BY DENNIS RICHTER
WASHINGTON, D.C. - A recent meeting of socialist rail workers here put selling the new edition of Ernesto Che Guevara's Episodes of the Cuban Revolutionary War - 1956-58 at the heart of its campaign to oppose the imperialist war drive against workers and farmers in Yugoslavia.
Socialist Workers Party members who are active in the United Transportation Union (UTU) met to discuss how to campaign most effectively against Washington's war drive; oppose the employers' assault against workers in the United States and elsewhere; and win more workers to the communist movement. The meeting drew on the political discussions at four regional socialist educational conferences held over the New Year's weekend. Participants in those conferences discussed the stakes in organizing a political campaign to oppose the NATO war drive - a campaign that above all must be based on reaching workers on the job, at plant gates, at picket lines, and in working-class communities.
Many of the socialist UTU members had participated in such a working-class campaign against the U.S.-led slaughter in Iraq five years ago. Before, during, and after the Gulf War, they sold socialist books and newspapers to co-workers, taking the space that was open to discuss and debate the imperialist aims of Washington's war drive.
Most workers today don't realize that the U.S. rulers are driving to war against Yugoslavia, several people noted in the discussion. Many believe some version of the propaganda that the NATO operation is really a "peacekeeping" mission. A "good discussion" with a co-worker doesn't mean it will end in agreement, but will be part of an ongoing give and take.
Through discussing the question of imperialist war, some workers will be open to a broader understanding of the world, including the fact that the only road to peace for the working class is to take power out of the hands of the warmakers. The example set by working people in Cuba best shows what the working class is capable of. Episodes of the Cuban Revolutionary War explains how a political leadership of the Cuban revolutionary movement was forged that guided workers and peasants to overthrow the exploiters.
To get on a campaign footing, the socialist workers voted to take a goal of selling 80 copies of the Episodes book to other rail workers by March 15. In the course of selling the book, the socialist rail workers will also encourage their co-workers who are interested to attend the congress of the Central Organization of Cuban Workers (CTC), to be held at the end of April, in order to learn more about how working people organize themselves when they hold state power.
Workers face worldwide depression
In a report to the meeting Joe Swanson, an Amtrak worker
in the San Francisco area, noted that NATO's moves in the
Balkans are taking place in the context of worldwide
depression conditions. Working people everywhere are being
squeezed by the bosses and their governments. "The rulers in
Mexico are on a drive to privatize oil, rail, and other
industries," he cited as one example.
In the United States, both the Democratic White House and Republican Congress are using the current budget negotiations to cut deeper into social gains the working class has won, Swanson said. "Their debate is tactical," he said. "It's over how fast they can cut without a social explosion and how far they can go in their political campaign to make working people blame immigrants, `welfare cheats,' and other workers for the economic crisis."
On the railroad, workers face growing attacks on living standards and working conditions. A dozen workers have been killed in accidents on Conrail over the last 19 months, reported Doug Hord, a UTU member in Boston. Cutting the crew size and forcing newly-hired workers to take on more responsibility has contributed to an increase in injuries and deaths.
Socialist rail workers related discussions with their co- workers on the need to mobilize union power to fight against these conditions. Sarah Ullman, also from Boston, said that during a recent blizzard one of her fellow workers commented that the safety hazards they face are worse than a few years ago. "Nature hasn't changed," he said, just the bosses' demands. The latest contract proposal that will be placed before the membership of the UTU continues the pattern of concessions that has led to today's working conditions.
At the same time, there is resistance by working people that the rulers fear. Swanson pointed to the upsurge in the independence struggle in Quebec as "the most important recent event in the class struggle in North America." Another example of resistance is the fact that the United Auto Workers members who struck Caterpillar for a year and a half are now back on the job with their spirits unbroken.
