> > WW News Service Digest #158 > > 1) Black workers and Labor Day > by "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > 2) On the picket line: 8/31/2000 > by "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > 3) Celebrating Ted Dostal's decades of struggle > by "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > 4) China's rice revolution > by "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > 5) South Korean movement wins strafing ban > by "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > 6) What is Marxism all about? Part 3 > by "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >------------------------- >Via Workers World News Service >Reprinted from the Aug. 31, 2000 >issue of Workers World newspaper >------------------------- > >Hidden heritage > >BLACK WORKERS AND LABOR DAY > >By Carmen Roundtree > >[Reprinted from the Sept. 4, 1986, issue of Workers World.] > >When the first slaves were brought to this country from >Africa, they brought with them useful skills and >technological achievements that they had developed in the >building of their own societies. Even under the gun, whip >and brutality of slave conditions many Black people were >able to independently further develop their skills. > >At the culmination of World War I, when mass production >industries like auto and steel were in a period of rapid >growth, the doors of some industries opened to Black labor, >notwithstanding discrimination and racist barriers. >Artificial classifications were set up so that Black workers >doing almost the same job as white workers got far less pay. > >These barriers were not lifted in the skilled trade unions >or the American Federation of Labor craft unions. They were >as rigidly racist in their approach as they were before >World War I. But Black people continually found ways to gain >skills and get skilled jobs despite the government, >employers and racial discrimination in the unions. > >FIRST BLACK UNION > >In December 1869, 214 delegates assembled in Washington. >Eighteen states were represented. The first Colored National >Labor Union convention was called to order. One of the main >basic principles of the organization to be launched by the >convention was that every man and woman should "receive >employment according to his ability to perform the labor >required." > >The CNLU worked very closely with its white counterpart, the >National Labor Union, sending delegates to its annual >conventions. Many problems arose, though, as members of the >CNLU fought hard to educate members of the NLU on the needs >and plight of Black workers. A split occurred between them >in 1870. > >The Central Labor Union of New York was one of the most >important organizations in the country. It was formed at a >conference that was held in New York in February 1882. The >Socialist Labor Party contributed greatly to the strong >socialist spirit of the CLU and promoted the idea that both >trade unionism and political organization are necessary in >the class struggle. > >By August 1883 the CLU had over 60 affiliates and, three >years later, 207 unions representing about 150,000 members >were affiliated. It was a powerful organization of Black and >white workers in the mainstream of the New York labor >movement. > >The CLU initiated the practice of making the first Monday in >September Labor Day, thereby illustrating the emergence of >Marxism as an organic expression of the developing labor >movement. > >THE FIRST LABOR DAY > >In 1884 when the New York CLU decided to hold the Labor Day >parade, its members communicated with unions all around the >country and urged them to celebrate the first Monday in >September as a "universal holiday for working men." Everyone >who worked for a living would be welcomed. "No distinction >of color will be made; race prejudice will be ignored; >religious differences will be set aside; but all men will be >on an equality provided he earns his daily bread." > >That year workers marched in Buffalo, N.Y., Cincinnati, Lynn >and Haverhill, Mass., as well as in New York. Over 20,000 >workers representing 50 trade unions marched in New York. > >Racism has permeated every layer of capitalist society, and >many trade unions have been inundated with chauvinism and >vicious discriminatory practices. Yet they are the most >formidable working-class organizations in the country, and >are bound to become the organ of great struggles both >against racism and capitalist exploitation. > >Struggles of Black workers for equality cannot be seen as >strictly trade union issues. Few if any significant gains >have been won by Black workers without the struggle going on >in the streets. Many victories were won during the civil- >rights movement, including affirmative action programs in >the workplace. This applies to the Latino struggle as well >as to the women's and lesbian and gay struggle. > >There are close to 28 million Black people in the United >States. This is larger than most countries in Africa. We >must not let the ruling class obscure the significance of >the Black population in this country, which is >overwhelmingly working class. Black people have been an >integral part of building labor unions and labor solidarity >from the very beginning. > >More and more, Black and other oppressed workers are >becoming leaders in the traditionally white-dominated labor >movement. The current anti-labor offensive being waged by >the ruling class against organized and unorganized workers, >and the consequent lowering of wages and the living >standards of all workers, has laid the basis for broad >working-class unity. > >The anti-labor offensive will only serve to produce upsurges >in the working class where the labor movement will be in the >forefront, along with the most oppressed and revolutionary >workers--Black, Latin, Asian, Native, women, lesbian and >gay. > >- END - > >(Copyleft Workers World Service: Everyone is permitted to >copy and distribute verbatim copies of this document, but >changing it is not allowed. For more information contact >Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail: >[EMAIL PROTECTED] For subscription info send message to: >[EMAIL PROTECTED] Web: http://www.workers.org) > > > > > >Message-ID: <021401c014f0$6521e2c0$0a00a8c0@home> >From: "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: [WW] On the picket line: 8/31/2000 >Date: Sat, 2 Sep 2000 11:13:48 -0400 >Content-Type: text/plain; > charset="Windows-1252" >Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > >------------------------- >Via Workers World News Service >Reprinted from the Aug. 31, 2000 >issue of Workers World newspaper >------------------------- > >On the picket line > >GUILD STANDS STRONG > >With 135,000 members of the Screen Actors Guild and American >Federation of Television and Radio Artists heading toward >their fifth month on strike against the producers of >television and radio commercials, solidarity is in order. >And it's being provided, from all corners. > >On Aug. 18, picket lines went up outside the General Motors >plant in Ham tramck, Mich. GM has shot commercials using >scab actors during the strike. When the picket lines had an >impact--Teamster drivers refused to cross them to deliver >parts to the plant--lawyers for the world's biggest company >threatened to sue the picketers. Strike Captain Michael >Brennan said they'd keep walking. "If GM won't let us work >on commercials," he said, "we're not going to let them >produce cars." > >SAG and AFTRA members and supporters demonstrated outside >GM's Northeast headquarters in New York on Aug. 21. That >same day in Los Angeles, strikers and allies protested >against AT&T, which has also shot scab commercials. Outside >Universal Studios, cast members from the popular TV shows >"The West Wing" and "Malcolm in the Middle" hoisted picket >signs. > >There was other action earlier in the month on both coasts. >Workers World's Joe Delaplaine reports from Los Angeles: A >week before the Democratic convention, strike action had >already hit the streets. Two thousand members of SAG and >AFTRA blocked traffic for hours after a packed rally at the >Holly wood Palladium. Marchers demonstrated outside two >McDonald's restaurants demanding that the multinational >corporation honor the strike. The unions called for a >boycott of McDonald's until the company stops filming >commercials using scab actors. > >In New York solidarity came in the form of a pro-strike >briefing on Aug. 15. Held at Robert De Niro's restaurant >TriBeCa Grill and hosted by Paul Newman, the event drew, >among others, F. Murray Abraham, Harry Belafonte, Ashley >Judd, Kyra Sedgwick, Marisa Tomei and Kathleen Turner. They >watched a videotape featuring other actors calling on them >to show that, in Bebe Neuwirth's words, "We stand with the >rank and file." > >Back in Hollywood, the Association of Talent Agents slammed >the producers for refusing to negotiate with the unions. The >next bargaining session is set for Sept. 13, although the >unions had sought an earlier date. > >PRISONERS' UNION CALLS BOYCOTTS > >A union representing the most oppressed, exploited workers-- >prison labor--is calling on sister and brother union members >to boycott all Colgate Palmolive products. The boycott call >was issued in July by the Missouri Prisoners Labor Union. >The MPLU, founded two years ago, had sought Colgate's >endorsement of three aims: establishing a minimum wage for >Missouri prisoners, abolishing forced labor and abuse, and >imposing a moratorium on executions. The firm ignored the >union's request. > >In response MPLU National Communications Officer Michael Lee >wrote that the union's 500 members "realize that your >company didn't put us in prison. This is a matter of Colgate >Palmolive reaping immense profits for our incarceration, and >as the largest single consumer block you have a social >obligation to us. The situation I am outlining is the same >argument organized labor has used to oppose sweatshop labor >employed by Kathy Lee Gifford, Nike, etc." > >Lee added that the prisoners are asking for "simply a fair >day's pay for a fair day's work and a safe, non-abusive work >environment," and announced that MPLU members would no >longer buy Colgate products. > >On Aug. 14, the union also endorsed an international boycott >of Sodexho Marriot Services. Sodexho owns the Marriot hotel >chain, a notorious union buster already the target of a long- >running