IAM Local calls for new labor strategy

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allies—especially women, Blacks of STRAIGHT TRACK and I am and Latinos, and all other victims sure that the initiative taken by of the injustices imposed on us my local will be of interest to cle from the June 1992 issue of take up the need to break from the STRAIGHT TRACK newspa- International Association of two parties of big business and to per which we think will be of Machinists (IAM), has adopted a form an independent Labor Party resolution calling for a new labor based on the unions and democratstrategy. It has been submitted to ically controlled by its memberthe IAM for consideration at our published by the Intercraft Asso- national convention scheduled for ciation of Minnesota (ICAM), late summer of 1992. The Local which is a coalition of rail union 565 resolution calls for a return Party be to wage a united struggle members from various crafts and to the fighting strategy that built by working people and their allies the powerful industrial union for a government which serves movement of the 1930s and '40s. the interests of the great majority.

Labor's motto should be: Workparticipation of all rail workers in their respective unions and soli- ing you a copy of a portion of ing people make the country darity in action between all rail our resolution indicating the run—Working people should run unions in pursuit of its common direction of our proposals for action. Readers interested in receiving a copy of the full text return to the militant policies of can write me at 535 Day Street, the 1930s and '40s which built tance of full cooperation between our unions into a mighty social rail unionists on different rail- and economic force. The militant roads. Finally, ICAM points to RESOLVED, That the IAM use mass mobilizations of millions the need for rail labor to reach out its enormous potential influence of workers, combined with indein solidarity to other sections of in the American labor movement pendent working class political the labor movement as well as to call for an emergency Congress action would make American the general public whose lives are of Labor, where rank and file rep- labor the mightiest force for funresentatives and officers from damental change this world has every union throughout the coun- yet seen. The millions of currentSTRAIGHT TRACK and try would participate in ly alienated, unorganized workers ICAM write to: STRAIGHT democratically formulating a would once again be inspired to TRACK, 3948 Central Ave, fightback program. One that join the ranks of organized labor meets the needs of working and look to the labor movement America and of all its natural B BILL LEUMER, I have been a long-time reader President, Local Lodge 565, IAM We are reprinting below an arti- your readers.

My union, Local Lodge 565, interest to our readers.

STRAIGHT TRACK is unions.

ICAM promotes the broadest I have taken the liberty of sendgoals.

ICAM recognizes the imporSan Francisco, CA 94131. ...THEREFORE BEIT deeply affected by the industry.

For more information about N.E., Minneapolis, MN 55421.

-the editors by corporate America. And;

That this Congress of Labor nan * ..

ship. And;

That the goal of the Labor the country!

Baltimore That the Labor Party lead a P.O. Box 16005 Baltimore, MD 21218 Boston P.O. Box 1046 GMF Boston, MA 02205 (617) 497-0230 Chloago P.O. Box 578428 Chicago, IL 60657 (312) 327-5752 Cincinnati P.O. Box 20109 Cincinnati, OH 45220 (513) 751-1597 as their own ... Cloveland P.O. Box 6151 Cleveland, OH 44101 (216) 429-2167 Detrolt P.O. Box 1613 Detroit, Mi 48231 Kansas Clty P.O. Box 32543 Westport Station, Kansas City, MO 6411 (For information about ' other areas, contact the national office of Socialist Action at (415) 821-0458. Los Angalos P.O. Box 862014 Los Angeles, CA 90086 (213) 660-2891 Minnespots P.O. Box 14087 Dinkeytown Station Minneapolis, MN 55414 (612) 430-1476 Now York P.O. Box 20209 Ca. Fin 693 Columbus Ave. Now York, N.Y. 10025 (212) 281-2084 San Franclsco 3425 Army St., San Francisco, CA 94 (415) 821-0511 FAX: (415) 821-0166

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NOW conference (continued from page other potential victims.

