Month: December 2020

Fight for socialism. We have nothing to lose but our chains.

Workers Voice wishes you and your loved ones health and happiness in 2021. Yet, we carry heavy hearts into the new year as we continue to witness millions here and around the world plunged into unnecessary death from COVID-19 and other diseases. Millions more have sunk into poverty, hunger, and starvation caused by capitalism, imperialist war, and planet destruction.

In the face of these challenges, let us resolve to achieve greater unity among socialists, progressives, unions, and community activists and make 2021 a year we fully devote to reaching the workers and oppressed in all communities.

Around the world, this is happening. Take heart from the uprisings breaking out across the world. Take heart from the millions in India who are rising up against their own version of Trump, Prime Minister Modi, a racist nationalist and COVID-19 denier. In the biggest general strikes in human history, peasants, workers, and youth of all genders and nationalities are united against a common enemy. This is not an accident but a testament to years of work led by socialist forces. It is also the unfolding of world history, the story of the indomitable spirit, sacrifice, and struggle of the oppressed.

This will happen here too but not if we’re shackled to the idea that the Democratic Party is our salvation. We must mount a mass independent struggle for our survival rights, for equality, to defeat fascism and save the planet. We must break with any forces that support imperialist domination, deny self-determination and sovereignty, murder the masses through sanctions, and threaten millions with imperialist war.

NO WAR, NO INVASIONS, NO SANCTIONS
U.S. OUT OF THE MIDDLE EAST, AFRICA, ASIA, AND LATIN AMERICA

Capitalism is on the decline, but in its death throes, even more nuclear weapons are being built. While millions starve, U.S. capitalists are looting the treasury to feed their addiction to war profiteering and financial gambling. We must organize to prevent war against Iran, China, Russia, and other nations in the crosshairs of U.S. imperialists. We must say no to invasions, sanctions, and space war. We must demand the closure of the 800 military worldwide.

The stakes are high. For nine months the Democratic Party has politely negotiated over relief, posturing for elections but has never raised a real fight for the people. Trump is a white supremacist who is clearly fundraising and organizing fascist elements. We the people can turn the tide, but to do so, we must foster class consciousness and independent struggle among the working class and oppressed. This means parting with the two parties of the Pentagon and Wall Street: the Democratic Party and the Republican Party.

The “relief” bill that just passed is an $2.3 trillion omnibus bill that mainly gives money and support to war profiteers to promote regime change, Israel, and space war. Clearly, the two capitalist parties only differ in the means by which they seek to rescue and continue war profiteering and exploitation.

Both capitalist parties have conspired to hide the fact that, throughout the crisis, the Federal Reserve Bank has handed out trillions to the banks each week. They have authorized the unlimited purchase of private bonds, reaping untold dividends for ultra-wealthy shareholders. That money alone could have guaranteed $600/week to everyone, including migrants and incarcerated people, and paid off credit card and student loan debts.

Our movement needs to fund the independent struggle of workers, not the Democratic Party, build united fronts, and organize rank and file in the unions to push them into mass action. Only the united power of the workers and the oppressed can stop fascism, imperialist war, white supremacy, gender oppression, and planet destruction. Onward to the mass struggle for the needs of the people!

Click the image to download the paper as PDF.

By Joseph Coco, Louisiana Movement for Workers Councils

People over profits, the people of Louisiana are NO exception to this rule! 

Louisiana has many wonderful components that add to its charm. Food, language, and culture that are informed and maintained by the diverse set of peoples within our region. Louisiana is also home to many types of inclement weather, ranging from hurricanes, flooding, and tornadoes. It is through the navigation of these disasters that we as a people continue to live and create ourselves. Many of us do this as members of the working class who, without us, the magic of our state wouldn’t exist . We know that as working-class people we always have to be looking out for each other, as oftentimes no one else is coming to our protection. 

So, what do you do when a new type of disaster rears its ugly head? One that has destabilized not only our economy, but has rained down death upon our communities and ways of life? A disaster that has allowed our leaders in government to use and abuse our budget as they see fit, handing out millions of dollars to companies and never to the people who not only make our state great, but who have suffered deeply from the economic fallout of this pandemic.

