HAITI, May 12—Comrades and friends of Progressive Labor Party here participated in our annual May Day celebration on May 1. The main activity was a forum and discussion about the nature of work under capitalism, especially for young workers. That was followed by some cultural activity and socializing, with revolutionary poetry, class-conscious music, and dinner. All told, about 60 people tasted real camaraderie that day.

To set the tone of our day, we began with a history of May Day and its importance to the international working class. The presenter, a young woman comrade, gave a short history of May Day, born in the struggle for the 8-hour work day in the United States. Next was the forum on the nature of work under the current system, moderated by two other young comrades. Several workers with different work experiences (teachers, health workers, clerical workers, rural workers, and unemployed workers) spoke about their jobs or joblessness, and how the rulers exploited them by paying low wages, working under miserable working conditions, or keeping them from working for a salary at all through the massive unemployment faced by Haitian workers. 

Then our young woman comrade took the podium again to provide a communist analysis of what these young workers had just told us. She said that the capitalist system exploits workers and keeps them in inhuman conditions. She compared that to a communist system, in which the working class is in power and rules in its interest, concerned with the well-being of all workers so that they can live up to their full potential as a class. She said that these two systems are antagonistic; in the end, the working class, through the communist revolution, will assume power and destroy the bourgeoisie and its private property and borders between countries, and all the misery, racism, sexism, and wars for profit that keep capitalism afloat.

After her conclusion, we moved on to the cultural/social part of the day. Two comrades gave a spirited reading of the poem “Good Morning, Revolution” written by Black communist poet Langston Hughes from the U.S. and translated into Haitian Creole, the language spoken by the masses in Haiti. Another example of international solidarity.

At this point, the floor was opened to the attendees. Many people, students, and workers, spoke out about how this program helped them understand the true meaning of May Day for our class. They felt now they had the knowledge and language to criticize the Haitian bosses’ idea of May 1 as a celebration of agriculture and work (with lavish displays of food products for the local bourgeoisie) rather than the holiday of the struggle of the international working class.

The musical group performed songs of struggle, which animated the audience, who sang along with gusto. The final activity was dinner, which was enjoyed by all. 

We would like to thank all of those who gave leadership in organizing May Day in Haiti and those who participated in the activities. We have already followed up with some of the attendees who participated in the forum, etc. to continue discussing how to fight against the bosses, both local and foreign, especially in light of the extreme crisis the entire working class in Haiti and the gutter gangs,  gangs in uniform, and the gangsters who live in fancy houses. We are discussing how to make our Party grow into a fighting organization of the working class. 
Yes, the fight continues!

San Francisco, Oakland, and Valley collectives of the Progressive Labor Party (PLP) held an exciting and inspiring May Day Dinner at the end of April. Close to 50 multi-generational, multiracial, international workers and students gathered at a local art center. This growth from last year shows “the times they are a-changin.”

The walls were decorated with PLP historical, and international art posters about working class struggles from Mexico, Iran, Greece, and El Salvador, to name a few. This was best summarized by a quote and image from Bertolt Brecht: “Art is not a mirror held up to reality, but a hammer with which to shape it.”

Newer and younger members of our collectives planned and led the program. They are shaping the future towards communism. There were lively discussions throughout the program about the history of May Day and our current struggles within the movement against fascism and genocide in Gaza and around the world. We discussed how we are growing our collectives through our involvement in the mass movement. Our comrades from the Valley collective talked about their future as communists and new members of PLP. They brought drums and guitars to accompany rousing renditions of "Power to the Working Class," "Bella Ciao," and of course "The Internationale." Throughout the event we emphasized the necessity of uniting all workers regardless of race, country, or gender into an international party dedicated to the fight for communism. Only a communist revolution can destroy capitalism and create a share and share alike communist world.

