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Written by Bob Witaek
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Tuesday, 03 July 2007 |
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A party in opposition to the war would have a 100% or very near solid block against the funding. That the vote split is only politics. This tactic only confuses those who refuse to take the proper step of completely dumping that pro-war institution known as the “Democratic Party.” |
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Written by Shane Jones
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Saturday, 30 June 2007 |
 After years of Bush’s open-ended war on working people at home and abroad, many on the “left” are desperate for an alternative. For many, that alternative is Barack Obama, a Democratic Senator from Illinois. Obama, who is very careful with his words and actions, has done a good job so far of portraying himself as a “sensible progressive”. However, far from being a “progressive” alternative, Obama is at his core a typical representative of the bosses’ political parties. Despite presenting himself as a candidate of “change”, Obama is a defender of capitalism and imperialism, and hence of exploitation and oppression. On all fundamentals, he is far closer to Bush than he is to being a genuine alternative for working people. |
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Written by David May
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Wednesday, 27 June 2007 |
 St. Louis area Machinists recently approved a new three-year contract with Boeing Co. by a narrow margin. The workers’ main concerns were not over salary, or even health care, but the threats posed to seniority and job security by the encroachment of new job classifications. While the Machinists were able to thwart the worst of Boeing’s proposals at the bargaining table, the Boeing bosses have gotten their foot in the door to undermine job security and the seniority system. Like the saying goes, “give them an inch and they’ll take a mile.” |
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Written by Josh Lucker
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Tuesday, 26 June 2007 |
 Ameren, which provides energy services to customers in Missouri and Illinois, has begun circulating a letter to all of their Illinois customers, warning them to expect even higher rates during the summer, along with tips on how to “tighten their belts”. Millions across the state are already outraged at the massive increase in their electric bills since the start of the year. This has led to widespread discontent among working people, as explained by Patty M., a retail worker and Ameren customer, who told Socialist Appeal: “Our bill doubled in one month, but my income didn’t double.” The deregulation policies in the utilities sector can only be described as a direct attack on working people. |
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Written by Socialist Appeal
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Tuesday, 26 June 2007 |
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All of the above is having a profound effect on the consciousness of the U.S. working class, and by extension, on the political situation in the country. Discontent is mounting and there is tremendous potential for working people to express their aspirations politically. However, there is as of yet no genuine mass political alternative for American workers. Both the Republicans and the Democrats are parties of the capitalist class, and no matter which party is in power, defending the capitalists’ interests will be their top priority. In the 2008 Presidential elections, we will once again be faced with a “lesser evil” campaign between two representatives of the ruling class. |
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Written by Socialist Appeal
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Friday, 22 June 2007 |
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 The Workers International League enthusiastically endorses ANSWER's May 31 call for a peaceful, legal, united front antiwar demonstration. The basic unifying slogan "End the War Now!" can effectively mobilize the millions of workers and youth who want the war ended immediately. Ultimately, the only real solution to the problem of war lies in the overthrow of the capitalist system through the conscious action of the organized working class. In other words, to end war, we must end capitalism. Also available as a downloadable PDF. Make copies and get involved in building for this historic demo. For more information, please contact us.
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Written by Mark Vorpahl
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Wednesday, 20 June 2007 |
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On the morning of June 12, at a Del Monte food processing plant in North Portland, Oregon, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) sent in 160 agents in an over-the-top display of force against the plant's mostly immigrant workers. 167 of these workers were rounded up like animals and now face deportation in the largest raid that anyone can remember in Oregon's recent history. ICE agents also went into apartment complexes and at least one high school in search of more victims. Their actions were so egregious that even Portland Mayor Tom Potter was compelled to condemn them. |
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Written by Socialist Appeal
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Tuesday, 19 June 2007 |
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Last spring, millions of immigrant workers, their families, and allies took to the streets of the U.S. in a spontaneous movement against the draconian anti-immigrant measures being proposed in the form of the Sensenbrenner Bill (HR4437). But this was only the spark that lit up the inflammable material that had accumulated for decades. Some 12 to 14 million undocumented immigrants, a majority of them from Mexico and Central America, live in the shadows of U.S. society, doing back-breaking and dangerous work for low wages, under poor conditions, with few rights. HR4437 was simply the last “last straw” after decades of indignities, and the pent up frustrations exploded to the surface. Hundreds of ad hoc committees were organized in factories, schools, and workplaces to plan for May Day 2006 - which was almost certainly the largest national strike / boycott in the history of the U.S. The movement was inevitably heterogeneous at first, with “immigrants” of from all layers of society participating in its early days. Business owners and factory workers marched together in the “spring time” of the movement; there was a carnival atmosphere as millions of oppressed workers felt the strength of their unity for the first time. Latino radio stations and business owners jumped on board, pushing the movement forward. But the seeds for the future division of the movement along class lines were present from the beginning, and have intensified in the months since May Day 2006. Because at root, this was not a movement of “immigrants” – it was a movement of immigrant workers, and the slogans and banners reflected this: “We are workers not criminals!” “You accept our labor, now accept us!” |
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Written by Timothy Kaminski
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Tuesday, 19 June 2007 |
 The UAW will confront Detroit auto makers at the bargaining table in July for a new national contract. In what will prove to be one of the UAW’s biggest challenges since the union’s birth, this contract will bear the imprint of the wholesale restructuring of the American auto industry. When Cerberus Capital Management paid $7.4 billion to take control of Chrysler on May 13, 2007, the challenge to the Union was official: “Are you ready to negotiate with a private equity firm which specializes in gutting troubled companies?” The UAW’s position on Chrysler will undoubtedly influence negotiations with General Motors and Ford. Cerberus wants to cut costs to make money off its investment. Contract talks open up a golden opportunity for the bosses to cut costs at the expense of the workers on the assembly lines. Cutting benefits which previous generations sacrificed, fought for and in some instances, died for, is what is at risk for auto workers in 2007. |
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Written by Socialist Appeal
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Saturday, 16 June 2007 |
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Compared with most of the world, American workers enjoyed higher standards of living for several decades, due largely to the fierce union struggles of the past. Although there has always been a vast sub-stratum of the class, working in minimum wage, non-union jobs under poor conditions, for a significant sector, it seemed that things weren’t so bad under capitalism after all.
However, with population growth and the emergence of new markets such as China, India, and Eastern Europe, where rock-bottom wages and poor conditions prevail, the capitalist class is forcing U.S. workers to compete for increasingly low wages, benefits and deteriorating conditions. The IMF recently reported that the “effective global labor force” has risen fourfold over the past two decades. This has served to push down wages in the advanced industrialized countries, particularly among unskilled workers. Some analysts predict that the mass layoffs and “offshoring” of the past period are just the beginning - as many as 30 to 40 million more jobs could be lost in the coming years.
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