Working Class Culture is a Fine Weapon By Roy Rydell BROOKLYN, NY - The Ships Mast, a neighborhood bar and rock band hangout, is situated in an old building at 5th Street and Kent Avenue in Williamsburg, just a block away from the main gate of the Domino Sugar plant. The workers at Domino have been on strike for a year. Many of the 300 workers will lose their jobs if Domino is able to force the concessions it is demanding from Local 1814 of the International Longshoremen's Association, which represents the striking workers. On June 17, the Williamsburg Bridge towered over the bar as people gathered for a benefit concert for the strikers. The entrance fee was $7.00 for a free buffet. The beer was cheap and all proceeds went to the workers relief fund. The noise level was unbelievable. I thought my eardrums were going to burst. But no one else seemed to mind as each band raised the roof and some money for the strikers. John Hovorka, rock guitarist, and his group had the people rocking and stamping. "I've been in the neighborhood for 10 years and I've seen these strikers on the picket line in all kinds of weather and they don't seem to be getting anywhere," Hovorka said after he finished his set. "It's hard to keep up with your bills when you're on strike. I support unions and the way to do it is to just do it. That's why I'm here tonight." Janet Dunba, a Domino striker, said, "After a year I'm still here standing for my beliefs. I'm not mad, just a little disgusted about the people who've gone back to work. I'd like to thank the people who organized this affair." For my money the outstanding contribution of the evening was made by the "Workhouse," a band organized by the Domino workers themselves. They hadn't played together for the last year because they were busy with their strike but they really came across well. Richy Villa, Paul Agosta, Frank Furno, Brian Walker and Joe Bodowski did a number that really fit the occasion - "Can't Get No Satisfaction." One band member grabbed the mike and said he had 27 years at Domino and had no sympathy for the scabs and that he "ain't going back 'till the union goes back." The Workhouse dedicated their final number to Brother John Alschen, a Domino striker who committed suicide just before Christmas last year. Alschen was a Russian immigrant who was despondent over the possible elimination of his job by Domino. In his memory, the Workhouse did a rendition of Bob Dylan's "Knocking on Heaven's Door." Ronny Bural said, "I'm sticking to the union. That's my best chance of survival. When I came out of the service in 1971 I was looking for a steady job at union wages and I' m still here." On the subway going home, I couldn't help thinking that this event perfectly shows what the AFL-CIO's policy of Labor to Neighbor is all about and how community outreach is a two-way street for the labor movement and the community. This benefit got me thinking in a more positive way about the culture of our working class. In the early days of the American labor movement, workers like Joe Hill wrote songs that inspired the IWW's battle to organize "One Big Union of all Industrial Workers." One of his most famous songs, "The Rebel Girl," was dedicated to Communist Party leader Elizabeth Gurley Flynn. Josh White and Billie Holiday did songs like "Strange Fruit," which brought out the horrible lynchings of Black people. Woody Guthrie did "This Land is Your Land" and countless other working-class songs of struggle. Pete Seeger carries on in that tradition. Paul Robeson became an internationally famous singer, singing in many languages and promoting international working-class solidarity. Saturday night was a first for me. As I listened to the Brooklyn sugar workers, I was really impressed by the meaning of working-class culture and what a weapon it is.
