FIGHT FOR COMMUNISM!
International Communist Workers Party
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FIGHT FOR COMMUNISM! |
International Communist Workers Party | |
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LOS ANGELES, US, 1979—“The Migra (immigration police) is outside. We have to close the doors,” shouted a worker. This was the warning to launch a plan we had made a few months before. Immediately, several workers ran to close the three big doors of the plant. We could hear how the machines stopped roaring and groups in different sections met to await the action. We were nervous and anxious, but at the same time, we were determined not to get arrested without a fight.
In those years there were many spontaneous struggles against the Migra raids and exploitation, mainly in the garment shops and other industries. The men and women immigrant workers gave leadership in building a rebellious and revolutionary movement.
In the above-mentioned factory about 1,200 of us workers, the great majority undocumented, worked producing shoes for Fun-Striders. That year, a recently created communist club distributed 100 newspapers internally and sometimes distributed leaflets in front of the factory. The strikes, work stoppages, political discussions and mass social activities were constant.
Every year, it was customary that in the summer the Migra arrived and “emptied” the factory of workers without legal documents. As the time for the racist raid approached, we began to discuss with the workers what to do and published through leaflets what the plan would be: when the Migra got there, we would close the doors, and if they managed to get in through the doors of the bosses’ offices, we would all leave marching as a bloc to the main street without letting anyone get arrested.Most of us weren’t afraid. We were filled with hatred of the Migra raids.
Buses, vans, cars, dozens of Migra agents and police were in front of the factory. They realized that the workers had locked themselves in and that perhaps they had a plan to confront them.
Inside the factory, the group of communists and other friends talked with the men and women workers in the different sections and tried to keep the plan ready to carry out. Many workers walked around inside the factory with their tools in their hands, hammers, scissors and some carrying sticks.
After an hour of waiting, the owner of the factory came to where the main group of communist leadership was and said, “Don’t worry. The Migra won’t come in.” He knew that the battle could be violent, and his coming to us was a sign of defeat.
After two hours of waiting, some neighbors, relatives of workers, told us that the Migra had left. Some applauded, others smiled. We knew that this had been a small, but valuable, organizing victory. This created much respect for the communists, and the new worker-comrades were very happy. That summer we organized a party in what were the offices of the Party, and hundreds of workers participated. We took a big group to the May Day march and many other events.
At that time our goal was to fight for socialism (state capitalism) and our practice was reformist, with the slogan “Jobs Yes, Migra No!” Today our vision is to mobilize the masses for communism. It is not enough to expose capitalism. Instead, the most important thing is to give the workers the vision of a new world without borders, or money or bosses. This will be a world where the masses of workers no longer have to worry about the raids but instead can concentrate on collective production to meet the needs of humanity.
Join our struggle.