This gathering was the culmination of several months of heightened activity. The external, capitalist world we live in is changing qualitatively and we are responding. PLP members of all generations have participated in many struggles. We have agitated with CHALLENGE and leaflets, held personal and social events, collective planning, and study groups. Education workers held an important and successful teach-in with teachers, students and community members about Israel-Palestine and developed study materials. On campuses, we have supported members and other students who came under attack for fighting tuition hikes and fighting U.S. imperialism/genocide with encampments which demand cease fire and divestment. On the job, we tied the genocide and imperialism to the “financial crisis” that public agencies claim justifies severe cuts in services like public transit, in schools, in jobs, in wages and working conditions. In neighborhoods, cultural groups, and families, we have had many discussions of why anti- imperialism and anti-Zionism are not antisemitism. Our emphasis on class, the structures of capitalism, internationalism and no borders is key. In the streets, we joined mass demonstrations, rallies against the war industry, imperialist genocide, Israeli Zionist capitalism and attacks on immigrants. We have connected with other groups, such as Bay Area Labor for Palestine, which organized in collaboration with immigrant groups for job actions on May Day and helped plan May Day Marches.

Following up on the energy of the May Day Dinner, PLP members participated in May Day marches in three areas: San Francisco, Oakland, and the Sacramento Valley. Our poster, “No War But Class War” and the CHALLENGE headline “Smash Genocide in Palestine” was well received. The May Day Marches responded to a call from the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions to stand with Gaza on May Day. In Oakland, the May Day March planned to shut down the port. The strength of on-the-job workers was front & center. Rank and file port workers in the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) carried on their tradition of May Day actions resulting in both morning and afternoon shifts stopping port activity. The Port Authority shut the port down in response. This is a small victory for international workers’ unity. We must continue to bring our communist analysis and organize for the final victory, a communist revolution!

On the occasion of International Workers' Day, Pakistan reverberates with the echoes of solidarity with the international working class as we celebrate May Day 2024. In cities and towns across Pakistan, large rallies and parades mark the occasion.This annual celebration serves as a reminder of the hard-fought battles for labor rights and to honor workers’ struggles against the bosses for wage increases and on the job benefits enjoyed today, victories slowly being eroded.

Workers from various sectors, including factories, agriculture, construction, and services gathered to raise their voices for better working conditions, fair wages, and labor rights. Banners and placards carried slogans demanding justice, equality, and respect for the dignity of labor. Some people were also chanting slogans against the Israeli genocidal attacks on Gaza as well.
Comrades in the Progressive Labor Party (PLP) brought workers and students to the rallies, explaining to them how we can get freedom from exploitation through communist revolution.

Workers’ power

We must rethink the old-fashioned lines towed by different leftist organizations because as the past shows, socialism carries the essence of capitalism, like wages. We explained that without a correct line we cannot get out of the clutches of barbaric fascist rulers.
We explained the current drive of the government of Pakistan to privatize all big public enterprises to the local and international bosses. Privatization has always led to job insecurity, decreased wages, and weakened labor rights. As state-owned enterprises are sold to private entities, companies often undergo restructuring to cut costs, leading to layoffs and downsizing. This is a clearly racist attack against Brown workers who make up the country’s majority.

Racist and Sexist attacks on workers

Our comrades explained that as now we have very limited labor rights ,and those rights will be eroded further under privatization. Private companies will certainly exploit loopholes in labor laws or engage in anti-union practices to suppress workers' rights to organize and negotiate for better working conditions. This lack of protection will surely leave workers more vulnerable to super-exploitation and abuse. These attacks show reforms can never be a substitute for revolution.
While analyzing the working class’s economic conditions, we described the tactics used by bosses to divide working-class people to keep intact this horrible, exploitative capitalist system. We stressed the need to fight for  protection of workers' rights, and against the sexist disparity of wages based on gender. Daily-wage laborers in construction, agriculture and domestic workers in Pakistan face especially tough conditions under capitalism.These workers usually have no job security, they are least paid and do not have any benefits like health insurance or paid leave. They are used to working long hours in unsafe conditions just to meet some of their needs.
Fighting for a future without exploitation
Under capitalism, the focus is on making profits, so these workers are often treated as disposable resources rather than human beings with rights. The capitalist system prioritizes the interests of business owners and investors over the well-being of workers. 
May Day in Pakistan is not just a day off work; it's a day of power, solidarity, and fightback. It honors the sacrifices of those who came before and inspires hope for a future where every worker is treated equally. Only an international communist revolution under the red banners of PLP can give workers the lives they deserve. Long live communism, long live PLP.

