The Militant (logo)  

Vol. 73/No. 46      November 30, 2009

 
‘Militant’ subscription drive
success: wins 2,008 readers
(front page)
 
BY NORTON SANDLER
AND TOM BAUMANN  
November 18—Juan, a meat packer who works below the kill floor at Dakota Premium Foods in St. Paul, Minnesota, got his subscription to the Militant today at the union meeting, reports Frank Forrestal. With that subscription on the final day of the drive, 30 workers in the plant became readers of the socialist newsweekly over the course of the eight-week subscription campaign.

Supporters of the Militant in cities around the world made an extra push to ensure that the goal of 2,000 readers was met. With the campaign short of the goal early today by seven, in the final hours 15 subscriptions were gotten for a total of 2,008.

Two teams of Militant supporters in Seattle brought home four subscriptions tonight, reports Mary Martin. "Two were sold to previous subscribers. The other two were from people in the neighborhood of our campaign hall who had told us to call back."

Discussing with potential subscribers the Militant’s special Spanish-language supplement containing the introduction to the forthcoming Pathfinder book Malcolm X, Black Liberation, and the Road to Workers Power, by Jack Barnes, national secretary of the Socialist Workers Party, has been a boost in the final week. In several areas across the United States distributors sold more than 20 subscriptions this past week.

Highlights from the final week include a report from Dave Ferguson in Atlanta where supporters of the Militant sold 20 subscriptions—14 of them in trailer parks in nearby Mableton, an area where many Mexican-born workers live.

In Philadelphia 21 subscriptions were sold over the last weekend, the big majority in working-class areas.

Emily Paul reports that 38 subscriptions were sold during the three-day Miami International Book Fair. A range of Pathfinder books were sold along with subscriptions. Pathfinder book sales totaled more than $800.

Supporters of the paper in Des Moines, Iowa, and Twin Cities, Minnesota, teamed up to sell 14 subscriptions in Worthington, Minnesota, an area where many Latino packinghouse workers live. Twin Cites supporters added another eight subscriptions going door-to-door in St. James, Minnesota. Seven subscriptions were sold to students at Iowa State University in Ames by a team from Des Moines that spent a day on campus recently.

A consistent highlight of this drive has been subscriptions sold to industrial workers. In addition to the 30 new readers of the Militant who are members of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 789, 24 workers at the American Apparel garment plant and the Farmer John meatpacking plant in Los Angeles subscribed during the drive. At the JBS Swift meatpacking plant in Marshalltown, Iowa 17 new readers have signed up to receive the paper.

'Militant' Subscription Drive: Final Results (chart)

 
 
 
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