FIGHT FOR COMMUNISM!
	International Communist Workers Party
ICWP@Anonymousspeech.com

LOS ANGELES, USA, August 22—The Board of the LA County Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) is transferring two bus lines to Foothill Transit.  This public-private company pays drivers less than half the wages of MTA bus operators.
Red Flag distributors took a communist leaflet to transit workers about this latest attack.
“I’ve been telling people that MTA is going to contract out all the bus lines and just concentrate on rail,” said a Red Flag reader. “The union won’t do anything.”
“You’re right. Capitalism and its unions cannot guarantee us jobs for life. That’s why we need communism.  It will guarantee all workers useful, creative work always—meeting the needs of our class,” said the Red Flag distributor.
“Well, we sure need some kind of big change,” said the operator, taking another Red Flag.
Workers have no economic security in capitalism. The capitalists only hire us if they can make a profit off our labor. The ruling class, a fraction of 1% of the world’s population, condemns millions of our class to an early grave each year, and billions more to a life of deprivation and want.
Capitalism never has full employment. The capitalists always keep a “reserve army of the unemployed.” Job insecurity is a permanent lethal weapon against our class. “If you don’t like it here, there are many willing to take your place for less,” they bark.
Nothing short of communist revolution can end this scourge.
That’s why MTA workers and all workers need to join the International Communist Workers’ Party and fight for communism. In a communist world, we workers will make all the decisions concerning our lives, especially everything pertaining to our work.
Work makes us human and defines our very existence.
In communism, no one will ever lack useful, creative, collective work. No one will ever be fired.  We will work to meet everyone’s needs, without money getting in the way.
We will all contribute to society according to our abilities and commitment. We will all receive according to our needs – no matter how little or how much we contribute, or even if we can’t or refuse to contribute. However, we will struggle collectively to develop everyone’s lifelong political commitment to contribute to society as best they can.

Unions, Politicians and Courts Cannot Stop Layoffs and Pay Cuts
The fight for communism requires that workers shed their illusions about trade unionism.
Some MTA workers argue that the union will protect our jobs from layoffs. But Andrew Gonzales, the director of public relations for SMART (the bus operators’ union), admits that LACMTA is subcontracting these lines to save money. He said layoffs are an end result the union is trying to avoid.  For now, the operators affected will go to other divisions or to rail. However, Gonzales added, “Ultimately, that [layoffs] is what we are afraid will happen.”
More subcontracting looms. Gonzales states: “LACMTA has been looking into further bus service eliminations and transfers [to]…focus much more of its attention on light rail.”
His claims that the union is “trying to protect the work of the operators” are hollow. SMART General Chairman Marco Gudino admits that the union “has no legal or contractual authority to stop the elimination of MTA bus lines.”
Gudino also acknowledged that none of the capitalist politicians the union supports financially opposed the transfer, much less could stop it.  A proposed “legal battle” to delay the transfer was just as useless.  This proves again that the courts and the law exist to protect the capitalists and oppress the working class. 
As usual, these union traitors try to cover their betrayal by claiming victory out of a resounding defeat. They call the crumbs that LACMTA threw them a “ground-breaking” agreement that Gudino “forced” on LACMTA.  Operators assigned to the affected lines will get five days’ pay.  “LACMTA also promises to reinvest much of the money it will save to create more jobs and a subcontracting moratorium for 5 years.”
Don’t hold your breath waiting for LACMTA bosses to keep their promises – or for unions to put up a real fight. 
Only communist revolution will bring the big change we need. Break some ground by helping spread Red Flag and joining ICWP.

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