FIGHT FOR COMMUNISM!
International Communist Workers Party
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FIGHT FOR COMMUNISM! |
International Communist Workers Party | |
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LOS ANGELES, USA, Nov. 20—“They are selling American Apparel (AA) to the highest bidder, workers and all,” said a garment worker from this factory.
In November, AA declared bankruptcy again and was put up for sale to the investors. The bosses met and announced to the hundreds of men and women workers that they didn’t know if the new buyer would bring their own workers (wage slaves) or would continue using those who are already there, but with new restrictions, that is, even lower wages.
AA sent official layoff warnings to 3,500 workers in its three Southern California factories.
Due to fierce competition in the garment industry and the general crisis of capitalism, American Apparel has had economic problems for years. One way out of this problem is to constantly attack the workers with layoffs, speed up, and the threat of sending production to Mexico.
Many workers blame the new bosses for not knowing how to lead AA. They ask for the return of Dov Charney, who founded the factory in 1989. He became famous for claiming that it was a rebel factory and not a sweatshop, because it paid a little more than the minimum wage and gave some benefits.
The American Apparel brand ran ads with young women in sexually suggestive poses. Its business of expensive clothes was supported at that time by the city government and by many liberal organizations internationally.
But due to Dov’s many law suits for sexual harassment and even more importantly the decline in sales and therefore in the profits of the investors, he was dismissed a few years ago as the factory’s general manager.
But neither Dov nor the new bosses can meet the needs of the men and women workers. We must not support any boss. We men and women workers must support the struggle for a communist society based on producing collectively and distributing according to the needs of the masses.
In communism we will produce quality useful clothes, not based on advertising about fashion or on exploitation. We will look for ways to produce clothes to meet the needs of humanity both in fabrics and designs.
Nor will there fear of being fired, since we men and women workers will organize the new communist society. If we have made enough clothes, the workers will do something else or will rest. Certainly no one will be removed from their homes or will go hungry.
More than 100 AA workers regularly take Red Flag. Some have participated in meetings and May Day Dinners. We must take a more effective step and form a collective inside the factory to organize meetings with communist politics, distribute more Red Flags and help to organize a communist revolution.