Vol. 79/No. 36       October 12, 2015

BY NAOMI CRAINE
The Socialist Workers Party drive to win new and renewing readers to the Militant is nearly on schedule, with 820 subscriptions sold in the first three weeks. A simultaneous eight-week effort to raise $100,000 to fund the party’s work over the coming year is also making progress, with four areas raising their quotas this week.

“The Chicago branch decided to have a ‘target week’ that will put us ahead, with a goal of selling 50 subscriptions in nine days,” said Alyson Kennedy in Chicago Sept. 29. “Yesterday we took part in a demonstration calling for the suburb of Oak Park to raise the minimum wage to $15. Tomorrow a couple of us will join the rally to support workers at ArcelorMittal in their contract fight, and then go door to door in one of the nearby rural towns in Indiana.”

Taking the Militant to labor resistance, social protests and onto workers’ doorsteps in small towns and rural areas as well as the cities is an essential part of the party’s political effort. It’s the only way to reach all sections of the working class in an undifferentiated way, around all the important questions of the day.

Last week members of the Communist League went to Farnham, a rural town an hour outside Montreal where Canadian Pacific rail has a major hub. Thomas Harding, the train engineer who faces frame-up charges in the 2013 oil train disaster in Lac-Mégantic, lives there, as do other rail workers.

“We had a really interesting discussion with a retired couple,” reports Philippe Tessier. “The man started saying Harding was responsible, because he didn’t set the handbrakes right. After discussing the working conditions imposed by the rail bosses and the support Harding has from people in Lac-Mégantic, he changed his mind. The woman was very hesitant at first about us being communists, but we explained what we are for, pointing to the example of the Cuban Revolution, and they decided to subscribe.

“We’re going back to Farnham next week to continue building the Oct. 11 demonstration for rail safety in Lac-Mégantic,” Tessier said.

The Chicago branch of the Socialist Workers Party decided to raise its goal to 175 this week to help close the gap between local quotas and the overall international goal for the subscription effort. This is an example to emulate, so we can meet the target of 2,300 by Nov. 3.
 
 
Related articles:
Party-Building Fund Week 3
Join effort to make SWP $100,000 fund goal
Socialist Workers Party drive for new readers! Help win 2,300 subscribers Sept. 5 – Nov. 3 (week 3)
 
 
 
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