[Via Communist Internet... http://www.egroups.com/group/Communist-Internet ] . .In Socialist Cuba, steelworkers run their industry HAVANA, Cuba - Retired Chicago steelworker Frank Lumpkin and his wife Beatrice went to Cuba for the 18th Congress of the Cuban labor federation (Central de Trabajadores de Cuba or CTC). They joined 70 other trade unionists with the U.S./Cuba Labor Exchange and dozens of others from the United States whose unions arranged their trip. The CTC Congress, in late April, made important decisions to improve the conditions of Cuban workers. A focus of was the fight against Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), which threatens Latin American countries with ruin of their economies and mass starvation. By Bea Lumpkin People's Weekly World www.pww.org Antellana de Acero, the bigger of Cuba's two steel mills, loomed large and rusty before us. Built in the 1950s and modernized in the 1970s, it was clear that all capital investments were restricted to the actual steelmaking. Nothing had been spent for external, cosmetic purposes. The rusting exterior gave no hint that all furnaces were electric and that the mill used the more modern process of continuous casting. The products include corrugated iron bars and ingot molds for national use and export to Caribbean and Central American countries. Close to 1,000 people had gathered outside the plant to greet the 18th CTC Congress. The celebration remained outside the plant for reasons of safety and not to interfere with production. There was a brilliant program of song, dance and poetry. Foreign trade unionists mingled with Cuban workers in a demonstration of international solidarity. A later meeting with leaders of Cuba's steelworkers union answered many of the questions that North American steelworkers wanted to know. Ramon Cuellar, a leader of the national union of metal and electronics workers, led the discussion. We asked, "How have conditions changed for Cuban steelworkers? Are they afraid their plant will close and they will lose their job? Do women work in the mill? How well are they paid? What about health and safety?" Cuellar began to talk about the production figures at the steel mill. Their steel output hit a low of 90,500 tons in 1993 after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. It rose back to its previous level by 1995 and reached a record 300,000 tons in the year 2000. But we had asked about the workers, not about production. The Cuban unionists thought it was obvious that workers' conditions depended on production. Whatever the Cuban steel mill produced was for the benefit of Cuban workers, they said. Then we asked about women workers in the mill. We had already seen CTC figures for women in trade union leadership. Women made up 44 percent of local union presidents, 60 percent at the municipal level and 38 percent of the National Executive Board of CTC. That triggered the report we wanted to hear: How well were Cuban workers doing? What benefits did they enjoy? Are there Cuban women steelworkers? "Yes," they told us, "there are many women working in the steel mills. They work as engineers, technicians, supervisors," although they do not work at the heavy jobs in the mill. They also described some of the family services that the steel plant provides for the workers and the surrounding community. When school is out, for holidays or summer months, workers can bring their school-age children to the plant. There, special teachers have organized activities, including outings to the beach and visits to the museums. Children are given a nutritious lunch and snacks and parents can work with peace of mind. The plant has its own beach and cabins for workers selected by the union or recommended by doctors as in need of a beach vacation-cure. The mill has a clinic for its 1,200 workers, their families and the community. Dental services are included, all at no cost. An ambulance is stationed there at all times, ready for emergencies. The mill's cultural center includes a theater and sports facilities feature a professional quality baseball field, basketball courts and gyms. The Cuban steelworkers were very proud that the country's baseball playoffs had taken place on their field. We brought the discussion back to working conditions. There are seven air-conditioned dining rooms in the mill. Workers can get away from the heat and eat in comfort during their half-hour, paid lunchtime. Relief workers are available so that workers at continuous operations can leave for lunch. Little time is lost going back and forth to the lunchroom because they are located at several sites around the mill. Most workers live close enough to bicycle to work. For those who live further away, the mill provides special bus service at a cost of a few cents. The plant provides work clothes and free laundry service. In fact, Cuellar told us, the workers can bring their clothes from home to be laundered. A barbershop is part of the mill complex. We did not get safety statistics but were told that workers are well supplied with safety equipment, hard hats, goggles, gloves and special protective work clothes. In recognition of the hard nature of some of the jobs, the usual Cuban retirement age of 60 for men can be reduced to 55 for steelworkers. It is already 55 for women. "Is your retirement age too low?" we asked. Probably so, we were told, considering that life