By GERRY FOLEY The recent demonstrations in Prague against the international capitalist financial institutions, like previous protests against meetings of international bankers in other cities, have put the issue of imperialist exploitation of the peoples of poor countries forcibly before world public opinion. The attempts of the capitalist press and governments to portray these … Continue reading Prague Bankers Insist they Really Want to ‘Help the Poor’
Month: October 2000
Youth in Action
An open letter: Is Nader an alternative? Dear fellow activists, The Green Party presidential campaign of Ralph Nader has stirred a very interesting debate among young activists about what attitude to take towards the coming elections, the Democratic Party, the Greens, and third parties in general. A definite sign of that interest can be seen … Continue reading Youth in Action
Firestone and Ford: Where the Rubber Meets the Road
Run over a nail and get a flat tire, and usually it's no big deal. But when you're tooling down the highway, and a tire's tread peals away from the casing, tragedy can and does happen. Case in point, the 101 traffic deaths and 400 injuries reported to date that are linked to Bridgestone/Firestone and … Continue reading Firestone and Ford: Where the Rubber Meets the Road
United Electrical Workers (UE) Endorses Nader
Two hundred delegates to the 65th Convention of the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE) on Aug. 30 voted to back Ralph Nader, presidential candidate of the Green Party. UE was a key founder in 1996 of the Labor Party, which has not endorsed a presidential candidate. "Union spokesman Peter Gilmore," reported … Continue reading United Electrical Workers (UE) Endorses Nader
Union ‘Victories’ Mask Continuing Losses
By CHARLES WALKER Some recent high profile union "victories," at Boeing, Verizon, Firestone, and United Airlines mean that other workers will do as well, says the AFL-CIO. "We,'re going to be seeing other impressive union contracts," Richard Bank, director of the AFL-CIO,'s collective bargaining center, predicted. "Union settlements are running higher than they were … Continue reading Union ‘Victories’ Mask Continuing Losses
Workers on Strike in Maine Shipyards
By ART LECLAIR BATH, Maine-At 12:01 a.m., Aug. 28, 4800 members of International Association of Machinists Local S6 struck Bath Iron Works (BIW) facilities in Bath, East Brunswick, and Portland, Maine. The strike resulted when union members rejected the company's contract offer by a margin of 88 percent. BIW, a subsidiary of General Dynamics, … Continue reading Workers on Strike in Maine Shipyards
LA Bus and Rail Workers Stand up to the MTA
By JOANNA BAKER and MICHAEL SCHWARTZ LOS ANGELES-At 12:01 a.m. on Sept. 16, workers from the United Transportation Union (UTU) walked off their jobs when negotiations with the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) failed to produce a decent contract. Workers immediately set up 24-hour picket lines across LA County. Although some surrounding cities are still … Continue reading LA Bus and Rail Workers Stand up to the MTA
TWU Rebels on Verge of N.Y. Union Takeover?
By LEO SCHWARTZ NEW YORK-A Dec. 13 union election may result in the insurgent New Directions Caucus winning control of the Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 100, which represents some 35,000 New York City subway and bus workers. If New Directions (ND) is victorious, the impact within the labor movement is certain to be … Continue reading TWU Rebels on Verge of N.Y. Union Takeover?
Prospects of Resistance by Workers to Capitalist Restoration in Russia
By DAVE HUDSON Following is the conclusion of a document that is being submitted to the World Congress of the Fourth International, which will take place next year. Socialist Action is in general agreement with the views expressed in this document. The author, Dave Hudson, is a British member of the International Executive Committee of … Continue reading Prospects of Resistance by Workers to Capitalist Restoration in Russia
No on School Vouchers!
By CAROLE SELIGMAN SAN FRANCISCO-California public schools, having sunk to the bottom in national indicators of school quality (such as student-teacher ratio, per-pupil funding, etc.), now face another attack in a war to dismantle public education entirely. The attack is called Proposition 38. Because California's initiative process has been usurped by ultra-right-wing capitalists, the … Continue reading No on School Vouchers!
War on Drugs is Really a War on Us
By MARY McINTYRE TULIA, Texas-Across the nation unsuspecting communities have become microcosms of the Drug War, which seems to have become a veritable breeding ground-if not proving ground-of corruption, racism, and injustice while working people foot the bill. Contrary to what the government would like you to believe, the "bad guys" in this war … Continue reading War on Drugs is Really a War on Us
US Cool to Fidel’s Teaching Offer
The Clinton administration evidently does not wish to have publicized Castro's offer to have Cuba teach medicine to college graduates from underserved U.S. minority communities. Juan Gonzalez, the New York Daily News reporter and co-host with Amy Goodman of Pacifica Radio's "Democracy Now" program, reports how the State Department refused a visa to Ricardo Alarcon, … Continue reading US Cool to Fidel’s Teaching Offer
Castro Speaks to Thousands in Harlem
NEW YORK-Fidel Castro, here for a United Nations summit meeting, addressed an enthusiastic crowd of 3000 on Sept. 8 at Riverside Church. An overflow of 1000 heard his speech on loud speakers outside. Riverside Church is the interdenominational and interracial church on the outskirts of Harlem at which Martin Luther King delivered his denunciation of … Continue reading Castro Speaks to Thousands in Harlem
Mumia’s Greeting to Fidel
The following greetings were sent by Mumia Abu-Jamal to the Sept. 8 address by Fidel Castro at Riverside Church in Harlem. Ona Move! On behalf of the committee to welcome the Cuban delegation to the Millennium Summit and their supporters in various communities, we say bien venidos, mis amigos y amigas de Cuba. Bien … Continue reading Mumia’s Greeting to Fidel
FIGHTBACK: Shipwrecked
by Sylvia Weinstein What would we do if we were shipwrecked on an island that had no population but ourselves? And if we wanted to survive until rescued? Understand that among those shipwrecked with us are older people and children, as well as healthy adults, male and female. What do we do to survive? First, … Continue reading FIGHTBACK: Shipwrecked
Federal Judge Refuses Mumia’s Amicus Briefs
By JEFF MACKLER William H. Yohn Jr., the federal district court judge assigned to preside over Mumia Abu-Jamal's appeal of his 1982 Pennsylvania state court frame-up murder conviction, has rejected four important amicus curiae briefs submitted to his court. On death row for over 18 years, Abu-Jamal, an award-winning journalist and author- and an … Continue reading Federal Judge Refuses Mumia’s Amicus Briefs
Serbian Masses Take the Streets: Last Hurrah of Neo-Stalinism
By GERRY FOLEY The clumsy and bullying attempts by the Milosevic regime to retain power in the face of clear popular repudiation have touched off a mass uprising that none of the established political leaderships wanted, including the imperialists and the pro-capitalistYugoslav opposition. As we go to press on Oct. 5, the mass demonstration … Continue reading Serbian Masses Take the Streets: Last Hurrah of Neo-Stalinism