LOS ANGELES, USA, January 28— “I really liked the Conference and saw that many are looking for the alternative of communism,” said a Los Angeles public transportation (MTA) worker during the Conference Celebrating the 10 Years of the International Communist Workers’ Party (ICWP).
The activity was positive and a qualitative leap in the process of consolidating a communist base at MTA. Five workers came. Some brought relatives. Many more were invited and for months we discussed this activity and its meaning.
One of the goals of our workshop at the conference was to try to identify and struggle against the obstacles to the advancement of new members and friends to become communist organizers, both at work and outside work.
The participation in the discussion among workers from MTA, Boeing and other Party organizers with a lot of experience enriched the discussion. Very interesting topics emerged. For example, an MTA worker said, “There is a little fear to organize at work, because of the bosses’ repression, fear of being fired, or of becoming isolated from other workers.”
Also the issue of the family was raised, especially with couples when one spouse sometimes opposes the participation of the other for fear of reprisals.
The answers to overcoming these obstacles were very illustrative and helpful. It was mentioned that at work it is better to avoid reactionaries and concentrate on those who are open to communist ideas, who are the majority. Also that we should not expect them to agree with everything we tell them. It is an ideological struggle of communist ideas versus capitalist ideas. Most workers have communist ideas, but also capitalist ideas, although they hate capitalism.
That same ideological struggle that we carry out with our co-workers must be carried out with our family with tact and patience, but with perseverance.
In our workplace at MTA we have a broad base of workers who take and read our Red Flag newspaper and with whom there is an ideological struggle to take that step of making communist ideas their own.
In general, the conference was an advance in the formation of communist leaders at MTA. Some comrades are taking more leadership. Two of them wrote letters for the newspaper, and as a group we have plans for activities outside work. We will have a trip to another city to meet with other workers. Some of these workers have been invited to see the development of how Red Flag is designed and produced.
All this work is the product of the Party collective. With patience and urgency we have struggled for the distribution of the newspaper and to have study groups based on the Party’s pamphlets.
Nothing is perfect. We have many weaknesses to overcome to do a more effective job. But we are more inspired and motivated to continue advancing to build a communist society.
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