Swanson noted that some workers are attracted to radical right-wing groups who make emotional appeals to resentments, envy, fear, and prejudice. These groups rail against the government, the banks, and big business. They sometimes include some form of anticapitalist demagogy. This makes it more important than ever for communist workers to make it clear what they stand for - defending the rights of Blacks, immigrants, and women; fighting against capital punishment and police brutality; supporting the socialist revolution in Cuba; and building a fighting labor movement that will be central to the struggle for a workers and farmers government.
Swanson said that some liberals and trade union officials cede ground to radical rightists and fascist figures like Patrick Buchanan. He pointed to Mark Levinson, an economist with District 37 of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees and member of the editorial board of Dissent magazine. In an opinion column printed in the January 8 New York Times, Levinson praised Buchanan's chauvinist opposition to the North American Free Trade Agreement and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. He described Buchanan as being "correct that our trade policy does little to protect workers," while he criticized the Republican presidential contender on several other questions.
Selling socialist books on the job
Activists at the meeting described some of their initial
experiences discussing the war drive with co-workers and
selling them socialist books. Dan Fein, a Southern Pacific
worker from Salt Lake City, said that after attending the
socialist educational conference in Seattle, he started
talking more with co-workers and sold a copy of New
International no. 10, featuring the article "Imperialism's
March toward Fascism and War." Fein commented, "Explaining
the war drive and why we oppose it gets you into discussions
on the most fundamental political questions."
Swanson related how talking to as many co-workers as possible can lead to real results. During the Militant subscription drive last fall, his lunch break coincided with that of a number of workers he ordinarily didn't get a chance to talk to. He used the occasion to make a presentation on the Militant to a group of workers in the break room. Three of them bought subscriptions to the paper. One worker read the paper and later asked Swanson for subscription order forms for some of his fellow unionists.
The meeting also underscored the importance of selling the Militant at the plant gates, mine portals, and rail yards. Seth Galinsky, who works for CSX in Miami, reported that a co-worker he had never met came up to him and asked if he had "that paper." The worker had bought the Militant from a team outside the rail yard a few years back and had heard Galinsky was associated with the paper.
Vanessa Knapton, a young yard conductor on the BN-Santa Fe in Los Angeles, presented a report to the meeting proposing tasks for the socialist unionists in the coming months. She stressed the importance of getting to strike picket lines and other social protest actions. "There's 30,000 janitors on strike in New York, 2,000 newspaper workers striking in Detroit, and other fights going on, even if many are modest," she said. "We should be there and bring co-workers and young fighters with us."
"It's important to take on questions like the death penalty, even though many co-workers don't agree with me," said Ray Parsons, who works on the BN-Santa Fe in Chicago. He described the debate at his workplace over the planned execution of a woman who said she wanted to die. Parsons and others at the meeting have been involved in defending Mumia Abu-Jamal and opposing the death penalty.
Million Man March
A number of the socialists had attended the Million Man
March in Washington last October, and many said some of
their co-workers had gone. Communist workers agreed that
this event, as well as discussions afterward on how to
advance the fight for Black rights, had been a big
opportunity to sell the Militant and Pathfinder books and
get into political discussions.
Over the years many rail workers have backed the fight of framed-up unionist Mark Curtis. Meeting participants celebrated Curtis's coming release on parole, and discussed making sure their co-workers know about this victory and the next stage in his fight. They also reported on success in selling dozens of copies of the pamphlet Why is Mark Curtis Still in Prison? on the job and at regional and national UTU meetings.
A Militant Labor Forum entitled "NATO's drive toward war in Yugoslavia and working-class resistance to austerity in France" was held at the local Pathfinder bookstore during the meeting. Rail workers Craig Honts and Laura Anderson from Los Angeles reported on their trip to France and their participation in the massive demonstrations against the Juppe' plan.
A fundraising pitch was given to raise money to get Pathfinder books to the Havana Book Fair in February and to support a special effort to sell Nouvelle Internationale in France. A total of $450 was raised on the spot. Participants plan to ask their co-workers for matching funds.
Dennis Richter is a member of UTU Local 1006 at Conrail in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania.