> Date: Mon, 26 May 1997 19:40:03 -0500 > Sender: Forum on Labor in the Global Economy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > From: Jim Davis <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: Newspaper striker welcomes march on Detroit > > [Editor's Note: The following is the text of a speech given at a > gathering of Detroit newspaper strikers and supporters on March 1, > 1997. The gathering was sponsored by ACOSS (Action Coalition of > Strikers and Supporters). June 20 and 21, 1997 are the dates for > the mobilization for Action! Motown '97, in support of the Detroit > newspaper workers who have been on strike since July 1995. For > more information on Action! Motown '97, call 313-961-4480 or visit > the Acoss web site at: http://members. aol.com/actmotown] > > > > By Daymon J. Hartley > > DETROIT -- Good afternoon, fellow locked-out workers and > supporters. Let me remind you: This is a war. And in this war > we've suffered many casualties. > > More than 70 strikers have suffered serious injuries including > brain damage. Four strikers died prematurely -- undoubtedly from > the stress of our struggle. Sister Sue Wozniak. Brother Art > Robbins. Brother Gerald Janish. Brother Ron Gates. > > We're tired. We're frustrated. We've faced so many crises. And our > belief in the American Dream has become a nightmare. But we are a > relentless group. And we refuse to let the sacrifices our brothers > and sisters have made be in vain. > > We're facing a new crisis today. We're struggling now with an > unconditional offer to return to work. An offer that was made > against the will and without the democratic input of most > strikers. > > Have no doubt, it was a surrender on the part of some of our > international leaders. I don't know about you, but I haven't > surrendered yet. I have, however, turned my energies to fighting > on a new front. Make no mistake, I'm not here to cheerlead or to > put a happy face on our situation. Because this is a crisis. And > within this crisis, we will face new opportunities and new > dangers. The trick is for us to recognize and seize the > opportunities and to lessen the dangers. Many of us knew 20 months > ago that 2,000 strikers and their families could never defeat two > multibillion-dollar corporations and their many corporate allies > at their own game. > > They will always have more money to fight with. But we will always > have more people. > > The only way we can win now or ever could win is by surrounding > ourselves with the people and the power of the entire labor > movement. > > Finally, we've got a chance to do that. The labor leaders in > Washington have answered our call for a national labor march. > Maybe it was their idea of a consolation prize. But nevertheless, > on June 20 and 21, we will have the opportunity to bring thousands > of unionists and other fair-minded people to Detroit to do what we > should have done -- what some of us tried to do -- right from the > beginning of this strike. I'll leave the details of that strategy > up to your imagination! We now have the chance -- and the AFL- > CIO's resources -- to show these corporations -- and the entire > corporate class -- that if they mess with one of us, they mess > with all of us. > > This march gives us the chance to mobilize the thousands and > hundreds of thousands of supporters we know we have locally, > nationally and even internationally. Yes, we now have the > potential to energize all of labor and make up for PATCO, Staley, > Caterpillar and all the other brutal defeats we have suffered for > far too long. > > You know, some people don't like it when you bring up those > blemishes on the labor movement. But I refuse to forget those > defeats and all the defeats and blows we've suffered during this > strike. Because I believe that famous philosopher who once said, > "Those who forget the past are condemned to relive it." I don't > know about you, but I don't care to relive too much of the past 20 > months. We've hurt these companies. They have hurt us. And worst > of all, we've hurt ourselves. > > Indeed, we in Detroit and really all of labor are in a crisis. But > now is not the time to wallow. It's not the time to throw in the > towel. It's time to mobilize. It's time to energize. Finally, our > chance, the working person's chance to take back the streets, the > corporations and, let's say it, it's time for the working person > to take back this country. > > In those famous words, if not now, when? When we will get another > opportunity like this? And if not here, where will we take a stand > against a corporate class that is determined to destroy this > country's working class? > > > No Contract, No Peace! Shut down Motown! > > ****************************************************************** > This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE (Online Edition), > Vol. 24 No. 6 / June, 1997; P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL > 60654, [EMAIL PROTECTED] or WWW: > > http://www.mcs.com/~jdav/league.html > > For free electronic subscription, email [EMAIL PROTECTED] > with "Subscribe" in the subject line. > > Feel free to reproduce; please include this message with > reproductions of this article. > ****************************************************************** >
