Prepare for Communist Class War here ♦ Greetings from Comrade Industrial Worker here ♦
Industrial Worker Says: “Prepare for Communist Class War”
SEATTLE (USA), July 31— “We’ve got to do something!” This was the cry of “David,” a Boeing worker and new member of an industrial group that meets regularly to discuss union and international politics. A Boeing retiree and ICWP member brings a communist perspective. This comrade gave David a Red Flag.
Another worker asked, “What does bombing Iranian children have to do with advancing labor power?”
These rank-and-file workers made the question of war the main topic of recent meetings. They are angered by the genocide in Palestine and the death and destruction raining on millions around the world. Workers everywhere face the threat of war.
Workers in these meetings struggle around the contradictions inherent in working for Boeing. It is the biggest manufacturer of weapons and ammunition for the US military. Boeing workers feel a responsibility for the death and destruction.
Some hope that the geopolitics will change. That will not happen. Since October 2023, over 75,000 Palestinians have died, at least 20,000 of them children. And over 44,000 children have been injured.
When the discussion turned to murdering Palestinian and Iranian children, a new friend said, “Winning a few extra dollars for industrial workers should not be what we are about.” Later he said, “We must prepare for communist class war and expand the industrial base for communist war production.” We are inviting him to our August potluck so we can get to know each other better.
Another worker wanted the ICWP comrade to come to the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers (IAMAW) union meeting. He wants more IAMAW workers to understand what is really at stake.
These workers are interested in what ICWP has to say. Many read Red Flag. Some have come to events we have sponsored. Now is the time for them to step up, join ICWP, and fight with us to end this rotten, murderous system.
Building a communist base is essential, no matter where the industrial workers come from. As the question of war has become more and more critical around the world, ICWP’s global industrial work becomes key.
Currently ICWP members are fighting garment industry bosses in the factories in Bengaluru (India) and in El Salvador. They are fighting auto industry bosses in Chennai (India) and Gqeberha (South Africa). As our message spreads, more and more industrial workers, understanding their connection to world war, will join us in this fight.
One day the arms that Boeing workers and others around the world produce will be used for communist revolution.
But we’ve got to do something right now! The main task is to spread communist ideas, using Red Flag to win millions worldwide to ICWP and to create a mass communist party.
Letter: Greetings from Communist Industrial Worker
I would like to introduce myself. I am the new Comrade from KwaNobuhle.
I stand here as an ICWP member. My politics start where most of us spend 8, 10, 12 hours a day: on the job, in the factory, in the hospital.
ICWP stands for International Communist Workers’ Party. And for us communism isn’t a slogan from a book. It’s the idea that people who create all the wealth, “us”, should be the ones who decide how it’s used. No bosses. No profit over people. Just workers planning production for human need.
They tell us the system is broken. I say it’s working exactly how it was designed: to keep us divided, scared, and tired. Divided by race, by nationality, by religion. But on the shop floor, in the strike picket line, we learn the truth: the bosses need all of us to make a profit. That means all of us have the power to shut it down and build something new.
So, what do we do? We organize, not just for better wages, though we fight for those too. We organize for communism. We talk about it at lunchtime. We distribute Red Flag newspapers. We bring soldiers, students, and workers together because the fight for communism has no borders.
The road won’t be easy. Every boss, every government, every TV station will say we’re dreaming. But every time we choose class over country, we prove the dream real.
Join us, fight with us, let’s make communism!
—Comrade Olwethu.
Read Slaving for Wages, We Make Cars, They Make Profits here