The Obama administration has rationalized its threat to punish Syria for using chemical weapons on “humanitarian” grounds (see page 2). Yet the “humanitarian” U.S. bosses — Walmart, Sears, J.C. Penney, GAP, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, among others — have reaped billions in profits from the super-exploitation and killing of garment workers in Bangladesh. The latest atrocity is the sexist, racist murder of over 800 mainly-women workers (and counting) in Dhaka in a building collapse in which threatening cracks had been discovered the day before — follows two fires which killed hundreds more when the bosses blocked exits. And it’s one and the same with the attack on workers that killed ten residents of West, Texas, where a hazard-prone fertilizer factory fire virtually destroyed the entire town.
Thousands of garment workers took to the streets in Dhaka, smashing vehicles with bamboo poles, and setting fire to at least two factories. The protests ricocheted among the city’s industrial sections as workers vented their fury, damaging more than 150 vehicles, demanding the death penalty for the owner of the Rana Plaza building, Sohel Rana, who is involved in the country’s ruling party, the Awami League.
Before the building collapsed, workers had “notified the police, government officials and a powerful garment industry group about cracks in the walls” (New York Times, 4/26) but the building was not padlocked. Supervisors beat workers back into the factory, with threats of firing. A local journalist at the scene said “local police…did not appear concerned and instead warned him not to run a story….A police supervisor…said an engineer had inspected the cracks and had found no problems.”
In a nearby industrial district protesters smashed five garment factories and clashed with the cops, as well as blocked traffic on a major highway.
Bangladesh has the lowest wages in the world. The 3.2 million garment workers earn as little as $37 a month, mostly women slaving away in 5,000 factories. For making a Nike shirt retailing for $28, workers are paid 0.08 cents. Even if wages were tripled, workers would still get less than one cent per shirt produced.
Over 3,000 workers were in the building when it collapsed. The lower floors were evacuated (including a bank branch) but those on the upper floors — which it turned out were illegally constructed — were ordered to keep working.
A workplace monitor from the University of California at Berkeley told the Times (4/26) that the prices Western companies pay “are so low that they are at the root of why these factories are cutting corners on fire safety and building safety.”
“I wouldn’t call it an accident,” said one minister. “I would say it’s murder.”
These murders will continue as long as capitalism exists, based on its constant need to expand globally to rake in maximum profits among the lowest-wage workers it can exploit. The killings in Syria and Bangladesh are the product of this bosses’ international fight. Join us Wednesday, May 15 at 5 PM as we rally in front of the Bangladeshi Consulate in New york City near Grand Central.

Nearly 160,000 workers protested the bosses’ austerity attacks in 286 May Day marches and rallies in cities across France. They also marched against the ANI — a national agreement giving the bosses extended rights to fix workers’ wages, hours, and work locations.
The main demonstrations were organized by the “class struggle” trade union confederations which which oppose the ANI. They continually steer workers into the arms of the “lesser-evil” Socialist Party. They repeatedly call for supposedly neutral government mediation in the Peugeot strike.
In Paris, Peugeot factory workers who are beginning their 16th week on strike formed one of the most militant contingents, chanting “Workers’ strength is in striking!”
Many workers in the Paris May Day march attacked the Socialist Party. Jean-Michel, 44, noted that Socialist president “Hollande said [during the presidential election campaign] ‘I want to be the enemy of finance’ but he has given the bosses 20 billion euros [in tax breaks].”
Ten thousand workers marched in Marseilles, many chanting “no, no to austerity!”
In Bordeaux, (6,000) and in Toulouse (5,700) workers blasted Hollande’s austerity attacks. In Lyons, 4,000 marched despite a heavy shower with signs reading “We won’t pay for capitalism’s crisis,” and in Rouen, 2,000 workers, led by oil workers from the bankrupt Petroplus refinery, chanted “death to austerity!”

NEWARK, NJ, April 30 — On April 9, over 1,000 students walked out of Newark’s schools to protest the bosses’ budget cuts. The action was organized by the newly formed Newark Student Union (NSU), whose courage and organization demonstrated its ability to lead masses of students.
As Newark experiences attacks on education similar to many other cities, this new voice — the NSU — is making itself heard. Consisting of high school students citywide, the NSU has not only given leadership to other students but also to everyone fighting back against the racist attacks.
PLP has always maintained that the main contradiction in education is between the ruling class and the students. That is becoming clearer as we see more cops in schools, curriculums changing to meet the Common Core Standards, increasing class sizes and cutting student services.
The ruling class hasn’t done the best job in keeping this quiet either. According to the Council on Foreign Relations, the bosses need to reform education to meet U.S. imperialism’s requirements for the 21st century.
After hearing about a $57 million budget cut this coming school year, NSU —  although only a few months old — quickly sprung into action. Their first meeting, expecting 15-30 students, had attracted over 170 from four different high schools!
Solidarity with Teachers, Unions
Last month the group held its first demonstration outside the New Jersey Performing Art Center during a Brian Lehrer (WNYC) panel on education with Newark School Superintendent Cami Anderson and Newark Mayor Cory Booker. After students listened for over an hour to Anderson and Booker justifying their dismantling of schools and the union here, they rose up in defiance and began chanting, “Newark Students, Stand Up! Fight Back!” They also showed their unity with their teachers by chanting, “Stop attacking our teachers, their unions, their tenure, and their jobs.” 
Walkout
The night before the April 9 walkout, Anderson tried to send an automatic call home to all parents telling them that their students will be suspended if they walk out. She even sent the Assistant Superintendent to one school to try to talk the students out of it. Finally, they ordered a lockdown in all schools five minutes before the walkout took place.
While in some schools students were afraid to walk out (only a dozen made it out of one school), in others, like Science High School, over 300 students walked out through the front door — right past the Assistant Superintendent!
As a result of the NSU’s courage to continue to fight, the Superintendent was forced to backtrack the next day and deny that they tried to keep students from leaving for the protest!
Organize for May Day
PLP students and teachers have participated in these actions and held a meeting to win these students to come to May Day. More than just a communist holiday, May Day gives students the opportunity to see what communism is, and that fighting to stop budget cuts is just a small battle in the much larger battle for communism.

About 250 people came out for the May Day march here. Stockton is a town of many immigrants and farm workers. By all accounts, many are undocumented. The Central Labor Council and immigrants’ rights (mis)leaders organized the march. We missed the speeches by the Mayor and other politicians. PL’ers distributed a leaflet saying, “Nothing short of equality is acceptable.” We must identify ourselves as one working class — the producers of all wealth. Therefore, we must share all that we produce with the international working-class. The only acceptable justice for immigrants and all workers cannot be anything short of a communist revolution.