Recent political developments shaking world politics have stirred discussions among workers about a road forward, from the advances made by Israel in dealing blows to Hamas, Hezbollah and the rulers in Tehran; the fall of the Bashar al-Assad tyranny in Syria; the weakening of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime as Ukrainians continue to defend their sovereignty; to a deepening economic and political crisis in Europe.
“Get the Militant today? Read about the fall of the dictatorship in Syria,” Joel Britton said to workers driving out of the Ghirardelli Chocolate Co. in San Leandro, California, Dec. 18. Britton and another member of the Socialist Workers Party were discussing this question with members of Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers Local 125, who were driving in and out at shift change.
“In the few seconds I had with each worker,” Britton said, “I pointed to the front-page photo in the Dec. 23 issue and said, ‘Look at the massive numbers of working people celebrating the downfall of Assad.’”
One worker “gave us $5 for a single copy and another gave $4,” Britton said, noting that sales at the shift change have taken place for several years. “Several others had their dollar bills or a handful of coins ready. A dozen production workers and a truck driver got the paper, which also had news on solidarity the BCTGM strike at Milk-Bone in Buffalo, New York, was winning.”
SWP members going door to door in Euless, Texas, Dec. 29 met truck driver Victor Torres. When Alyson Kennedy pointed to the photo on the front page of the Militant of the massive outpouring of working people in Syria, Torres said, “I saw this on the news.” Kennedy explained that when Israel defeated Hezbollah and Hamas, whose goal was to kill or to drive all the Jews out of the Middle East, this opened the door to the overthrow of the brutal dictatorship of the Assad regime.
“There are a lot of changes taking place here too, we see more strikes in the U.S.,” she said, pointing to the recent strike victories at Milk-Bone’s plant in Buffalo and by UNITE HERE Local 2 hotel workers in San Francisco.
Immigrants blamed
“I don’t like either the Democrats or the Republicans,” Torres said. “Everything is going up except our salaries. They don’t do anything about this and they are always trying to blame the immigrants for these problems.” Torres was born in Laredo, Texas, and his parents were from Mexico.
“The SWP supports fighting for amnesty for any worker who lives and works in the United States,” Gerardo Sánchez told him. “The problems we face are caused by capitalism, not immigrants.”
“They keep immigrants illegal so they won’t fight for their rights,” Torres said. He described how area truck drivers “have a website — Truckers of Dallas — where we post videos and information that can help truckers with Department of Transportation citations and other problems we face.”
He bought a Militant subscription and a copy of The Low Point of Labor Resistance Is Behind Us: The Socialist Workers Party Looks Forward.
Many workers come to see the Militant as essential for presenting a working-class road forward. Susan LaMont and Markie Wilson, SWP members in Atlanta, visited Jesse Cable, a retired pressman and longtime reader of the Militant Dec. 28. They brought him a copy he had preordered of the new edition of Cosmetics, Fashion, and the Exploitation of Women.
“It’s not easy to understand what’s happening in the Mideast now,” Cable said. “If you look online, there’s constant stories posted, but there’s not a single word about the working class in the Middle East or anywhere else,” he said. “That’s why the Militant’s coverage is so different.”
To join in efforts to expand the reach of the Militant, contact the SWP branch nearest you.