Greeks vote NO to austerity

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VOL. 33, NO. 7, JULY 2015 WWW.SOCIALISTACTION.ORG U.S. / CANADA $1 The class struggle has sharply intensified in Greece since June 27, when Greek Prime Minister and Syriza Party leader Alexis Tsipras called on the people to vote NO in a referendum against blackmail and humili­ ation by Greece’s capitalist creditors. A massive united front, which in­ cluded most sectors of the workers movement, mobilized for the NO vote.

The giant NO rally on the evening of July 3 brought an estimated 150,000 onto Syntagma Square in Athens, filling the area in front of the parliament building and adjacent streets. The NO rally was reported to have been six times larger than the YES rally held simultaneously at a Two days later, on Sunday, July 5, nearly 62% voted NO, and only about 38% voted YES. Most significantly, in working-class districts the vote was 80-to-90% NO, while in upper-class districts it was 80-to-90% YES.

The referendum was a clear outcry by the Greek working class for an end to the austerity, unemployment, and dismantling of social services that they have faced. However, the major European leaders and capi­ talists appear determined to continue to punish Greece and impose a decisive political defeat upon the workers. In order to effectively fight back, workers in Greece must deepen their mobilization and take steps In this issue of Socialist Action, we print two articles by OKDE-Sparta­ kos, our sister party and the Greek section of the Fourth International, By OKDE-SPARTACOS The “NO” answer in the 5th of July’s referendum was a painful slap against the traditional parties of capital, the bourgeoisie, the systemic media. In the short period before the referendum, this disputatious alliance had extorted and terrorized the people, using all means available: Via television, through news­ stadium in Athens. papers, in the workplaces. They only managed to make fools of themselves and to increase the class hate [of the working class against them] even more.

The referendum turned into a pure class fight, regardless of Syriza’s inten­ tions. The working class voted NO and rejected the settlement massively, de­ spite the historical betrayal of the Gen­ eral Working Union’s bureaucracy, which to bring the economy under working-class control. sided openly with the “YES” and with the capitalists.

The bourgeoisie fought hard in favor of which help to point the way forward. — THE EDITORS YES, even those parts of it which weren’t hostile to Syriza. The majority of the middle class, having almost nothing to INSIDE $15 minimum wage — 2 Texas abortion success — 5 SOCIALIST Newark, N.J. march — 3 TPPA — 6 / Greece — 7 Same-sex marriage — 4 Canada news — 8 TPPA: Predatory See page 6 (Above) A rally in central Athens for a NO vote in the referendum.

lose anymore, formed into line with the working class and voted NO. Contrary to those who called for national unity and amity, it became clear to everyone that two, totally different “societies” exist in the country—the exploiters and the ex­ ploited. The escalation of the class con­ sciousness of a large part of the working class creates a vast amount of fear for those who are afraid of a clear expres­ sion of the class and choose national unity as their main slogan, in order to promote complacency and social peace.

Those who tried to avoid a clear stand in this class fight naturally found them­ selves on the fringes. Especially the Communist Party, promoting the nullity refrain [i.e., the party called for voters to abstain] in the referendum, served the working class poorly and, as was the case with its position in December (continued on page 7, in “Greece: Class struggle has no intervals”)

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queers, national minorities, etc. We support the right of self-determination for oppressed nationalities, including Blacks, Chicanos, and Puerto Ricans. We are internationalists, and Socialist Action is a national organization of activists committed to the emancipation of hold that workers of one country have more in common with workers of another than with workers and the oppressed. We strive to revitalize the antiwar, environmental, labor, anti- their own nation’s capitalist class. We seek to link struggles across national boundaries, and racist, feminist, student, and other social movements with a mass-action perspective. In the to build an international revolutionary movement that will facilitate the sharing of experiences process we hope to bring activists together from different backgrounds into a revolutionary and political lessons. That is why we maintain fraternal relations with the Fourth International workers’ party that can successfully challenge the wealthy elite—whose profit-driven system Recognizing the divisions that exist on the left and within the workers’ movement, we seek to form united front type organizations around specific issues where various groups have Our ultimate goal is a truly democratic, environmentally sustainable, and egalitarian agreement. In this way we seek to maximize our impact and demonstrate the power and society organized to satisfy human needs rather than corporate greed. We invite you to join Socialist Action believes that the capitalist state and its institutions are instruments of the We are active partisans of the working class and believe in the need for independent ruling class, and that therefore they cannot be used as tools of the working class but have to working-class politics—not alliances with the bosses’ parties. That is why we call for workers be smashed. That is why we fight for revolution, instead of seeking to merely reform or work in the U.S. to break from the Democratic and Republican parties to build a Labor Party based within the system. When we fight for specific reforms, we do so with the understanding that in the final analysis real social change can only come about with the overthrow of capitalism, We support the struggles of those who are specially oppressed under capitalism—women, Socialist Action (ISSN 0747-4237) is published monthly by Socialist Action Publishing Association, P.O. Box 10328, Oakland, CA 94610.

