from India said no one had crossed the line, and workers were prepared to stay out "as long as it takes." The strikers had already won their first victory, she explained, against "huge goons in black" hired by the company to intimidate workers.

The arrival of the YS contingent was welcomed by the strikers. We passed on a couple buttons from the Ontario Public Service Employees Union strike of 55,000, this spring, reading "No Justice, No Peace." Some strikers hadn't heard of the Ontario strike, which provided us with an opportunity to present the Militant as a working-class alternative to the mainstream press.

Vuk Gravac, a YS member and high-school student originally from Yugoslavia, met a striker named Vladimir from his homeland. They agreed on the hypocrisy of troops being there under the guise of peacekeeping. What they're really after, said Vladimir, is "a piece of the cake." He and two other strikers bought copies of the Militant, and one bought an introductory subscription.

Gravac spoke with some Fijian workers about the Cuban revolution, explaining that the workers in Cuba took power, kicked out the bosses and are now running the country. To this, one worker responded, "We should do that here, we'd probably run things better than [management] does." And when Phelps explained to some young workers about the formation of our YS branch, a Filipino worker named Felix concluded to his friends, "We should join them!"

Jacob Gavin and Jason Phelps are members of the Young Socialists in Vancouver.  
 
 
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