Auto Workers Fighting for Shorter Hours-We Need to End Wage Slavery, Not Reform It here ♦ LA Bus Driver Takes First, Small Step Toward Revolution here ♦ LA Labor Day Parade here ♦
We Need to End Wage Slavery, Not Reform It.
US Auto Workers Still Fighting for the “Eight-Hour Day”
USA, September 10— “They’re really heavy pieces of steel. I lift them all day. The heavy work means lots of injuries.” James White was telling reporters about installing Ford trucks’ back springs in Louisville, Kentucky (USA).
“Take pills!” he said the company told older workers in pain after their shift. “You can’t live off pain pills,” he said.
The company forces workers into ten-hour shifts. White said, “I only get about four and a half hours of sleep a night. We should have eight hours of work, eight hours of recreation, and eight hours of sleep.”
This was the slogan of US workers organizing a general strike for the eight-hour day in 1886, 137 years ago.
The eight-hour day became US law in 1938, but today auto workers are still fighting for it. Fighting for reforms is futile! Worldwide, 10- or 12-hour shifts and mass unemployment are again the rule.
Communists and anarchists thought that the eight-hour struggle would unite the working class internationally for revolution. It didn’t.
It fostered among workers the deadly illusion that capitalism can be reformed to meet our needs. It helped kill the international communist movement as a revolutionary force. But the old communist movement never learned this lesson.
Two Tiers, Many Tiers
Once, union contracts promised all auto workers the same wage. No longer! In 2007, the United Auto Workers allowed Detroit automakers to introduce a “two-tier system” to “gain back competitiveness.” Now new hires start at $17/hour – top pay is $32/hour.
Competition for market share is again sharpening among US, Japanese, Korean, German, and Chinese automakers. Again they exploit workers more intensively through automation and lower wages. Fewer workers produce more cars than can be sold profitably. This spells mass unemployment and a declining rate of profit.
Capitalists’ desperate competition for market share and maximum profits leads directly to World War III.
Wage Differentials Divide the Working Class
A Ford worker noted, “The companies need the two-tier system because a house that’s divided can’t stand.”
This is true worldwide, where there are many more tiers. In Mexico, auto workers get $3.25/hour; in South Africa $4.27/hour; and in India $2/hour. They do the same work as US auto workers, often for the same companies.
Capitalists cross borders at will to build factories where they can superexploit workers. No reform can change that. Only communist revolution can destroy capitalist wage slavery.
It’s the fight for communism that can unite workers worldwide! Let’s build one International Communist Workers’ Party everywhere, with the one goal of building communism.
Auto Workers Key for Communist Revolution
The UAW contract with the “big three” US automakers expires on September 14. Over 146,000 auto workers may strike. It would affect 1.7 million US workers who work in auto-related jobs.
With a communist outlook, US auto workers could become a key force for revolution, uniting with auto workers worldwide.
Workers produce and move everything in society. We create all value. Capitalist profits worldwide come from stealing it. Their wage system requires them to divide workers with racism, sexism, national borders, and police terror.
The capitalist parasites live off our sweat, tears, and blood. They discard as useless the billions of us worldwide whom they can’t exploit profitably.
Communism will embrace those unemployed billions as productive workers to shorten our working hours tremendously.
The bosses need us, but we don’t need them.
Our historic task is to bury capitalism with a worldwide revolutionary war for communism. Communism will eliminate capitalism’s threat of “work or starve.” Instead, the masses will work motivated by commitment to meet the needs of our class.
Let’s strike and fight for a communist world without bosses where workers collectively and safely produce only what our international working class needs. That includes safe collective transportation that doesn’t destroy our environment.
Auto and other industrial workers can lead the broader masses to fight for a communist world. They are key for armed revolution and building the communist world of cooperation and comradeship that we need.
Let’s take Red Flag to auto and other industrial workers and soldiers wherever we can, including picket lines. That’s an important step toward freeing our class from wage slavery and imperialist war. Let’s build ICWP collectives in industry worldwide.
Los Angeles Bus Driver Takes First Small Step Toward Revolution
“Good afternoon! Red Flag?” asked a comrade.
“Good afternoon. Thanks,” said a young MTA bus driver who had taken the paper three weeks ago.
“Things are changing. Capitalism is attacking workers harder. Workers are fighting back. We need a revolution,” said the comrade.
“You guys are doing a great job. Keep it up!”
“We are not going to make a revolution by ourselves. We need organizers. Join us!”
“People are not interested. They are caught up in their own world,” the worker replied.
“Things are changing. Workers are on the move. US autoworkers are threatening a nationwide strike against their 10-hour shifts. They are demanding: ‘Eight hours of work, eight hours of recreation, and eight hours of sleep.’ In 1886 that was the slogan of US workers fighting for the eight-hour day,” the comrade explained. “That was 137 years ago. This shows the futility of fighting for reforms. We need revolution.”
“I agree with you, but my coworkers are satisfied with having a job, a place to live, and their bills paid. They won’t listen to me.”
“As things change, they too will eventually change. Young MTA workers will never be able to buy a house in Los Angeles. Racism is getting worse. You might be killed for the color of your skin, or for your hair style.”
“You are right about all that but … revolution?”
“Everything starts small. A small group can change history, for bad or for good. Hitler and a handful of followers founded the German Nazi Party. It grew into millions and rained death and destruction on millions more. In China, 26
communists founded the Chinese Communist Party. It grew into hundreds of thousands and moved millions to make a revolution in a country of 450 million people. Revolution is a possibility and a need. Why don’t you take an extra paper for a friend?”
“Okay,” she said. “I guess that that means I am starting today.”
“Yes,” said the comrade. “See you next issue!”
—A comrade
Labor Day Parade WILMINGTON, CA (USA)— A comrade handed another worker Red Flag at the Labor Day Parade, saying, “We’re fighting for a world without money. No rich, no poor. Communism.” The worker replied, “You’re right. Money is the problem.”
Another said, “Yes! We need to get rid of capitalism.”
We distributed 500 Red Flag newspapers, all that we had, and 800 leaflets, among about 3000 people. These included unions, school bands, and onlookers.
“We are here to spread the word about the need for a communist world,” another comrade said. “Under capitalism, we the workers are constantly fighting for better wages, better working conditions and better job contracts. But we create everything that exists in this world.”.
“That’s right,” a worker interrupted. “We create all the wealth.”
We made contact with several women who live nearby and noticed our rally. We ended the rally by singing the Internationale.
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