NEW YORK CITY, May 28 — The administration of Bronx Community College fully displayed its contempt and disregard for our students by inviting Governor David Paterson to speak at graduation. In doing so, it also revealed the tremendous danger that nationalism and racism hold for the working class and the absolute necessity for their defeat, along with all other capitalist ideas, by communist revolution.

The president, a black woman, praised Paterson as the first black governor and stated that he should be welcomed because of this fact. Apparently the fact that Paterson had submitted a budget full of racist cuts that will directly affect our mostly black and Latino students wasn’t an issue for her, or the administration. In fact, Paterson has proposed cutting the tuition assistance program more than $90 million and his budget cuts will cut almost $3 million from the school’s budget alone over the next two years. Add to this the threatened cuts to free student subway passes and the attempt to lay off thousands of public school teachers and it is apparent that a boss is a boss and the governor’s “race” hasn’t stopped him from launching one racist attack after another against workers in New York. 

In the weeks leading up to commencement, a few students and professors decided that his presence was an insult to our college where students and faculty endure this rotten, racist system, yet work very hard to educate and learn. At our initial planning meeting, we struggled over whether to loudly boo or to stand silently and turn our backs to Paterson as he spoke. In deference to the graduating class, we chose the silent protest, hoping that the friends and family seated behind us would see our actions.

We spent a week leafleting and talking to people on campus about the racist budget cuts and linking them to the economic crisis caused by banks and to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. An overwhelming number of campus members were upset at the choice of speaker and were supportive of the protest. At the same time, nationalism did rear its ugly head, with some commenting that Paterson should be respected as the first black governor of New York.

At commencement it was immediately clear that our small size and general lack of militancy among students and faculty limited what we could do. Ordinarily, faculty members sit directly behind the graduating students and in front of family and friends. This year the administration, who knew of the protest, seated the faculty at the very back of the assembly. When we stood and turned around, only a few people could see, rather than hundreds and hundreds.

As Paterson rose to speak, about 20 people, consisting of mostly faculty and a few students and family members, stood and showed him our backs. Having graduating students join us would have been a powerful statement, but unfortunately none did. We will continue to work with graduates and students at the school so that when the administration makes an equally racist and anti-working-class choice for commencement speaker next year, we will be there with a bigger and stronger action to counter them.

Our task for the future is to not only convince students and teachers that we should loudly and militantly protest Paterson or his successor, but more importantly that, through communist revolution, we can remake society completely. Then there will be no politicians and their boss-masters to solve their crises on our backs. We will organize education in a way that best benefits our class. This protest helped us to advance this struggle with many of our friends and allowed us to begin it with others. J

BRONX, NY, June 3 — Over 500 mainly black and Latino custodial workers and staff at Co-op City — the largest housing development in the U.S. — were locked out of their jobs by the management company, Riverbay Corp. Hundreds of workers marched and chanted “32BJ, 32BJ [their union], we will rock you, we will rock you” as they entered the rally area today.

Riverbay Corp. wants the workers to accept a different health care package, which would save management $1.5 million yearly. The bosses claim that both health plans are just as “good.” A groundskeeper told the crowd that he has four children. One, a seven-year-old, has a heart condition. The “new” health plan has yearly caps and would not provide adequate care for his family.

Union officials from SEIU Local 32BJ gave militant speeches, but their lack of action contradicts their words. Riverbay has organized managers and brought in scabs to replace the locked-out workers. The union chiefs have told the workers not to confront the scabs who are taking their jobs. In fact, 32BJ literature distributed to the community specifically states that the dispute is between 32BJ and Riverbay and that 32BJ is not asking other workers to stop working or delivering packages and supplies.

No attempt is being made to enlist the support of the power plant workers who maintain the electricity and air conditioning for the more than 15,000 apartments in the development. One officer told the workers that since management ceased bargaining in good faith, 32BJ was filing a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). He failed to mention that it would be months before such a complaint will even be considered. The Stella D’oro workers waited eight months before they had a day in court!

When the picket lines first went up, NYC sanitation workers refused to pick up the trash, in support of the workers. But after the Health Department ruled that a health crisis was developing, they picked up the tons of garbage that had accumulated. The police and health departments are backing up the
local bosses.

The vicious racist attack made by Riverbay management is not only to erode benefits but also to break the union. Workers all over the country face similar attacks. The spirit of the workers on the line is strong, but to survive, rank-and-file workers must take over the struggle.

