STRASBOURG, FRANCE, July 7 — Exploiting the give-backs agreed to by the unions last year has spurred GM to further attack the workers at its plant here. This has sparked fierce resistance by the workers. The company claims union secretary and shop steward Roland Robert’s deafness makes him unable to perform work and wants to transfer him to a job over 800 yards away from the factory. But the independent occupational physician assigned to the plant says many jobs exist inside the plant which he could hold down.

In less than two days, 503 fellow workers signed a petition protesting GM’s attack. Yesterday evening, over 100 union reps attended a support meeting. The four trade unions at the plant jointly condemned “management’s maneuvers to isolate…Roland Robert from the shops.”

The Strasbourg GM workers are asking workers everywhere to send support messages to: CGT General Motors, 81 rue de la Rochelle, 67100 Strasbourg France.

GM’s aim is clear: to isolate a union leader, silence worker grievances and weaken the unions at a time when the company continues to envisage closing the plant. More broadly, GM is attacking union rights won through generations of struggle, but that’s the way capitalism works — the bosses, through their control of production and the state, eventually wipe out reforms won by workers’ past battles.

A continuing struggle against last year’s give-back agreement is the background for the enormous pressure on the workers to realize the company’s business plan. The company is pushing for 198 workers to take “voluntary retirement.” The 60 temporary workers in the plant are a constant reminder that nobody’s job is safe.

GM’s Strasbourg plant employs 1,040 workers who produce 270,000 gearboxes a year, half for GM and half for BMW. The average gross monthly wage is 1,800 euros (US$ 2,500).

On March 28, part of the GM workforce here struck against those working conditions and against the July 20, 2010 give-back agreement that resulted in the current wage freeze and abolition of the 35-hour week. (See CHALLENGE, Sept. 8, 2010) The strike was backed by the CGT union but opposed by the sellout CFDT trade union, which includes the majority of workers. The strike ended on March 31 with the CGT saying that “through our strike we have won…a written promise from management on an improvement in working conditions.” But that 2010 agreement on a wage freeze and ending the 35-hour week remains in force and GM’s “promises” are worthless.

GM’s attack on its workers here is one more proof that as long as bosses and their system with its drive for profits exists, workers will always be under the gun. Only a communist society run by and for the workers can end this exploitation.

CHARLOTTE, N.C., June 26 — Among the 4,000 people attending a nationwide Unitarian Universalist convention here, there was sharp debate over issues that directly affect the working class: support for an upcoming supermarket strike, scapegoating of Muslims and withdrawal from Afghanistan.

One resolution called for support for 62,000 Southern California supermarket workers, who will probably go on strike. This would be the biggest labor action in the U.S. since the last Southern California supermarket strike, in 2003 — the biggest fight-back against the notion of “shared sacrifice.” A few objections arose: that boycotts might hurt unionized workers not on strike or that not shopping in certain areas would be impossible. These arguments were countered by one speaker, saying that this detracted from viewing the action as class struggle. The vast majority of delegates voted to support the strike in a variety of ways.

One issue that caused debate was whether representative Peter King’s hearings attacking the Muslim community were related to pressure for continued war in the Middle East. Most attendees agreed racist, hate-inspired King’s assault must be stopped. However, many weren’t prepared to support the idea that the “war on terror” is in reality one of control over resources. With that clause removed, the resolution passed. But all delegates present had been exposed to contradictions in Obama’s promises for withdrawal. The issue of CHALLENGE with an editorial on the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline as well as an article about demonstrating at King’s office was sold to 99 delegates.

The resolution on ending the Afghan war was opposed by those who felt it was not of immediate concern (resolutions are categorized as “Actions of Immediate Witness”). The retort came quickly that getting out NOW gave the motion immediacy! While that resolution didn’t receive the 2/3 vote necessary, the specter of this longest war put all else in perspective.

The final plenary voted on an attempt by the trustees to eliminate all Actions of Immediate Witness completely. If it had not been defeated, the most significant debate would have been abolished, along with the chance for delegates to bring issues to the floor. Top-down forces are still at work to divert anti-racist and pro-working-class struggle from even appearing on the agenda.