LOS ANGELES, May 4- Progressive Labor Party (PLP) celebrated May Day with a multiracial crowd of about 85 workers and students. The day started with a group of PLP members and base setting up tables and musical instruments along with banners and flags calling for communist revolution and justice for families who’ve encountered police terror. The collective effort in setting up the event made it so that all aspects: security, food, drinks, and political content were handled.

Our May Day event was held in a neighborhood park that is significant to a struggle against police terror that PLP has been involved in since November 2019 (See CHALLENGE issue 11/07/19). Leading up to the event a group of workers and students including both Party members and friends worked on a committee to plan the event and evaluate the speeches that were going to be made during the program. The program was a mixture of speeches, songs and poetry as well as activities to ensure everyone was able to meet new people.

Since last May Day the working class has continued to see the ruling class carry out war and genocide while neglecting the needs of students, particularly Black and Latin students. In the weeks leading up to May Day, Party members and our base have been involved in protests on campuses and meetings about school closures in Inglewood. We have PLP members and friends at colleges that have set up encampments and we took a moment to applaud the courageous students across the U.S. and around the world who have put their bodies and academic careers on the line to protest the imperialist genocide Israel is carrying out with U.S. dollars against the workers of Gaza. Students shared their work within mass organizations such as Students for Justice in Palestine. Neighborhood organizers around the school closures in Inglewood joined our May Day and shared stories about their struggles dealing with a system that values stadiums and parking lots more than the education of Black and Latin students.

One student member who recently joined the Party emceed the event with another student. The event opened with a performance from an Aztec danzante group. They have supported actions for justice against police terror that the Party has led and joined in the past. Throughout the event we had members and friends read greetings from PLP members worldwide which discussed their struggles and commitment to communist revolution. We had different group performances of “Bella Ciao,” “Should I Ever Be a Soldier?,” “Too Many Names,” and “The Internationale'' in both English and Spanish. Participants also joined a “speed dating” activity where younger people were paired with the older generation and shared why they came to May Day and what was the biggest thing in the world they wanted to change.

One of the biggest highlights was hearing speeches from a member who was attending his 51st May Day and another member who had joined the Party a couple months ago. The veteran member spoke about the journey from campaigning for Nixon to working within Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and becoming a communist through joining PLP. He then symbolically “passed the torch” to the new member who spoke about how joining the Party filled a need he had to fight for a better world.

A poem with drums and a musical beat was performed by two Party members. The poem included verses about the police murder of Dexter Reed and the imperialist genocide taking place in Gaza. It touched on the catastrophe of global warming and the chemical spill in Ohio from a derailed train. It called for unity among all students and workers. It was critical of nationalism and electoral politics while calling for more people to join PLP.

The final speech was given by a veteran member of the Party which highlighted the power of “yet.” People in the world are definitely starting to see that capitalism doesn’t have anything to offer our class. The majority have not “yet” joined the Party to fight for communism, but they still can. People may not have “yet” joined a study group to learn more about communist politics, but they still can. People may not have “yet” read or distributed CHALLENGE, but they still can.

People who attended are not only excited about next year’s May Day, but also committed to the day-to-day struggles that PLP is involved in. Members and friends are reinvigorated to join student encampments. There is a growing west coast education collective that is having monthly study groups. PLP will continue to be involved in mass organizations in order to bring communist politics to the forefront of the struggles and recruit as many members as possible. We have a world to win. Happy May Day!!