Join us in widely circulating this issue of the Militant and winning another 1,000 subscribers over the next two weeks! Join supporters of the paper around the world in an effort to reach the goal of 3,000 subscribers by June 7. Order a bundle. Take Militants with you wherever you go.
This is a needed response to the new spike in deaths of coal miners on the job—33 workers sacrificed at the altar of the bosses’ profit greed since the beginning of this year. A working-class answer to this is outlined in the editorial above. Circulating the article that outlines the accomplishments of the former Co-Op miners in Utah in their struggle for a union (see article in this issue) will also be a significant contribution to the discussion among coal miners and other working people on how to effectively fight the bosses’ offensive and win.
This is the time to once again organize subscription teams to the coalfields—from Appalachia to the Illinois Basin, the Western mines, and those in the South—like those Militant supporters fielded in February after the Sago Mine disaster. Now is the time to reach out to thousands of other miners as well—at copper, gold, iron, and other mines. The recent mine disaster in China and the near-fatal trapping of gold miners in Australia reported in this issue show that the same response is needed worldwide.
Because the stakes in the fight for safety on the job affect the working class as a whole, a similar outreach effort is called for in every city and region where there are Militant readers.
A couple of notes from readers indicate what’s possible. “Gerardo Sánchez and I accompanied Bill Estrada, a leader of the struggle in Utah to unionize the Co-Op mine, in visiting trade unionists and immigration rights fighters in the San Jose area,” wrote Joel Britton from San Francisco. “We were at a house meeting with six of the Voluntarios de la Comunidad (Community Volunteers), an immigrant rights organization that was one of the principal organizers of the 100,000-strong May 1 demonstration there. About a dozen people were gathering for a training session of the volunteers led by José Sandoval, an organizer of the group.
“After Bill’s presentation, Gerardo Sánchez urged the volunteers present to subscribe to the Militant. He passed out copies to everyone. Out of the dozen people there, seven subscribed and three bought copies of last week’s issue.”
“Ved Dookhun and I sold the Militant today to miners leaving and entering work at a cluster of mines in Harlan County, Kentucky, along State Route 38,” Sam Manuel, a Militant reporter in Washington, currently in the area covering recent events, said in a May 24 note. “Twenty miners bought copies of the paper. ‘I’m not union but that’s what we need in the mines,’ said one who works in a nearby Massey-run mine. Massey is a notorious nonunion outfit.
“‘Having a union would make a difference,’ said another, who works at the prep plant at the Lone Mountain mine, next to the Darby mine where five miners died last week. Another young miner suggested that we leave a bundle of the papers to sell at a Chevron station where many workers stop to get snacks and refreshments before going to work. We decided to stay for a couple of more days and sell this week’s issue.”
You can do the same. Order a bundle, if you don’t already receive one, to help convince others to subscribe (see contact information on home page). Or join other distributors nearest you in teams they organize (see directory).
On to 3,000 new subscribers by June 7!
Sincerely,
Argiris Malapanis, Editor
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