Vol. 76/No. 8      February 27, 2012

On March 10 the Socialist Workers Party is sponsoring a national public meeting. (See article and ad on front page.) The meeting provides an opportunity for Militant readers to join others fighting against the bosses’ lockouts and other assaults.

The Militant has extended its renewal drive one week through March 18. This allows distributors to come out of the March 10 meeting with a final effort to exceed the 500 goal and be poised for an ambitious spring subscription drive.

“I appreciate not only the Militant’s coverage of local issues, but national and international events as well,” said Brandon Woodward, from Longview, Wash., who is finishing his apprenticeship with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union. He renewed his subscription for six months.

Longview was the site of a six-month-long victorious battle by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union against EGT Development’s attempt to shut out the ILWU from its terminal.

Woodward also got a copy of Teamster Rebellion and asked the socialist workers to come back so he can get a copy of The Changing Face of U.S. Politics by Jack Barnes. Both books are among five on special with a subscription. (See ad below.)

Members of the Socialist Workers Party in Seattle sold five renewals and one introductory subscription during this trip to Longview. This included one renewal and a copy of Malcolm X, Black Liberation, and the Road to Workers Power. The book by Jack Barnes is among those on special sale.

“We have picked up 14 renewals so far,” said Frank Forrestal from Minneapolis. “This past weekend we got three renewals and one introductory subscription in the Red River Valley,” where 1,300 sugar beet workers have been fighting for months against a union-busting lockout by American Crystal Sugar.

One of the renewals was sold to Scott Cook, a plumber from Hillsboro, N.D. “I love the paper,” he said. “Not just because of the way it writes about the lockout, but also the other labor struggles around the country and the world.” A Mexican farm worker in Hillsboro also renewed his subscription and introduced the socialist workers to his cousin, who got an introductory subscription.

“We went to the Steelworkers food drive in Findlay, Ohio,” writes Laura Anderson, an SWP member in Chicago, to express solidarity with locked-out Cooper Tire workers there and discuss the importance of the Militant for those in struggle today. “We sold 14 subscriptions,” she added, “including four renewals among locked-out workers and three new long-term subs to United Steelworkers members from all over Ohio who brought food and donations.”

On Jan. 28-29, members of the Communist League in New Zealand visited two meat workers locked out by CMP Rangitikei last year who had subscribed to the paper, said Felicity Coggan from Auckland. Workers returned to work having pushed back some of the company’s demands.

“I like the Militant,” said Pene Wiari, “because it is pro-workers rights. It keeps the real issues in the limelight and helps people be informed and unafraid.”

“The two other CMP workers we met also renewed,” said Coggan.

Two members of the Communist League went from Montreal to London, Ontario, last weekend where they talked with workers fighting to get full severance pay after the closure of Caterpillar’s Electro-Motive Diesel plant there. In the course of the visit, they sold seven subscriptions, including five to Electro-Motive workers.

“When I was in the picket line trailer talking to a worker,” said John Steele, “another came by and asked, ‘Are you signing up people to that paper? I want to sign up too.’”

“During the weekend,” continued Steele, “discussions ranged from the victory won by the longshoremen, to workers struggles in Egypt, to the developing economic crisis, to why capitalism offers no future for working people.”

Keep sending reports, quotes and experiences on the renewal effort in your area by Tuesday, 8:00 a.m., EST. And if you would like to let us know what you think of the paper as a new or recently renewed subscriber, drop a note to themilitant@mac.com.
 
 
Related articles:
‘Militant’ Renewal Drive Feb. 11 – March 18 (chart)  
 
 
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