The Militant - February 23, 2009 -- Turn bosses’ bribes against them

Vol. 73/No. 7 February 23, 2009

Turn bosses’ bribes against them
(editorial)

The bosses cut another 598,000 jobs in January—the worst monthly decline since 1974. At the same time those who do have jobs are working harder, faster, and under increasingly unsafe working conditions. Lowering real wages, intensification of our labor—the source of their profits—and attacks on our social wage, are ultimately the only “solutions” the employing class of capitalists have to their crisis driven by a worldwide contraction in production.

As they put our lives and limbs at risk they and their government often try to bribe us with bonuses—“blood money”—aimed at getting workers to shut up and not fight for higher wages, safe working conditions, and for full medical coverage for all workers.

Last week we reported that three communist workers in San Francisco started the New Year off by sending these bribes to the movement’s Capital Fund. The funds were not large—$32 altogether. Their contributions underscore that these bribes are not about the money. All such “gifts” from the bosses, however small or large, that fall outside the wages agreement come at the expense of our blood and that of our coworkers. They are aimed at tying workers into the company and pushing us away from any course of action that points to the need to fight to end the wages system.

It is an ongoing project of the bosses—day in and day out—to use both the carrot and the stick as they speed up production and threaten life and limb for the sake of profit.

In the case of these three socialist workers the bonuses were not directly connected to any fight being waged in the workplace or to blackmail by the bosses to get workers to approve concessions in a contract. Bribes usually aren’t. Often they come on holidays with the intent of convincing workers that “we” have a common interest with “our” company, “our” industry, and in the case of the government’s economic stimulus packages, “our” country.

Members of the communist movement have a proud tradition of turning blood money against the bosses, by contributing it to the Capital Fund. They immediately discuss such bribes with coworkers and encourage them by example to do the same. These contributions advance the long-term publishing program to produce the political weapons workers need to fight to take political power out the hands of the billionaire families and begin organizing society to meet the needs of millions of toilers the world over.

Related articles:
Labor Dept.: ‘official’ jobless rate at 7.6%
Bosses cut 3.6 million jobs in last 13 months
Temporary workers most affected by crisis in Japan
Atlanta socialist candidate addresses city transit cuts
Would use office to help advance workers’ fight
Capitalist crises shatter illusions about stability
Openings to win workers to communist program

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