Local 164 striker Denny Wicker commented that Titan's "safety record wasn't good when we were in there, and now [as strikebreakers staff the plant] it's gone all to hell."

The Titan fire, in which one worker was killed, is far from an isolated incident. Recently workers around the United States have been killed in railroad collisions, mining accidents, and other on-the-job incidents. And when there's a disaster in the air, such as the recent EgyptAir crash that killed 217 passengers and airline workers, government officials and the media float groundless claims of terrorism, sabotage, or even suicide—anything but admit that the bosses' neglect of safety is most likely to blame.

Under the pressures of sagging profit margins and intensified competition, the capitalist exploiters worldwide are driven to try to push back the clock of history, reimposing conditions workers fought against for two centuries. More and more, workers risk life and limb as job conditions deteriorate.

Worsening job safety is a pressing moral challenge to the labor movement. The class collaborationism of the union officialdom—its complicity with the employers' attempts to foster divisions among workers ——breeds among some a cynical attitude of "I don't give a damn" about dangers on the job.

The union tops also cripple the fight for safety with their economic nationalism. They attack the importation of "unsafe" foodstuffs and decry increased truck traffic from Mexico, claiming these drivers bring danger to "American" roadways. In fact, we need look no further than the U.S. packinghouses and the U.S. trucking and rail industries for gross violations of health and safety regulations.

Working people cannot rely on government "safety" agencies. Only workers and a fighting union movement can wage a successful struggle to advance safety on the job.

In September rallies organized by the United Mine Workers of America drew thousands of retired and working coal miners and their families in a deepening fight to defend lifetime health care as the coal bosses seek to evade their responsibilities. These actions mark the beginning of a new social movement in the coalfields; they are a good example of what labor must do.  
 
 
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