Capitalism kills off workers with racism, sexism and war. We are reminded of this when we discuss the destruction going on in Yemen, Haiti or Puerto Rico. However, capitalism also kills workers without the open viciousness of war, racism or sexism. Day after day it also kills workers based on class.
This sometimes goes unnoticed. We can explain how Shantel Davis was killed by a Black cop in the name of racism. We can say that the lack of a response or fightback for any woman killed by the racist police system is a product of sexism. We can describe the deaths that are happening in Yemen, supported by U. S. money and military equipment. But sometimes it’s just the bottom line taking over and killing. The need for bigger profits ultimately leads to the death of many workers.
Track worker murdered by MTA
That’s exactly what killed 23-year-old St Clair Zaire Richards Stephens of Transit Workers Union (TWU) local 100. Profit margins killed him.
He was a track worker of the NYC subway system, run by the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) and held together by bandaids. On March 20, he fell to his death because of lousy management and a subway system where the MTA bosses place profit over safety. They make rules for the workers that produce death on the job. The bosses know what’s safe and what’s not safe but if it doesn’t make sense, they let it ride until a worker gets killed. It’s a reactionary system. Nothing changes until someone gets hurt.
Bosses blame the dead for dying
The union bosses are also in bed with this plan. One mouthpiece of the bosses, also known as the New York Post, pointed out the weight of St. Clair, as if his death was his own fault, and the union leadership pushed the same line. “He was a big worker,” said Union President Utano. No one asked about the working conditions that led to the death of St. Clair.
The management organizes stand-downs to discuss what happened when track workers die. They use these to cover up the underfunded transit system and blame the workers. At the stand-downs these bosses pushed the same line. “He was a big worker” was the phrase of the day. They also reminded all track workers that there’s a rule against leaning on the handrails. There was no mention of why wood handrails were still in use. They did nothing to stop St. Clair from falling to his death. Wood handrails were supposed to be phased out decades ago.
Subway delays
The subway delays are also the product of capitalism. The bosses don’t care how the wage slaves get to work; they better just get there. The workers pay when the rich decide it’s time for cutbacks. They will pay with fare hikes. The Governor of New York took $60 million from the MTA’s budget. That budget does more than pay the union workers. It takes cares of repairs. The riding public are second-class citizens. Many believe the workers are the reasons for the delays but the MTA bosses hide the real truth. The MTA bosses pay their loan payments to the banks before they make repairs or pay workers. The banks milk the system in the name of profit. The union leadership doesn’t point this out and this puts it’s union dues paying members on the wrong side of the ridership’s anger. The New York Daily News recently reported about the MTA bosses fudging data for over 10,000 subway delays (3/27).
Ask anyone who works for the MTA and they will explain the delays. The bosses don’t care about moving the poor working class around the city. They only react after a delay. The system has been left to rot for decades and now we are seeing the results.
Worker-rider unity needed
Basically rank and file transit workers and riding workers have to pull together and fight for any improvements in the transit system. Both suffer the effects of a capitalist profit-driven system. United the two groups could fight against the billionaire bosses and their management stooges. We should fight to improve both the working conditions and the riding conditions for the entire working class. However, like every reform the bosses will eventually push back and so we would have to organize and fight again.
We need a system run by the workers for the workers. The ultimate response to these poor conditions is communism. Only then will workers have good working conditions and be able to help improve our society while getting to their location on time.