The Socialist Workers Party urges workers to fight for the government to take immediate action to protect working people. The complete March 18 statement by Alyson Kennedy, Socialist Workers Party candidate for U.S. president, is available at www.themilitant.com.
- We must demand emergency relief for the working class, farmers, small shop owners, and other exploited producers under the hammer blows of lockdowns and layoffs struck by the bosses, their government, and their Democratic and Republican parties.
- Call on the government to construct emergency hospitals, provide beds and expand the production of medical equipment and supplies — now! Increase the training of workers to treat those infected and massively expand testing for the virus — now!
- Demand that the government provide immediate jobless benefits for all workers, farmers and other exploited producers — whether or not they have “papers” the rulers demand in order to be “legal” for as long as they need it! Weekly unemployment relief that working people can depend on — not just a one-time check in the mail that falls far short of what is needed.
- The working class and unions need to fight for a government-funded public works program to put millions to work at union-scale wages — building hospitals, housing, and other facilities working people need.
- We need to demand a crash government program to greatly expand the resources to produce a coronavirus vaccine, as well as medicines to ameliorate the conditions and cure those infected. Such vital work can’t be left to profit-driven decisions and priorities by the owners of giant drug companies, nor to billion-dollar federal bonanzas for their coffers.