Historically, there has been movement to organize caucuses into all-black and all-white groups, with emphasis given to “multicultural” ideas. This has been countered by a consciously multi-racial caucus that called lunchtime meetings to strategize our anti-racist presence.

Next year, much business as usual will be set aside when we meet in Phoenix, AZ, with the intent on making the immigration issue primary. While the sentiments of many church-goers are on the side of support to immigrants, what actions are taken on the streets of Phoenix most certainly will be led by rank-and-file members.

This is a vital point. The last act of the last plenary was a neo-fascist move by the moderator to appoint an Accountability Committee to assure that no unapproved actions take place. What makes this committee so dangerous is that two members have been appointed from the Allies for Racial Equity (the all-white group) and the Diverse Revolutionary Unitarian Universalist Multicultural Ministries (the “people of color” group), both led by racist, anti-communist misleaders. These two groups have been instrumental in fighting against multi-racial Unitarian Universalism. We have bad news for them: we will organize forces for street actions of immediate witness right there in Phoenix.

NEW YORK — The lesson of Wisconsin state workers was that instead of accepting whatever the state government gives us, we should organize mass struggle. For that, they received overwhelming workers’ support.  Here, it’s a different story.

The CSEA (Civil Service Employees Association) union sold out NY government workers in a projected agreement with the state that attacks the living standards of 66,000 workers in the operational services unit. The Governor of NY, Andrew Cuomo, congratulated the union leadership, in a communication sent in June that reads: “The union has worked very hard to get an agreement that benefits its membership in these difficult times.”

“This is sheer hypocrisy,” was the comment from one NYS worker, who asked, “how does this benefit the workers if we are not getting a raise for two years? How is this beneficial when we’d only get a 2% raise in 2015 and 2016? They don’t see the impact of the high cost of living, the increases in rents, transportation, and gas? To make matters worse they are taking more out of our pay for health insurance — giving our money to the “poor” corporations that are already sucking our blood; how is that?”

Who Benefits From Workers’ Sacrifice?

During the third week of June several state workers were fired. One of them had a salary of $32,000 a year, but in a few days another person making twice as much, $65,000 a year, replaced him, to do exactly the same job. That’s only one example of the way state bureaucracy works.

The majority of the jobs lost, though, were in the lower-wage levels, and have not been replaced, making twice as much work for those still holding a job.  The job and wage cuts are both racist and sexist, as the workers affected are black, Latino and women.

Meanwhile, at the higher levels, bureaucracy is growing, as is the case in SUNY Downstate, where a new position as president assistant (with a bloated salary) appeared overnight. There is no talk of sacrifice at that level.

The sacrifice that Obama, Cuomo and friends are talking about is the sacrifice of workers. We’re told that the crisis is everyone’s problem. But when things get better and the bosses are making money, we don’t get pay raises or better services; there is no talk of sharing the wealth.

Make the Bosses Pay For Their Crisis

The state makes billions collecting our taxes, the big shots get the most money and those of us who do all the work get paid a small portion of any company’s budget. Meanwhile, the war eats up billions of dollars. It is a lie that there is no money; the crisis is the product of the war and the bosses’ own greed for profits.  Let the bosses bear the brunt of their crisis; we shouldn’t have to pay for it.

Union Leadership Always Helps the Bosses

The union didn’t talk to us first, because the union didn’t want to fight.  Reading the small print of the proposed contract, it is clearly stated that: “The reduction of the labor force or the closing of departments will be done by the heads of departments.” The union leadership, meanwhile, pushes the lie that there won’t be any layoffs, and that’s the reason why they were forced to sign an agreement that doesn’t include a pay raise.

There was not even a small attempt to fight back. The union leadership was in a hurry to sign an agreement, and made a call to the workers to help “solve” the crisis.  They only want us to rubber-stamp what they’ve already agreed to with the bosses. The union leadership treats us like recyclable trash to be used to keep their plush salaries rolling in. The union is just there to defend the bosses’ interests — giving in and surrendering everything that we workers fought for and achieved through years of struggles and many sacrifices.

