"We are centering this petitioning drive, sales of the campaign's newspaper, the Militant, and revolutionary books and pamphlets here in East Liberty, where we are establishing political roots," Forrestal told supporters. "This weekend is a good indication that the progress we have made in the past two months is the beginning of being part of this community and its struggles. We plan to deepen our base here in East Liberty, a predominately Black and working-class area of the city, and use it to reach out to the rest of the city and the coalfields in western Pennsylvania and West Virginia as well," he said.

To drive this point home Forrestal said he and supporters would be attending a rally July 24 in Powhatan Point, Ohio, called by the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) against Robert Murray, the owner of the mine where Forrestal works. "Murray has opened a nonunion mine in Ohio and has used the wage freeze on us union miners to amass cash to start this mine in Ohio and maybe another one right next to us at Maple Creek here in western Pennsylvania," Forrestal stated. "We miners don't like what he is doing and intend to let Murray know it. Our union is rallying to put a stop to nonunion mines."

Later that evening campaign supporters and others attended the Militant Labor Forum. The theme of this event was the relationship between the rise of the fight for Black rights and deepening resistance of workers to the employers' attacks. The presentation was made by Osborne Hart, a meat packer, who is also the Socialist Workers candidate for mayor of Detroit.

Petitioners noted the friendly response they got from workers in Pittsburgh to the fact that a socialist was fighting to get on the ballot to present a working-class program in the November election. One worker said that he "would keep in touch with the campaign. I live here in the neighborhood and will be by the bookstore." One campaign supporter who couldn't participate in the petitioning over the weekend came in late Sunday, contributed $20 to the campaign, and took a petition board to get fellow auto workers to sign. "Here's my contribution and I'll be here next Saturday to petition," he said.

The campaign is organizing a forum July 28 at its headquarters to celebrate victory in the petition drive and to hear a report from Forrestal on the UMWA rally.
 

The 9th Congressional District includes parts of Boston and areas south of the city such as Brockton where 465 nurses have been on strike at the Brockton Hospital since May 25.

Satter is a participant in the ongoing effort to organize his workplace, Kayem Foods, in Chelsea, into the United Food and Commercial Workers union.

To get on the ballot, Massachusetts state law requires a candidate to collect 2,000 signatures of registered voters. Satter's campaign committee has announced that it is organizing to collect 4,300 signatures August 4–11. During the petitioning blitz campaign supporters plan to hold a rally and a reportback from the Cuba/U.S. Youth Exchange, which is currently taking place in Havana. Satter is part of the New England delegation at that conference.

Ted Leonard, is a packinghouse worker in Chelsea, Massachusetts.
 
 
Related articles:
Coal miners rally against Ohio Valley's attacks on the UMWA
Workers in South Africa take action
Back coal miners' struggle
 
 
 
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