January 22, 2001
The labor movement needs to respond to the power shortages, rate hikes, and skyrocketing fuel prices by demanding government expropriation of the power and energy companies. The anarchy of capitalism, especially in times of economic crisis, brings with it the potential for such sudden, devastating outbreaks of shortages, wild price hikes, or sudden collapses of prices or production.
There is absolutely no need for an energy crisis. There is plenty of coal. Expanding production would employ tens of thousands in mining jobs. With union power in place at every mine, coal can be taken out of the ground under safe conditions.
The crisis forced on working people by the energy monopolies will be repeated in industry after industry until workers and farmers can mount a revolutionary struggle to replace the capitalist government with one of our own.
January 23, 1976
Spain is being rocked by a massive strike wave. Touched off by the expiration of labor contracts, sharply rising prices, and growing demands for democratic rights and amnesty for all political prisoners, it has involved more than 100,000 workers in the Madrid area alone. A Reuters dispatch termed it “the biggest show of labor strength since Franco came to power 36 years ago.”
The confrontation between the Franco regime and the labor movement was brought to a head by the strike of 4,000 subway workers. The mood of the Madrid working class was shown by dozens of sympathy rallies and walkouts in solidarity with the transit workers.
Although the strikes were provoked by economic issues, many workers also demanded freedom of expression, assembly, and other democratic rights.
January 22, 1951
The White House is thinking of a negotiated peace in the Korea war. The same ruling class which served an ultimatum to the Korean people to submit to capitalist rule, also commanded the American workers to bend the knee to open shop rule.
But in the past U.S. mass production workers under the slogan “Solidarity Forever” brought the industrial tyrants to heel. Workers who know this can also understand what humbled Truman and MacArthur in Korea; the invincible power of the oppressed millions, striking for freedom, unity and independence, convinced their cause was just.
Wall Street’s wars to crush the anti-capitalist struggles of the peoples of the world are no less reactionary than their offensive against the American workers. These wars will never cease until the U.S. workers join in the worldwide fight for socialist emancipation.