LANDOVER, MARYLAND, June 15—“The bosses can’t profit when the workers unite, shut it down and shut it tight” rang out in front of the Transdev Metro Access site, located on Hubbard Road in suburban Maryland. Transit workers at Metro Access garages are fighting for a living wage and decent benefits as they prepare to strike. These frontline workers drove disabled workers to doctors’ appointments, emergency rooms and other essential trips during the COVID pandemic and continue to serve despite their lower wages and benefits compared to other transit workers.
Progressive Labor Party (PLP) members and friends at Metro are involved in the day to day organizing and help provide leadership to the workers. But PL’ers are also talking with drivers to think beyond the immediate contract. We are building a force to intensify the antiracist class struggle and march towards a communist revolution, a society run by workers serving other workers instead of profit-hungry bosses.
PLP believes that strikes can be turned into schools for communism, helping to build workers’ class consciousness, to help our class brothers and sisters recognize their true labor power. However, strikes on their own will never be enough to secure worker’s future as reforms are temporary. Workers must free themselves from the treadmill of reform to smash capitalism once and for all. We, the working class, have the power to build the world we want our families to live in free from racist and sexist inequality, low wages, and racist, mediocre health care. But, this world is only possible through a class conscious antiracist, antisexist, revolutionary movement for communism led by PLP.
Reformism and union sellouts derail revolutionary potential
As negotiations drag on, the workers are getting ready to step up the action. ATU 689 union workers turned out in force today to support these workers with retirees, circulator, and Metro drivers joining Metro Access workers against the Transdev bosses. These are the same bosses who fought against the striking Cinderbed transit operators for 84 days in Virginia before settling (see CHALLENGE, 12/4/2019). Circulator drivers recently showed the way with a three-day strike to get a better contract (see CHALLENGE, 4/27).
The bosses have cited “short-staffing,” caused by considerable turnover rates, to squeeze the Metro Access workers further. For over half a year, they have been forced to work grueling overtime schedules – up to 58 hours weekly – to make up for poor retention rates (atulocal689.org, 2/7). As subcontracted workers, they are grossly underpaid in comparison to workers at WMATA (Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority). Many of them, unsurprisingly, are Black and Latin.
According to strike organizers, they are seeking a 20-30 percent increase in overall wages for pay parity with other paratransit workers in the region, better healthcare plans, expanded vacation, and a seat at the table when management discusses rule and policy changes. But perhaps the most important demand is for the drivers to become part of WMATA, which would immediately give them access to better wages and benefits.
Union bosses only exist to negotiate the terms of exploitation for workers. Union bosses have sent strikers back to work with pitiful contracts billed as “victories,” and even “successful” strikes do not go farther than getting larger crumbs for workers. Under capitalism reforms workers mightily fought for are easily stripped away. Moreover, bosses need racism, sexism, unemployment, and imperialist war like living organisms need oxygen. Thus, no sweeping progressive reforms will eliminate these evils because they form the bedrock of the capitalist system.
Put class struggle on the right track towards comunism
When one worker described their lack of health insurance and oppressive unscheduled late pickups required by management,  a comrade responded, “Wow, we really need a revolution; check out our communist newspaper CHALLENGE.
The worker took the paper and we looked over the latest newsletter on negotiations together. Some retired workers eagerly took the paper to discuss the racist Buffalo murders and think about how to get younger transit workers engaged in the struggle. Only a communist world run by workers for the benefit of all can truly free workers from this violent system that routinely sacrifices human life and the environment on the altar of profits. The PLP needs all of these workers to join the broad struggle for a communist world!