What do we do in the face of Coronavirus, and hard times?

We organize! We choose not to abandon the bonds that keep us strong as a community, since community is oftentimes all we have. The Louisiana Movement for Workers Councils is a manifestation of the resilience we have always shown in the face of adversity. By joining a worker’s council, you are taking the power back into your hands, choosing to advocate for the betterment of not only yourself but YOUR community as well!

Beef Prices Up 25%,
Potatoes Up 13%,
Eggs Up 12%
— Roll ‘Em Back!

Rich politicians in Baton Rouge are passing tax cuts for profitable companies and Congress is allowing the Federal Reserve bank to give TRILLIONs of dollars to banks and giant industries. While nearly 50% of children and seniors lack sufficient food, Wall Street is cheering record profits.

United Nations Says There is Enough Food for the World, We Must Put People Before Profit

Farmworkers, truck drivers, meat packers and grocery clerks labor produce enough food for everyone. The problem is that food is produced for profit, not need and we lack income or a living wage. Around the world 280 million people are on the verge of dying from starvation.

We deserve better! Food is a right, organize to fight for it!

On November 23 New Mexico lawmakers passed a coronavirus relief bill that will deliver a one-time $1,200 check to all workers who had previously qualified for unemployment benefits through state or federal pandemic programs. The bill also provides smaller stimulus checks to undocumented immigrants and dependents, as well as additional funds for food banks, virus testing and contact tracing efforts. Much of the money came from $319 million in unspent federal relief funds.

Workers in Louisiana should demand that money designated for pandemic relief actually go towards bailing out the people. The LA government got $1.8 billion in federal funds as part of the CARES act. The state could easily give emergency aid to workers—including all of our undocumented siblings. We just need to fight for it.

The U.S. wants to overthrow the Chinese government and take over the country. It wants to force China to bow to U.S. corporations. Trump’s racist lies have led to a surge in anti-Asian hate crimes in the U.S. We have more in common with workers in China than racist U.S. bosses and politicians who want to destroy workers here and around the world for profit. Money for war is money that could be used to take care of our needs for housing, food, and healthcare during a global pandemic. We cannot buy into hateful racist lies to distract workers from the fact that the U.S. government is letting 40 million go unemployed, while 30 million face eviction. A war with China would only mean misery and death to the people of both countries—and all for the enrichment of a few billionaires. Say no to U.S. war on China!

On November 26, the people of India carried out the largest organized strike in human history. Over 250 million people participated in the nationwide strike, organized by a coalition of workers and farmers including trade unions, women’s rights groups, and students. Workers are fighting back against the repressive right-wing Modi government, demanding an end to anti-worker, anti-farmer policies, higher wages, food for families, pensions, and an end to privatization in the public sector. The police used batons, teargas, and water cannons on protesters, but the people did not stop. They held sit-ins and marches, shutting down entire transport routes and cities. The US government is carrying out the same anti-worker policies here. Trump has frozen farmworkers’ wages and millions of workers are suffering without food, housing, healthcare, or safe jobs. We should look to the example of our brothers and sisters in India and take to the streets. We will only win our rights through organized struggle.

On October 15, workers of Bombela Operating Company (BOC) ended a 10-day strike after winning a wage hike ranging from 10% for the lowest earner to 4.1% for the highest. The workers are represented by the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) who had been in negotiations with BOC for months. When negotiations came to a standstill, 258 out of the 320 workers at BOC put down their tools. After 10 days of the strike, BOC increased their wages.

The BOC workers’ strike was concurrent with a general strike across South Africa on October 7 called by the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) and was joined by other large trade unions. Thousands of workers marched against government corruption, job losses, and the ruling African National Congress’ (ANC) broken promises and anti-worker policies.

The state of Louisiana gives employers the “right” to fire at will, on the spot, for any reason at all. For example, while it’s technically illegal to fire someone out of sheer racism, the boss can claim another reason. Workers can always team up and shut down the bosses down or form a workplace committee to fight back. But getting a union is the most surefire way of opposing these firings.

Workers Voice believes that we should have the right to fire our bosses at will! Certainly we have the right to unionize. Unite, fight back, and win!