April 27, 1998
The governments of Britain and Ireland, and the parties participating in the talks in Northern Ireland published an agreement at the conclusion of their negotiations on April 10. The agreement establishes a Northern Ireland assembly, to be elected by proportional representation. It states that there will be “checks and balances to ensure unionists cannot dominate nationalists as they did in the previous parliament, abolished in 1972.”
“The agreement registers a weakening of British rule,” said Pete Clifford, Communist League candidate in the May council elections in London. “It is a tribute to nationalist fighters over the last 30 years that Westminster can no longer rule in the old ways. Now is the time to stand with these fighters for self-determination and press for the withdrawal of the source of violence in Ireland: British troops.”
April 27, 1973
ATLANTA, April 15 — In a unanimous standing vote today, a meeting of more than 300 strikers vowed to continue their strike and boycott against Rich’s department stores. The strike is now going into its third week, with about 1,500 workers, mostly Blacks, participating in the walkout.
The strike is one of a series in Atlanta. All have been initiated and organized by Black workers. In addition to wage demands, an important part has been demands to end racial discrimination in hiring, firing, and promotion practices.
On April 11 Rich’s management agreed to 31 of the 37 demands presented to them, primarily dealing with racial discrimination. Rich’s refused to concede on wage demands, which would cost some of their extremely high profits. The key to winning the strike is the mass picket lines, which have cut deeply into Rich’s sales.
April 26, 1948
Enraged and vindictive, the capitalist government has framed up the United Mine Workers and John L. Lewis on trumped-up charges of criminal and civil “contempt” for their defiance of federal strikebreaking injunctions.
From start to finish, the government has appeared crudely biased in favor of the operators and malevolent in its open hostility to the miners. Spearheading the conspiracy of the government and operators is the Democratic Truman Administration.
It is up to the ranks of every union to take action. Pass resolutions in support of the miners and denouncing the government’s frame-up. Mobilize united labor mass meetings and other protests in every community. Demand that the top union leaders call a United Conference of Labor to map out an immediate action campaign in defense of the miners and to smash the Taft-Hartley Law.