{"id":12434,"date":"2023-09-16T00:20:32","date_gmt":"2023-09-16T00:20:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/icwpredflag.org\/wp\/wordpress\/?page_id=12434"},"modified":"2023-09-16T00:28:27","modified_gmt":"2023-09-16T00:28:27","slug":"usa-strikes-show-danger-of-reformism-potential-for-revolution","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/icwpredflag.org\/wp\/wordpress\/volume-14-number-12\/usa-strikes-show-danger-of-reformism-potential-for-revolution\/","title":{"rendered":"USA : Strikes Show Danger of Reformism, Potential for Revolution"},"content":{"rendered":"

Auto Workers Fighting for Shorter Hours-We Need to End Wage Slavery, Not Reform It here \u2666<\/a> LA Bus Driver Takes First, Small Step Toward Revolution here \u2666<\/a> LA Labor Day Parade here \u2666<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n

We Need to End Wage Slavery, Not Reform It. <\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

US Auto Workers Still Fighting for the \u201cEight-Hour Day\u201d<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

USA, September 10\u2014 \u201cThey\u2019re really heavy pieces of steel. I lift them all day. The heavy work means lots of injuries.\u201d James White was telling reporters about installing Ford trucks\u2019 back springs in Louisville, Kentucky (USA).<\/p>\n

\u201cTake pills!\u201d he said the company told older workers in pain after their shift. \u201cYou can\u2019t live off pain pills,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The company forces workers into ten-hour shifts. White said, \u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

This was the slogan of US workers organizing a general strike for the eight-hour day in 1886, 137 years ago.<\/p>\n

The eight-hour day became US law in 1938, but today auto workers are still fighting for it.\u00a0 Fighting for reforms is futile! Worldwide, 10- or 12-hour shifts and mass unemployment are again the rule.<\/p>\n

Communists and anarchists thought that the eight-hour struggle would unite the working class internationally for revolution. It didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

It fostered among workers the deadly illusion that capitalism can be reformed to meet our needs.\u00a0 It helped kill the international communist movement as a revolutionary force. But the old communist movement never learned this lesson.<\/p>\n

Two Tiers, Many Tiers<\/strong><\/p>\n

Once, union contracts promised all auto workers the same wage. No longer! In 2007, the United Auto Workers allowed Detroit automakers to introduce a \u201ctwo-tier system\u201d to \u201cgain back competitiveness.\u201d \u00a0Now new hires start at $17\/hour \u2013 top pay is $32\/hour.<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0 Fewer workers produce more cars than can be sold profitably. This spells mass unemployment and a declining rate of profit.<\/p>\n

Capitalists\u2019 desperate competition for market share and maximum profits leads directly to World War III.<\/p>\n

Wage Differentials Divide the Working Class<\/strong><\/p>\n

A Ford worker noted, \u201cThe companies need the two-tier system because a house that\u2019s divided can\u2019t stand.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the fight for communism that can unite workers worldwide! Let\u2019s build one International Communist Workers\u2019 Party everywhere, with the one goal of building communism.<\/p>\n

Auto Workers Key for Communist Revolution<\/strong><\/p>\n

The UAW contract with the \u201cbig three\u201d US automakers expires on September 14. Over 146,000 auto workers may strike.\u00a0 It would affect 1.7 million US workers who work in auto-related jobs.<\/p>\n

With a communist outlook, US auto workers could become a key force for revolution, uniting with auto workers worldwide.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The capitalist parasites live off our sweat, tears, and blood. They discard as useless the billions of us worldwide whom they can\u2019t exploit profitably.<\/p>\n

Communism will embrace those unemployed billions as productive workers to shorten our working hours tremendously.<\/p>\n

The bosses need us, but we don\u2019t need them.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Our historic task is to bury capitalism with a worldwide revolutionary war for communism. Communism will eliminate capitalism\u2019s threat of \u201cwork or starve.\u201d Instead, the masses will work motivated by commitment to meet the needs of our class.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s 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\u2019t destroy our environment.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s take Red Flag<\/em> to auto and other industrial workers and soldiers wherever we can, including picket lines.\u00a0 That\u2019s an important step toward freeing our class from wage slavery and imperialist war. Let\u2019s build ICWP collectives in industry worldwide.<\/p>\n

Los Angeles Bus Driver Takes First Small Step Toward Revolution<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

\u201cGood afternoon! Red Flag<\/em>?\u201d asked a comrade.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood afternoon. Thanks,\u201d said a young MTA bus driver who had taken the paper three weeks ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cThings are changing. Capitalism is attacking workers harder. Workers are fighting back. We need a revolution,\u201d said the comrade.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou guys are doing a great job. Keep it up!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are not going to make a revolution by ourselves. We need organizers. Join us!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are not interested. They are caught up in their own world,\u201d the worker replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cThings are changing. Workers are on the move. US autoworkers are threatening a nationwide strike against their 10-hour shifts. They are demanding: \u2018Eight hours of work, eight hours of recreation, and\u00a0eight hours\u00a0of\u00a0sleep.\u2019 In 1886 that was the slogan of US workers fighting for the eight-hour day,\u201d the comrade explained. \u201cThat was 137 years ago. This shows the futility of fighting for reforms. We need revolution.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI agree with you, but my coworkers are satisfied with having a job, a place to live, and their bills paid. They won\u2019t listen to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are right about all that but \u2026 revolution?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything 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<\/p>\n

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\u2019t you take an extra paper for a friend?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay,\u201d she said. \u201cI guess that that means I am starting today.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d said the comrade. \u201cSee you next issue!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014A comrade<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Labor Day Parade<\/strong> WILMINGTON, CA (USA)\u2014<\/strong> A comrade handed another worker Red Flag<\/em> at the Labor Day Parade, saying, \u201cWe\u2019re fighting for a world without money. No rich, no poor. Communism.\u201d The worker replied, \u201cYou\u2019re right. Money is the problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another said, \u201cYes! We need to get rid of capitalism.\u201d<\/p>\n

We distributed 500 Red Flag<\/em> newspapers, all that we had, and 800 leaflets, among about 3000 people. These included unions, school bands, and onlookers.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are here to spread the word about the need for a communist world,\u201d another comrade said. \u201cUnder 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.\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s right,\u201d a worker interrupted.\u00a0 \u201cWe create all the wealth.\u201d<\/p>\n

We made contact with several women who live nearby and noticed our rally. We ended the rally by singing the Internationale.<\/p>\n

Front page of this issue<\/a><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Auto Workers Fighting for Shorter Hours-We Need to End Wage Slavery, Not Reform It here \u2666 LA Bus Driver Takes First, Small Step Toward Revolution here \u2666 LA Labor Day Parade here \u2666 We Need to End Wage Slavery, Not Reform It. US Auto Workers Still Fighting for the \u201cEight-Hour Day\u201d\u00a0 USA, September 10\u2014 \u201cThey\u2019re … Continue reading USA : Strikes Show Danger of Reformism, Potential for Revolution<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6495,"parent":12391,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-12434","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/icwpredflag.org\/wp\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12434","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/icwpredflag.org\/wp\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/icwpredflag.org\/wp\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/icwpredflag.org\/wp\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/icwpredflag.org\/wp\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12434"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/icwpredflag.org\/wp\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12434\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12438,"href":"https:\/\/icwpredflag.org\/wp\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12434\/revisions\/12438"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/icwpredflag.org\/wp\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12391"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/icwpredflag.org\/wp\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6495"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/icwpredflag.org\/wp\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12434"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}