The ability of NOW-affiliated organizations to get the feminist message to millions through the Sunday newspaper is a result of the respect-and clout-NOW won.

Its ability to mobilize powerful feminist actions shows the news media that the demands NOW raises have massive support among the population as a whole. They know that for every person who made the trip to Washington, D.C., thousands more at home support the goal of abortion rights.

What should be our agenda?

This new national stature puts a special responsibility on NOW's 1992 national conference. It must carry the feminist struggle forward, winning new adherents and broader support, particularly among Black and Latina women, who are most supportive of feminist demands and goals.

To accomplish this, NOW should aggressively champion the needs and aspirations of women on whom the burden of sexism is heaviest: those with the least economic independence, the poor, the unemployed, and those with children to support who earn low wages.

Unfortunately, judging from the speakers at the April 5 demonstration and the performance of one of NOW's largest chapters-San Francisco-this does not seem to be the direction NOW is heading in June of 1992, despite the national conference's theme of "Diversity." The NOW leadership's main project between now and the November general election is to elect women to office.

The women most consistently promoted by NOW are not too impressive.

Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, two Californians running for U.S. Senate, both favor the death penalty. Both supported the Gulf war. While Mayor of San Francisco, Feinstein vetoed several pieces of legislation that would have benefited women, including a pro-choice resolution. Feinstein opposed implementing comparable worth for city workers, and opposed city-funded childcare.

Both Boxer and Feinstein are big-money Democrats who speak as feminists but whose base of financial support in these high-priced senate races is the wealthy capitalist owners of real estate and industry, whose profits derive in part from the special exploitation of women.

All the women politicians NOW is promoting, with a few Republican exceptions, are Democrats.

But the Democratic Party is no friend of women. Women's rights have never been protected or advanced by the Democratic Party. Anti-woman government policies, such as cutbacks on social services and regressive taxes, are bipartisan. But the Democrats try to make it seem that only Republicans are responsible for these conditions. This lie is also being sold in the Black community in the same way.

Blacks have had a long history of experience with politicians who try to co-opt and take credit for the Black liberation movement. African Americans fought to end the "Jim Crow" segregation laws in the 1950s and 1960s. At the time, the supporters of the "Jim Crow" laws were heavily based in the Democratic Party (its Dixiecrat wing).

After Black people built a massive direct action movement that swept away the "Jim Crow" segregation laws of the South, the capitalist politicians jumped on the bandwagon. Presidents Kennedy and Johnson took credit for civil rights and voting rights legislation-which the movement forced Congress to pass. Johnson, who had been known as a racist Texas Congressman, became "the civil rights president."

Political independence

Similarly, politicians are now trying to co-opt and take credit for the feminist movement. The movement can take credit for making it possible for women to run and win elections-to the degree that it has battered down sexist ideology among the voters.

But the movement should not mistake this victory for the kind of victory possible if a woman was elected to public office as part of a labor party ticket or a Black party slate.

In other words, for an electoral victory to serve women's interests, it must be genuinely independent of the two capitalist parties. The Democrats and Republicans are two hands of the same monster, American capitalism. Neither party can represent the interests of women, Blacks, Latinos, or, in fact, any working person. The reason both these parties exist is to assure the continued operation of their profit system-their ability to exploit us.

Until that time when a real independent party, a workers' party, can be built, women's interests cannot be served in the Even if a candidate claims to support all the main feminist issues-abortion and all reproductive rights, childcare, the equal rights amendment, equal pay, publicly funded healthcare, etc.—their adherence to the two-party structure is an automatic negation of consistently defending women's rights.

NOW must continue to fight for all women's rights as an opponent of the Democratic and Republican parties, not as a participant, because these two parties are enemies of women!

The NOW conference should instead call another mass national march and educational campaign for women's rights and reach the majority who support women's rights by mobilizing our power independent of the rulers and their two-party system.

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"Feinstein vetoed several pieces of legislation that would have benefited women, including a pro- choice resolution."