Seattle: Workers Reject Capitalism here ♦ Mexico: Struggle and Resistance here ♦
Workers Reject Capitalism and Its War-Loving Union Officials
SEATTLE (USA), April 21— Industrial workers at Boeing have welcomed our party, ICWP. When we walked the picket lines with them during the 2024 strike and when we distribute Red Flag at the gates, they have told us that they are concerned not just about pay raises but also about the role the company plays in genocidal wars.
But amid the current Middle East war, the IAM union head made sure industrial workers wallowed in capitalist propaganda.
“As global conflicts continue to escalate, the importance of this work cannot be overstated,” said International Association of Machinists (IAM) Union International President Brian Byrant. “Our members are standing up for a fair contract. Their sacrifice is essential in supporting our nation and its allies.”
What kind of work? Approximately 1350 IAM union workers at the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant in Independence, Missouri (USA) have been on strike since April 4. US union leaders praise this fight to keep manufacturing ammunition for this and other wars. They never attack the capitalist warmakers. These disgusting nationalist remarks are pushing workers towards war.
Some industrial workers, including ICWP comrades, are reaching out to the international rank-and-file who also want to put an end to capitalism.
We are involved with a group of workers who are disgusted by the union propaganda and want to reform the IAM. Two of them came to our recent May Day dinner. One is an experienced worker from Mexico who had recently been let go from Boeing. He spoke passionately about how industrial workers must eliminate capitalism. Another is an anti-imperialist activist. “I’m working for a classless, money-less society,” he said. “And for growing solidarity between trade unionists and immigrant groups.”
A longtime friend who is a retired Boeing worker also attended. As an African American, he has been fighting racist oppression all his life. “America is a country of lies. The chickens are coming home to roost now,” he said. “They want a war but that’s not the answer. We, here, are trying to make a difference. Keep up the fight!”
Another long-time friend was excited about meeting the new active industrial workers. And a comrade who is a teacher spoke about his fight to get his job back after being viciously attacked by fascists. He and other educators and neighbors have organized a patrol around a local elementary school to ensure that ICE does not approach any students or their families.
The potluck discussion was encouraging. Constant wars, increased racism/sexism/fascism, homelessness, and poverty are what the working class is facing. And we want to fight back!
Some of the people at the potluck will be going to the May Day March and Rally with us. Our plan is to recruit some of the promising activists to ICWP in the coming year.
Toward a May Day of Struggle and Resistance
MEXICO, April 21. The “leftist” government here—or as it calls itself, the Fourth Transformation “in favor of the poor”—is making deals with the owners of BlackRock, a giant investment company. These capitalists generate and concentrate the world’s greatest wealth while the working class remains, and we remain, mired in the yoke of this predatory system.
This is why on May 1st we take to the streets. Where the struggle and memory remain alive. Where we as the working class rekindle the flame of those comrades who fought for their rights and ours.
Returning to this pact that the Mexican government has made with the monsters of Capital who strip away and appropriate life in all its forms and manifestations: The conditions of inequality for the working class grow more uncertain every day. Where each of us experiences daily the ravages of capitalism, manifested in the meager wages we earn, which are felt when buying food. As well as the hours we spend commuting to get home after a workday of more than eight hours.
This is how a Mexican government that claims to support the working class embraces the capitalists of BlackRock, whose aim is to continue lining their own pockets at the expense of others.
In this regard, we reiterate the importance of continuing to fight through the International Communist Workers’ Party for unity among all comrades worldwide. This unity—manifested in a collective consciousness—will enable us to collectively build a better world without capitalism and its political parties.