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June was a good month for the fight for a $15 mini­ mum wage. On June 13, Los Angeles, the second largest city in the country, saw the mayor sign the bill passed by the city council that raised the minimum wage from $9 to $15 over the next five years. This will keep the city ahead of the statewide minimum wage, which was raised to $10 in 2016.

The California State Assembly is now considering raising it to $13 in 2017. Last November, the people of San Francisco voted to increase the minimum wage to $15 by 2018. And not to be outdone, a nearby city, Emeryville, raised its minimum wage to $16 by 2019. On June 2, its city council unanimously passed the or­ dinance, which will be adjusted annually for inflation.

In the meantime, state officials in Arizona agreed to Socialist Action: Where we stand is driving down living standards and threatens all life on this planet.

us in the struggle to make the world a better place!

on the trade unions.

SOCIALIST ACTION Closing news date: July 8, 2015 Editor: Michael Schreiber Canada Editor: Barry Weisleder designed, and laid out entirely by volunteer labor.

Name Address City State Zip Phone E-mail Mark Ralston / AFP/ Getty Images comply with a court decision that cities have the right to raise their own minimum wages. “The state threw in the towel, and they gave us fees to boot,” said attorney Shawn Aiken, who along with attorney Mik Jordahl rep­ resented the Flagstaff Living Wage Coalition. The Flagstaff coalition had sued the state in April over a law that prohibits cities from raising the minimum wage. Group members argued that the cost of living in Flagstaff is nearly impossible to afford on the state’s current minimum wage of $8.05 an hour. Attorney General Mark Brnovich agreed to a Maricopa County Superior Court judgment stating that the 2013 law limiting minimum-wage increases conflicts with Proposition 202, a measure Arizona voters approved in 2006 allowing cities to regulate wages and benefits. The wages cannot be lower than the state’s minimum wage. June has not only seen raises on the West Coast but effectiveness of mass action. the establishment of a workers’ government, and the fight for socialism. • Ashland, Ore.: damonjure@earthlink. net • Chicago: P.O. Box 578428 Chicago, IL 60657, [email protected] • Connecticut: (860) 478-5300 • Duluth, Minn.: [email protected]. www.thenorthernworker.blogspot. com • Kansas City: [email protected] (816) 221-3638 • LOUISVILLE, KY: redlotus51@yahoo. com, (502) 451-2193 • Madison, Wis.:

[email protected] • Minneapolis/St. Paul: (612) 8021482, [email protected] • New York City: (212) 781-5157 • Philadelphia: [email protected] (Left) Los Angeles activists celebrate their obtaining a raise in the city’s minimum wage. also in the heartland of Missouri. In St. Louis, the mayor is proposing to phase in $15 by 2020 from $7.65, which is the current state minimum wage. He is under pressure since a preemption law will take effect in Missouri on Aug. 28. This law will prevent cities from being able to raise their minimum wage higher than that of the state. The Kansas City mayor has also talked about a $15 minimum wage. The state minimum wage is particu­ larly abusive for tipped workers, who are only paid one half of the minimum wage, $3.82 an hour. Also in June, the New York State Wage Board held hearings on the effect of the current minimum wage on fast-food workers. The hearings were held in Buffalo, Albany, Garden City, and Manhattan. Fast-food work­ ers, clergy, and labor groups have been testifying for $15. The current state minimum wage is $8.75 an hour. The New York Labor Commissioner can raise wages of individual occupations without legislative approval. The Restaurant Association in New York opposes any raise in the minimum wage but realizes they cannot compete with the well-organized workers’ movement and its allies, which they refer to as a “dog and pony show.”

“It seems as though this is just a formality, that this is going to get pushed through,” said Jay Holland, a spokesperson for the Restaurant Association. “The business community feels like it’s being ignored.” Some states and cities with strong movements for $15 are currently not moving forward to increase the minimum wage through legislative or court channels. But they have an accessible ballot measure system. The states of Washington and Oregon have seen initiatives in this direction.

Tacoma, Wash., is in close proximity to two cities with a $15 minimum wage. SeaTac was the first victorious ballot measure, and Seattle was the first city to pass a $15 minimum wage measure. But the Tacoma mayor is saying $15 is too high and would be too much of a “shock to the economy.”

Meanwhile, 15 Now’s initiative to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour in Tacoma has qualified to be on the November 2015 ballot. It would apply to all business­ (continued on page 5, in “Court blocks Texas abortion clinic crackdown”)

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Join the Million People’s March! March against police brutality, racial justice, and economic inequality!

Saturday, July 25, 12 noon Begins at Lincoln Monument, Springfield Ave. & W. Market St., Tony Savino / Socialist Action

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