Vol. 72/No. 20      May 19, 2008

“Struggles like these are putting their stamp on May Day,” Calero said. “‘Legalization now!’ is a banner that must be raised by the entire labor movement.”

Calero pointed out that the major Democratic and Republican candidates support building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, beefing up immigration police, and continuing with the factory raids. “That’s why working people need our own party, a labor party based on a fighting union movement.

There was interest in the Socialist Workers campaign all along the march. A group of students from West Adams High School gathered around Calero to talk. “We’re setting an example, not only to immigrants but to all workers,” said Calero.

“Yeah, we’re marching for all the people,” said Maria Cazares. “But the bosses do try to take advantage of immigrants.”

“Our families get in trouble for fitting a lot of people in one apartment, but we work for such low wages we have to,” added Debby Canales.

At the march Calero was interviewed by reporters from the Spanish-language television networks Telemundo and Univision, as well as the Pacifica radio station KPFK and Youth Radio. That morning he was shown on ABC Eyewitness News, saying, “We must fight to remove the threats—the threats of deportation, of the raids.”

During his visit to Los Angeles, Calero also campaigned among students at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College and at California State University, Dominguez Hills.

At Trade Tech, the socialist candidate spoke to combined classes totaling about 50 students. A wide-ranging discussion followed his talk.

“If you raise wages you’ll have runaway inflation,” argued one student.

“That’s a false argument,” Calero replied. “Prices have been going up for a long time while wages go down. We say open the books of the capitalist monopolies, who set the prices, to committees of workers for public inspection. As president, I will introduce a law mandating automatic cost-of-living raises in wages and benefits to keep up with rising prices,” he said.

“Why are you fighting for people who are here illegally when so many who are supposed to be here need help?” asked one student who is Black. She described how after losing a job she was left without health insurance.

“The fight for legalization is an integral part of improving the conditions for all workers,” Calero replied. “The bosses use people’s immigration status to drive down wages for everybody. The solution isn’t to kick people out. Instead of having a layer of workers intimidated, we need to be in a stronger position to organize unions and fight together.”

On the question of health care, he added, “Once you say they can deny health care to some, it opens the door for them to deny it to more workers. The proposals advanced by Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama and Republican John McCain would make health care even more an individual responsibility. We need government-funded health care, pensions, and unemployment benefits for the entire working class, for our entire lifetimes.”

Following the class two students subscribed to the Militant.

Michael Ortega contributed to this article.
 
 
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Unionists, students in Los Angeles march to legalize all immigrants
Socialist vice presidential candidate joins Chicago May Day demonstration
List of May Day Actions for Immigrant Rights
Socialist candidate wins support from Texas students  
 
 
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