The Reality of the Working Class

We grow poorer by the day; we are carrying the burden of a capitalist system in crisis, and we’re at the end of our rope. We’re barely surviving.  We work just to pay rent, eat and support the capitalist parasites that squeeze us as hard as they can with their taxes. We are now living in a historical period dominated by inter-imperialist rivalry. U.S. bosses have needed to spend billions of dollars in their wars to profit from and control the flow of oil that their capitalist rivals in Europe, China and throughout Asia need to keep their economies going.

The U.S. capitalists’ fight to maintain their top-dog position in gathering international profits leads to the worsening of the economic and political situation worldwide: the unemployment of millions of workers who end up in the streets, and medical services not only getting worse but becoming nonexistent for millions of workers.

As workers we have the power to sweep this mafia off the face of the earth and to build our own system, A COMMUNIST SYSTEM, as the only solution. In this new system, we won’t need money because we’d work only for the things that we need, such as housing, health care, education, food and recreation. In the past, workers in the Soviet Union and China demonstrated that this can be achieved with workers’ power even though their gains have been reversed through alliances with capitalists. PLP will not repeat that mistake and will build real communism without bosses and their profits.

Health workers, teachers, students, parents, organized in Progressive Labor Party can be an incredible force. We can understand that the conditions of workers everywhere in the world are our own conditions. The growth of our working-class consciousness will enable our forces worldwide to defeat, once and for all, the abusive, blood-sucking capitalist system.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, July 27 — In preparation for a probable strike of the 62,000 Southern California grocery workers, approximately 300 mostly black, Latino and women grocery workers and supporters, rallied and marched this week. The two paths open to workers were on display: On the one hand, the NAACP and the workers’ union, the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) push strategies of compromise and concession, proven to lead to wage-cuts and attacks on pensions. PLP, on the other hand, was there with the message that this and other strikes are training grounds, where workers learn that united, we can smash capitalism and its racist exploitation.

Due to capitalist competition, Ralph’s, Albertson’s, Von’s and other chains must continually strive to maximize their profits. The result is a race to the bottom for workers as their wages and benefits are attacked. Now, after suffering through UCFW-approved wage and pension give-backs, the workers are being asked to pick up an additional $7,000 a year in health care costs! For many of these workers this cut would be a third of their annual income. Meanwhile these three stores raked in $5 billion in profits last year!

In this period of economic crisis, expanding imperialist wars and racist unemployment a potential strike of over 60,000 workers is an opportunity for our Party to join the class-struggle, mobilize our friends on the job, campus and in our mass organizations to expose the inherent exploitation of capitalism and the bankrupt tactics of the sellout unions and build the revolutionary communist PLP.

Leading up to the march, about 30 members of a local church gathered at a nearby store where they demonstrated and then marched inside, handing out letters of support to the workers. This was after Party members pushed for a resolution  at a national convention of the Universalist Church (see page 5) to support the strike nationally, pledging to hold demonstrations and walk the picket lines. A contingent of PLP members and friends from the church joined the rally and march wearing stickers “Don’t Buy Scab Food,” which was a hit for many workers.

Several angry workers gave speeches at the rally, including one young black woman worker who boldly condemned the bosses’ attacks and called on the unity of ALL workers. However, under union “leadership” these workers can’t win. These hacks even have the gall to put on their website that they have selected grocery stores where they have weekly pickets and informational leafleting with the aim to apparently win over community support. However, on three separate occasions members and friends have gone to these locations to find no picket lines or anyone handing out information.

On the one hand, it shows the lack of seriousness by the union but on the other hand it gives us the opportunity to expose the essence of union leadership as the bosses’ lackeys. With the union missing, we can pass out our literature, mobilize our base and mass organizations and take on more leadership. We have made modest efforts thus far but can do much better. We must improve our distribution of CHALLENGE and connect the struggles from workers fighting back here to workers fighting back all over the world. This will contribute to the growth of the PLP and the eventual victory of the working class