BY RYAN KELLY
NEW YORK - "The Socialist Workers Party advocates that working people chart a political course independent from the Democrats and Republicans, the twin parties of war, racism, and economic depression, by using our own collective power through our unions and actions in the streets," stated Olga Rodríguez, the Socialist Workers Party's candidate for mayor of New York City, during a debate with Democratic candidate Ruth Messinger and the Republican incumbent Rudolph Giuliani. The debate, which was sponsored by the Campaign Finance Board, was televised live on New York 1 cable television and on WNYC radio.

Rodríguez, who works as a baggage handler for Northwest Airlines at Newark airport and is a member of the International Association of Machinists, explained that the working class needs a voice in the elections. She put forward a program that, if taken up by the unions, could advance the fight to unite workers and defend them from the crisis of capitalism. This includes fighting for jobs for all by demanding a shorter workweek with no cut in pay, defending and extending affirmative action, and calling for a massive public works program to put people to work at union-scale wages rebuilding the infrastructures of the cities.

In a segment of the debate where the candidates asked each other questions, Rodríguez asked Messinger if she would use her influence to demand that Democratic president William Clinton not intervene to prevent track workers from the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees (BMWE) at Amtrak from going on strike in the battle shaping up in that passenger rail line for a decent contract. Messinger said she would have to check out the situation and try to keep the two sides talking. Rodríguez then explained the socialist campaign's opposition to any government intervention to stop a strike by BMWE workers, and pledged that she and her supporters would walk the picket lines and build solidarity with the BMWE workers should they be forced to strike.

Many of Rodríguez's co-workers heard the debate on the radio or saw it on television. "Several of them mentioned the significance of seeing a worker standing up for workers on television," said Rodríguez.

The topic of police brutality was raised several times by questioners in the debate. When the socialist candidate was asked if the attention given to police brutality was an exaggeration, she responded, "No, I don't think it's exaggerated. The city cop department and other repressive forces have one aim: to defend property for the few who have it. We are for the arrest, prosecution to the fullest extent of the law, and jailing of any cop accused of police brutality." Two young co-workers of Rodríguez agreed with her assertion in the debate that "the most dangerous gang working people, Blacks, and Latinos have to deal with is the gang in blue," referring to the police.

The day following the debate phone calls poured into the campaign headquarters. Campaign volunteer Nancy Rosenstock reported that two students from New York Technical College interviewed her and another volunteer for their campus newspaper. They said they wanted to encourage other students on the campus to support Rodríguez's campaign and are trying to organize a meeting on their campus for her.

A young campaign supporter was part of the delegation to the mayoral debate after buying a subscription to the campaign newspaper, the Militant, at a debate between the candidates for New York's Public Advocate, which included Socialist Workers candidate Shoghi Fret.

Rodríguez encouraged listeners to the debate to join the demonstration outside the United Nations on October 12 to demand equal rights for all immigrants. "My campaign will be participating along with hundreds of others as we call for a world without borders and to stop the deportations for all immigrants." Some listeners to the debate responded to this call. Campaign supporter Nell Wheeler from New Jersey reported that a young woman who heard Rodríguez on television came to the protest and bought a copy of the campaign newspaper, read it, and bought a subscription.

On October 15 Rodríguez was interviewed on WLIB radio in New York. Following the talk show, she was approached by a young worker on his lunch break at a nearby pizza parlor who asked if she was Olga Rodríguez. He followed by saying, "I saw you on TV, which was wonderful." After further discussion he expressed an interest in joining the socialist candidates and supporters in walking the picket lines with workers at Amtrak, should the track workers go out on strike, and he attended a Militant Labor Forum on "The Communist Legacy of Che Guevara."  
 
 
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