Communist leadership is needed. If the workers continue to play by the bosses’ rules they will lose. Enlist the support of other workers! Stop the scabs!

PL members have been on the picket lines and have made contacts. We must step up our efforts. We urge all CHALLENGE readers to send solidarity messages and come to Co-op City to show support. J

BULLETIN — As we go to press, negotiations have resumed and the workers have returned to the job. More next issue.

NEW YORK CITY, June 2 — “Fight the budget cuts” shouted high school students from all around the city as they walked out of their schools. Student PL’ers helped to organize the protests as the multi-racial group of students gathered at Union Square Park and protested.

These protests are a start to fight back against the racist budget cuts that both students and their parents face in the city. Students fighting to protect their teachers’ jobs and their needs caused the school administration to go ballistic. The true face of a boss was revealed as a Principal from a local school followed the students to Union Square and threatened to suspend them all. Some students were rounded up and are now being investigated to see who the leaders are.

It is doubtful that these walkouts could have occurred without Party leadership. This is an important struggle that students in NYC are currently engaged in, as they are using their power to shut down capitalism’s ideological factory. These protests must become schools for communism that build PLP if we are to destroy the source of these racist budget cuts. J

NEW YORK CITY, May 31 — A few thousand New Yorkers marched on Memorial Day, with only a few hours notice, to protest the violent Israeli attack on the international flotilla bringing aid to Gaza. Much larger demonstrations were held in Turkey, London, Paris, Palestine and all over the Muslim world.

Israel has occupied Gaza and the West Bank since 1967; and in 2007 total siege was laid to Gaza, a tiny strip of land housing 1.5 million Palestinians (one of the most crowded places in the world). They are surrounded by a militarized wall, deprived of adequate food, water, housing, and medical care. Unemployment is about 80%. No one can enter or leave without Israeli permission, which is usually denied, even in cases of serious medical illness.

In December, 2008 and January 2009, Israel attacked the imprisoned population with overwhelming force, killing 1,440, wounding 5,000, and leaving 50,000 homeless. Since then almost no supplies have been allowed in; some are smuggled in through tunnels under the border from Egypt, which are regularly bombed.

Last week an international convoy of vessels carrying 10,000 tons of humanitarian aid set sail for Gaza, attempting also to break the naval blockade and highlight the conditions in Gaza. Although they expected to be stopped by the Israelis, no one expected to be raided in international waters. The Israelis dropped from helicopters at night and killed at least nine activists and wounded many more. The rest were either detained or deported.

The Israeli ruling class figured they could get away with this fascist attack because no serious opposition was mounted to their 2008-2009 invasions or the wave of demolition of Palestinian homes in Jerusalem since then. The U.S., whom Israel is dependent on for survival, has not held back one penny from Israel. It gives more aid to Israel than to any other country in the world. Even the bulk of Palestinians, who live in the West Bank protested little because their leadership, the Fatah party, is committed to accommodating Israel, and suppressed all demonstrations.

The U.S. desperately wants a two-state solution, which would quiet the pro-Palestinian furor that inflames many Muslims and others against the U.S. Many Israelis oppose this idea because they want Israel to control all the land that is now the occupied territories, and for the Palestinians to disappear. This ideology is fed by the virulent racism taught to all Israelis, that Palestinians are subhuman, violent creatures who must be eradicated.

Many Palestinian activists call for Palestinian independence as their only goal. Neither a two-state nor a one-secular-state solution will improve life for the Palestinian working class. Their economy is under the domination of a small group of wealthy families, who would continue to control the country in cahoots with Israel and international capitalists. Politically, they are ruled in the West Bank by Fatah and in Gaza by Hamas, an Islamic fundamentalist group with ties to Iran. So horrific are they as rulers that last week they demolished Gazan houses for “building without a permit,” just like the Israelis do.

The majority of Palestinian workers and farmers would be no better off under the heel of these parties, except for increased freedom of movement. Israeli activists against the occupation also do not consider the structure of their own society, its ties to U.S. imperialism, and the need to build a worker-run, anti-racist, multi-ethnic society for the sake of its own workers and students.

Members of the PLP work with Palestinian, Israeli and U.S. activists to point out the need to fight for a communist society for all workers, not just for national independence or an end to the occupation. National liberation struggles have been waged around the world since the rise of imperialism. From South Africa to El Salvador, from Congo to Algeria, national liberation has not led to a better life for workers, who continue to be exploited by local bosses in partnership with international capitalists. Join us to build an international struggle for communism. Down with capitalism. Down with nationalism. J