Health Care: Communist vs. Capitalist

I have been a health care worker for over forty years. I have performed the same job for the last 30 years as an ultrasound technician.

Everyone knows that the health care industry has become one of the biggest money making scams, reaping trillions of dollars in profits over the last 30 years. To maximize their profits, insurance companies are continually cutting back reimbursements for services in hospitals and clinics.

Hospital workers are being forced to work longer hours with increased workloads, similar to the "speed-up" models that dominate the auto industry, insuring higher profits year after year.

For example, the more ultrasound tests that we perform, the higher are the profits made by the insurance companies. Our labor creates their profits. Workers are being monitored by sophisticated computer applications to make sure we are producing enough tests.

Recently I have been forced to go out on disability, because of a repetitive stress injury. Not an unusual occurrence for hospital workers.

The model in hospitals is just the same as the assembly line speed-up mentality. This high production environment doesn't respect nature. The work environment not only causes injuries to many hospital workers every year, but also leads to lousy medical care. Hospital workers are working in pain and under constant speed-ups, which diminishes their capacity to do these important diagnostic tests and procedures correctly and accurately every time.

How would this change under communism?

First of all, health care would not be for profit. It would not be a privilege as it is considered now, but a fundamental right of the working class.

All workers in many capacities would be involved in the development and the administration of health care. No one worker would be responsible for the same job for thirty years, making injuries inevitable.

All healthcare workers will be cross-trained and most training will be on the job as well as in the factories, farms and other points of production. Doctors will not be separated from other workers in elitist universities.

Workers will not have to travel to faraway medical centers to receive topnotch care. All communities will have access to the best care, with well-trained staff, up-to-date equipment, as well as continuing education, childcare and eldercare. The working class would truly be working together for the needs of all the people, as it should be in a workers' society.

 —New Jersey Health Care Worker

ICWP at the AFT Convention

LOS ANGELES, July 12—"You all are doing very good work here," a teacher told a comrade who was distributing Red Flag and the new ICWP industrial pamphlet at a rally supporting postal workers who oppose the privatization of their jobs.  A thousand teachers and other public workers from the convention of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) joined postal workers and marched to the Staples Center, protesting the "postal centers" already in 80 Staples stores. 

Many stopped to take pictures with the ICWP banner (see above) or to talk with comrades from whom they had gotten literature earlier in the convention.  Our comrades were excited and a little surprised by the very warm response we received.

The protest was an example of the new strategy of the AFT leaders to mobilize members around radical-sounding reforms in order to corral them into the Democratic Party.  In this way they will help the main section of the US ruling class – the imperialists – to roll over the Tea Party Republicans who stand in the way of their war plans.  (More next issue.)

Bosses Fear Garment Workers Reading Red Flag

When a comrade was distributing Red Flag outside a garment factory, the boss came up in his SUV. He rolled down his window and said, "Give me one." In a firm tone the distributor answered, "No, this is for the workers!" Surprised and with a mocking smile, the boss said, "I work too." Quickly, the comrade answered, "That's not true." He turned around and said to another worker who already had Red Flag, "He said that he works." The worker smiled and shook his head.

In a few minutes, the boss got out of his SUV and, trying to intimidate us, started to take pictures of the distributors with his high-tech cell phone. "Don't take pictures of the youth! If you want a picture, take one of me!" said another comrade defiantly.  By then, the first comrade had come and told the boss "Stop taking pictures!" The boss approached the comrade and started shaking his finger in the comrade's face. "Go to hell! Get away from me!" shouted the comrade.

Suddenly, two security guards and a supervisor came up to defend the boss. A few workers had gathered around and others had left the factory to see the show. "You can't take photos without our consent, "the comrade shouted to the boss. "You've taken pictures of this place," yelled the supervisor.

The shouting match continued for a few minutes while the other comrades kept handing out Red Flag to passersby, who watched the show with some amazement. Finally, the boss turned tail and he and his lackeys left. The distribution of Red Flag to happy hands continued.

The bosses are afraid that the workers reading Red Flag will realize that a society with no bosses—a communist society without exploitation—is possible. That's why, when they see the potential of workers' organization, they take repressive action—-but this only shows their cowardice and fear.

We, the workers, are the ones who run the factory; we are the ones who produce everything. The bosses need us; we don't need them. We must bring communist ideas without fear of the bosses' response. As we continue to distribute Red Flag at this factory, we must do so all over the world. As networks of Red Flag and ICWP continue to grow, the bosses' fear and cowardly attacks will increase. Their attacks must not go unanswered. We must continue to fight until we have wiped capitalism from the face of the earth.

—Comrade Distributors of Red Flag

Transit Union: Subservient to Bosses

Our Union Leaders have decided once again to do what is in the best for the union's coffers and MTA, not the membership.  They are subservient to the company, not to the membership.

 Contract Proposals: It is often hard to read between the lines.  Last contract proposal, we were told that mirrors and tires were going to be "Incidents." Where is it written now?   How has MTA applied it?

How come we don't get paid for ARBs, Second Levels, Interviews, etc? These are company business that we have being doing free, for too long. 

 Article 1: Wage increases: Prices will rise statewide because of the recent state wage increase.  Are we really gaining anything?

 Article 27: gives MTA a pass to eavesdrop and write up operators to fire them. Technology has given MTA major advantages, especially with new buses equipped with live feed and higher recording capacity.

 It should say: Reviewing any video will be solely to investigate incidents or accidents. 

 Article 47:  Humor is always good, ask a Union Officer: How long must I work without getting sick, to enjoy the new benefit?  Answer should be: over 24 years!  So, crack-up!  Article 47 says that we can transfer any hours over 2,208 hours into 457 or IRA at 100% value.  

 The General Committee decided to split and conquer us by setting up separate meetings and the ratification vote through the mail.  In case you did not notice, the ballot envelopes were see-through. 

 The General Committee will determine how they will run the election of the General Chairman and then the nominations for General Chairman, anybody can be nominated.  If the Chairmen do not allow the membership to elect the General Chairman, we should divide and conquer them later this year, at election time.  It will be our response.  

 Those that attended the special meetings heard the same bullshit, "This is the best contract that this union can negotiate." The time has come to draw the line, and fight for a change.  Why must we put our trust in a   broken union, filled with broken promises, offering a broken future? Let's make a stand.

Decertify this union; we still have time to do so, before it is too late!

—MTA bus operator

Red Flag comments:

Thanks for your useful letter. We agree that this union is on MTA's side. But, all unions are on the capitalists' side. Trade unionism by its very reformist nature is not out to destroy them but to make their system "better." Thus trade unionism is pro-capitalism.

We therefore disagree that decertification is the solution. No union or union leader can ever change trade unionism's nature. We need to discard it as a capitalist ideology, replace it with communist ideology, and the fight for communism. 

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