Vol. 79/No. 34 September 28, 2015
In addition to signing up new subscribers to the newsweekly, which presents the SWP’s views and organizes its activities, members are offering timely books on revolutionary working-class politics from Pathfinder Press at special half-price discounts as part of this political effort (see offers below).
In the first nine days, 434 people subscribed for the first time or renewed — a good start to the eight-week drive.
Members of the Los Angeles branch sold eight subscriptions participating in the annual Labor Day parade and three at a rally of Walmart workers in Pico Rivera. “We’ve also had success going door to door in the Los Angeles area and in Oxnard,” an agricultural area a couple hours away, reported Bill Arth.
“The most interesting discussion I had was with a landscaping worker originally from Mexico, who is disgusted with the U.S. elections, both the Republicans and Democrats,” said Arth. “He really liked that we’re a party, and that we call for a labor party based on the unions that can organize working people to fight in our own interests. He got a subscription to read more about the party’s work and program, and said if he’s convinced we’re who we say, he’ll want to give money.”
“One construction worker started out telling us, ‘I’m a conservative and a Trump supporter,’” wrote Dean Hazlewood from New York, describing his experiences on a team that went door to door in a couple of towns in eastern Long Island. “We showed him the paper and explained that many workers hate the so-called political correctness and condescending attitudes of Barack Obama and other Democratic Party politicians. But Donald Trump also represents the ruling class, and workers need to rely on our own power and organize independent of them. He ended up getting a subscription.”
Members and supporters of the Oakland branch of the party won 10 new readers to the Militant at the Labor Day picnic sponsored by the Alameda County Labor Council. At a booth promoting the cause of union recognition at Walmart, “one unionist after another expressed their solidarity with workers at the retail giant,” reported Joel Britton. “Many noted experiences members of their families have had working for Walmart that show the need for a union.”
Some marchers from the American Postal Workers Union, sporting T-shirts opposing moves by post office bosses to contract out services to the Staples office supplies outfit, jumped on the special book offers for subscribers. “With the help of one of their co-workers who had earlier subscribed to the Militant and who had decided he needed to read Teamster Politics by Farrell Dobbs,” said Britton, “two postal worker friends of his signed up for introductory subscriptions and got Teamster Rebellion or Teamster Politics.” Dobbs’ four-book series, which also includes Teamster Power and Teamster Bureaucracy, is a treasure chest of history and lessons from the fight to build a revolutionary union movement in the 1930s.
“Two readers renewed tonight, and three others made arrangements for us to come back later this week,” said Katy LeRougetel from the Communist League in Calgary, Alberta. “We’re going back to the doors of workers who subscribed in the spring. They’ve been reading the Militant for a few months, and many want to get some of the books on special too.”
One new reader there took advantage of the offer to get “Capitalism’s Long Hot Winter Has Begun” in New International no. 12 with his subscription because he’s trying to understand what’s behind today’s capitalist economic crisis, LeRougetel said.
Join us in this effort by contacting the party branch in your area.
Related articles:
Socialist Workers Party drive for new readers! (Chart)
‘First payments on their way’ in SWP $100,000 fund drive
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