The group included a number of students and faculty from Manhattan College who are excited to be working more closely with us. Others came from our Racial Justice coalition. We aimed our poster at the cop station, chanted loudly, and then shared accounts of other racist murders like Deborah Danner and Ramarley Graham. The action was covered by TV12 and we were interviewed by a local paper. We vowed to keep up the fight and to keep the pressure up on our local cops to make them back off their racist policing.
Oppose Biden’s eugenic covid policies
The Biden Administration announced it will end the emergency provisions for Covid-19 on May 11, 2023. This has ominous implications for millions of people in the U.S. It means an end to free medications like Paxlovid, which will now cost $100-130 per dose, masks, and tests. An end to expanded Medicaid will leave millions uninsured. An end to access to food stamps for millions and an end to eviction prevention funds will increase hunger and homelessness. Medicare funded telehealth for seniors will end in 2024. This will imperil more people with Covid-19 especially as the more communicable variants of the virus arise.
At this date, 400 people are dying each day as people surrender their masks and have inadequate ventilation. Why? The capitalists are eager to get people back to the workplace to keep their crisis ridden system afloat.
Once again capitalism reveals its disgustingly racist and sexist disregard for, poor, Black, brown, disabled, elderly, retired, and indigenous workers.
Once you’re too old or sick to work and are not producing profit, you’re worthless and marginalized. Public health activists around the U.S. are circulating this petition and writing articles to alert the public. Please share this petition with your friends and organizations: “Oppose Ending the National and Public Health Emergency Declarations; https://tinyurl.com/prwuzf2s. And join the Progressive Labor Party to end the rule of the rich.
*****
My first MTA union meeting
In January, I attended the TWU Local 100 mass membership meeting for New York CIty Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) workers. This was our first such meeting since the Covid-19 pandemic; it was my first ever. With our contract being up in May, many of my colleagues were no doubt looking to the union heads to show strong leadership in our imminent fight against management.
But, of course, the meeting instead exemplified how much in bed Local 100 is with the racist MTA bosses.
After the meeting’s initial meet and greet with separate departments, we were directed to a larger hall, where we sat and listened to these phonies tell us how they will bring a fight, while their actions have shown otherwise.
I also took note that the rank and file did not get a Q & A session to hold their feet to the fire…a clear harbinger of what was to come.
John Samuelsen, former Local 100 President and current TWU International president, began his speech with platitudes of his Brooklyn upbringing and history as a track worker, saying he will support us fully. But “Sleepy John,” as others have called him, soon echoed the TA’s contract time lies about having budget problems, which we all roundly booed. He also mentioned pushing for an amendment that would allow us to strike in lieu of the fascist Taylor Law.
Imagine asking the bosses for permission to withhold our labor-HA! Samuelsen also conveniently forgot to mention that he denounced our 2005 strike and gave us absolutely no support then.
Local 100 President Ritchie Davis also didn’t leave much to the idea that he will stand up to management. When a section of the crowd began chanting “Hazard Pay!” as he discussed our contract, he noticeably didn’t return their enthusiasm.
KKKop Mayor Eric Adams made a cameo appearance as well. He stood up and lied that his fascist initiative to clear out homeless encampments and the emotionally challenged in the subways with the pigs “leads with mental health professionals” and that “everyone is trying to distort what we are doing.”
Adams’ plan has been to flood the trains and station platforms with racist cops underground to attack special needs people, and forcing the unhoused to accept dangerous shelter conditions aboveground! That’s not a distortion at all!
While the talking heads proved disappointing, there were signs of hope. When one of the speakers said, “This is a militant union,” an audience member loudly said, “No it’s not!” in response.
Many of my co-workers aren’t confident the union will get them a good contract. Truth is, no union under capitalism will get any worker what they truly need and deserve. And that’s where the Party comes in, to present the only alternative: a communist world.
To that end, I was able to have a discussion with two train operators during the meeting. One criticized the fact that the union leadership made no mention at all about Tyre Nichols’ racist murder.
He noted how, as a Black union, that was a glaring omission. He also repeated the party’s line on having to fight anti-Black racism! Luckily, I had a spare CHALLENGE on hand to give them. I exchanged contacts with them and plan on choosing to work at the same line locations they do to keep meeting with them as much as I can. I hope to continue meeting other workers receptive to our line and will keep my best foot forward in doing so!
*****
No kinder kkkapitalism
Liberals and progressives often point out that citizens of some countries, especially Scandinavian countries, enjoy more access to social services than those in the U.S. Other places like Canada and the U.K. pride themselves on providing a better quality of life because they have universal healthcare.
However, this is largely theoretical, especially when we look more closely at Canada. Yes, all Canadians are entitled to free health care, but it is difficult for many Canadians to take advantage of their benefits. There are serious shortages of doctors in sparsely populated areas. Specialists are almost nonexistent except in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal or other major cities. People make long drives, sometimes days, for cancer care.
In a possible future communist society, we might assign doctors and other medical staff to underserved areas. That seems like infringing on an individual’s rights to our “democratic” minds, right? The difference is this – the physician would not be working for a wage. He/she wouldn’t be tied to a large metropolitan area in order to maintain a certain lifestyle. His/her lifestyle would not be any different from a bus driver, an electrician or a teacher.
Historically, British citizens have been very proud of their NHS (National Health Service). While they generally fare better than folks in the U.S., right wing politicians are continually trying to impose “austerity measures'' that would reduce access to health care. In Canada, federal and provincial politicians like Doug Ford are currently passing legislation to privatize parts of the healthcare system in response to governmental failure during the pandemic. Failing the public as an excuse to hand workers’ health over to the capitalist bosses is the name of this game, and it is one liberal politicians in countries with universal healthcare will keep playing so long as we allow it.
In short, reforms under capitalism are usually short lived or sometimes a complete smoke screen. Only under communism will all people have access to the care they need and deserve.