AFL-CIO boycott. According to the MPLU, Sodexho >"holds investments totaling 11 percent in Prison Realty >Trust/Corrections Corporation of America." That makes it >"the leading investor in the world's biggest for-profit >prison company." Prisoners and prisoner-rights advocates >have documented outrageous abuses committed in CCA >facilities. > >MPLU President Jerome White-Bey has been subjected to >torture for the crime of organizing the prisoners' union. >According to the MPLU's August statement, White-Bey "has >served several months in the hole for refusing to cease >organization and promotion of the MPLU." > >- END - > >(Copyleft Workers World Service: Everyone is permitted to >copy and distribute verbatim copies of this document, but >changing it is not allowed. For more information contact >Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail: >[EMAIL PROTECTED] For subscription info send message to: >[EMAIL PROTECTED] Web: http://www.workers.org) > > > > > >Message-ID: <021c01c014f0$75f57120$0a00a8c0@home> >From: "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: [WW] Celebrating Ted Dostal's decades of struggle >Date: Sat, 2 Sep 2000 11:14:16 -0400 >Content-Type: text/plain; > charset="Windows-1252" >Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > >------------------------- >Via Workers World News Service >Reprinted from the Aug. 31, 2000 >issue of Workers World newspaper >------------------------- > >'Iron Man' turns 94 > >CELEBRATING TED DOSTAL'S DECADES OF STRUGGLE > >By Martha Grevatt >Cleveland > >This month, members and friends of Workers World Party's >Cleveland branch honored their comrade Ted Dostal on his >94th birthday. > >Comrade Ted is a founding member of WWP. Along with Frances >Dostal, he was a founder of the Cleveland branch. > >>From his 26 years as a leader of the Steel Workers union in >Youngstown, Ohio, to his most recent activism in defense of >death-row political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal, Ted's life >represents well over six decades of committed revolutionary >struggle in the communist movement. > >Along the way, Ted attended and organized hundreds of >demonstrations in support of the anti-war and Black >liberation movements, and twice went to jail for these >efforts. He was active in seniors' issues and marched >alongside the women's movement and the lesbian/gay/bi/trans >movement. Nicknamed "the Iron Man" by his enemies on the >local police Red Squad, Ted has been one of the top >signature gatherers in every Workers World Party election >campaign. > >Since 1998 Ted has been in and out of hospitals and nursing >homes, suffering broken bones, pneumonia and congestive >heart failure. Yet in August 1999 he attended meetings and >made phone calls to organize against a Ku Klux Klan rally. > >As late as last November, he came downtown in his wheelchair >to demand a stay of execution and a new trial for Mumia Abu- >Jamal. > >Many activists came to Ted's birthday party, representing >the diversity of progressive struggles he has been a part of >over the years. Messages also poured in from comrades across >the country. > >The essence of these messages can be summed up succinctly: >"Ted Dostal, you are an inspiration." > >- END - > >(Copyleft Workers World Service: Everyone is permitted to >copy and distribute verbatim copies of this document, but >changing it is not allowed. For more information contact >Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail: >[EMAIL PROTECTED] For subscription info send message to: >[EMAIL PROTECTED] Web: http://www.workers.org) > > > > > >Message-ID: <022401c014f0$98677f00$0a00a8c0@home> >From: "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: [WW] China's rice revolution >Date: Sat, 2 Sep 2000 11:15:14 -0400 >Content-Type: text/plain; > charset="Windows-1252" >Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > >------------------------- >Via Workers World News Service >Reprinted from the Aug. 31, 2000 >issue of Workers World newspaper >------------------------- > >Editorial > >CHINA'S RICE REVOLUTION > >It's enough to make the chemical companies cry in their soup. >If other countries get wind of this, what will happen to >their profits? And then there are the big agribusiness >giants like Monsanto that want to sell their patented seeds. >They must be having a bad day, too. > >The terrible news is that an agricultural experiment in >growing rice without fungicides or other chemicals has >succeeded beautifully in China, according to an article in >the current issue of Nature. In a very large-scale test >involving tens of thousands of farmers, agricultural >scientists were able to double the yield of rice just by >planting two different strains in strips next to each other. > >It's called utilizing biodiversity, and it's a mainstay of _______________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki - Finland +358-40-7177941, fax +358-9-7591081 e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kominf.pp.fi _______________________________________ [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe/unsubscribe messages mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] ________________________________________