expectancy in Cuba has reached 78 years. But retirement is not compulsory. Workers over the retirement age can collect both their pensions and their wages. We asked about job security, a life-and-death issue for steelworkers in the United States. There is no danger of the plant closing but they were striving for greater efficiency. If technology displaces workers, they receive 60 percent of their salary until they are relocated to another job. At present, that is not an issue for Cuban steelworkers. All production changes must be approved by the workers in advance. Before the plant manager is selected, the workers must approve. Workers have the protection of a union contract. Although 98 percent of the workers belong to the union, membership is voluntary. Non-members do not pay anything to the union. Wages of steelworkers are above the Cuban average of 250 pesos a month. In fact, Cuban steelworkers can earn as much as 800 pesos a month. The difference in wages is equalized in part by the many free services that Cuban workers enjoy, such as health care and education. Still, at every turn, even the visitors could see the harmful effect of the U.S. blockade of Cuba. In the case of Antillera de Acero, production had recovered but other, less-strategic factories remained crippled by a lack of supplies Cuba endures because of the blockade. Ending the blockade would allow American workers to learn of the social benefits enjoyed by their Cuban counterparts. Workers of both countries would benefit. The fight against FTAA is uniting workers from every country in the Americas. We left a demonstration against FTAA in Chicago on April 21 to go to Cuba. The Chicago demonstration of over 1,000 marched in front of a steel-spring plant that was closing. The plant was moving operations to Canada and Mexico, under provisions of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). "FTAA would be NAFTA on steroids," the steelworkers warned. Cuba's President Fidel Castro described the threat of FTAA to the people's food supply. "[U.S. agribusiness] will grow genetically modified grains, with much higher crop yields, heedless of its implications for human health. As a consequence, crops of corn, wheat, rice, soybeans and other grains will practically disappear from many Latin American countries that will be left with no food security. "No matter how large the crop yields are, the United States can only produce a small percentage of the food needed by a growing world population, which is now over 6.1 billion. A decrease in food production in Latin America would affect not only the Latin American countries, but also the rest of the world." Trade unionists from almost every country of the Americas left Cuba determined to fight the adoption of FTAA. They were demanding a referendum to give the people a chance to vote on the issue. FTAA, they said, would amount to annexation of their nations by the U.S. The menace of FTAA is good reason to revive Karl Marx's rallying cry, "Workers of the world, unite!" ************************************************************* The realities of U.S. steelworkers While Cuban steelworkers' standard of living is on the upswing, their U.S. counterparts are facing some tough times. The United Steelworkers of America (USWA) is organizing for their members' lives, focusing on curbing imports, restructuring the industry, loans and guaranteeing health and retiree benefits. It's all part of the massive campaign around the Steel Revitalization Act (HR-808). In the past two years 16 steel companies have filed for bankruptcy and/or closed, affecting close to 39,000 workers. The recent bankruptcy of LTV, the third-largest steel company, threatens the jobs and health benefits of 18,000 employees and 70,000 retirees. Plant closings affect not only the workers themselves but whole communities; the tax base is less and so is money for public schools. Small businesses feel the hit and the demands for social services increase, without a similar increase in funding. There is a dire need for U.S. steel. Many schools are old and crumbling; public transportation and water systems need repair along with roads and bridges. A recent report by the American Society of Civil Engineers outlined the depth of problems with our nation's infrastucture. Now Reps. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) and Steve LaTourette (R-Ohio) introduced Rebuilding America's Infrastructure Act (HR-1564), a bill which encourages infrastructure rebuilding and thereby increases demand for U.S. steel. But there's still the question of why U.S. steelworkers face more desperate times than their brothers and sisters in socialist Cuba, a much smaller country with less natural resources that is up against a strangling U.S. embargo. "The main reason is in Cuba they make steel because society needs it. In this country they make steel for profit," Scott Marshall, chair of the Communist Party USA's labor commission and a former steelworker, told the World. "If there is no demand for steel, steelworkers go out the door. Here in the U.S., there is a demand for steel, - it's just not profitable enough. We need steel for hospitals, housing, schools, transportation - things that people and society need. If we did that, then steelworkers would have their jobs." "But that's the power of socialism," Marshall said. "It puts people's needs first, not maximum profit."
