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“Why we aren’t doing the vanguard thing”
I’m writing this note (with the input and influence of comrades) by request, to briefly explain why we in Workers Power don’t assert a presence within or seek involvement with the Left. This applies not just to the liberal so-called Left, with its focus on identity politics and reformism, but even to those who consider …
What’s Wrong With Capitalism? …and why it must be CRUSHED!!
This is available as a pdf for you to print and distribute: CapitalismIsExploitation3 The leaflet without our contact info so you can add your own, if you prefer: CapitalismIsExploitationNoInfo Capitalism is a mode of production, the whole arrangement of the production of goods that meet our needs — like food, clothing and housing. It’s not …
Stickers
If anyone would like a couple of Workers Power stickers, send us a self addressed stamped envelope to: PO Box 460673 Ft Lauderdale FL 33346 Send us pics of where you stick them !!!
Open meeting: Fort Lauderdale, Saturday Feb. 25, 2017
Working people in Fort Lauderdale, please join us for open discussion. Bring your ideas! If we complain about abuse, low pay and victimization at work, if we’re alone we’re simply fired. Let’s come together so we can plan how we might begin to back each other up! Print out these leaflets for your coworkers and …
Workers Dilemma
Report on garment workers’ movement in Bangladesh
We received the following report from the Bangladesh Trade Union Federation: There was a garment workers movement last month in the Asulia area near Savar. Savar is a suburb near the capital Dhaka. The whole area is surrounded by thousands of factories. So strategically this area is important, and therefore under state watch. This was …
The Difference Between a Mobilization and a Strike, Through the Lens of Historical Materialism
I was pleased and honored to be asked by Workers’ Power to write a few thoughts about the upcoming “general strike” one-day action planned to protest the election of Donald John Trump as US president. I have been on strike four or five times; once I was locked out for 27 months at Bridgestone Firestone. …
My Favourite Book of 2016
Many of you are sharing your favourite books from last year on Facebook, and that prompted me to share my favourite book from 2016 too: Raising Expectations (and Raising Hell): My Decade Fighting for the Labor Movement by Jane McAlevey. I read it in the summer, and it’s not only my favourite book from last …
Chains No More: illustrated lyric
Overworked? Underpaid?
We’re all feeling the squeeze. What can we do? ORGANIZE! Profits are higher than ever, but we aren’t paid enough to make a living! We can’t afford basic necessities like food, clothing, rent and medical expenses while our wages are too low. Many of us need two or three jobs just to feed our kids. …
¿Demasiado Trabajo? ¿Gana Poco dinero?
Todo el mundo esta bajo presión. ¿Que podemos hacer? ¡Organizar! Las ganancias empresariales son más altos que nunca, ¡pero no estamos pagado suficiente para sobrevivir! No podemos darnos el lujo de las necesidades básicas, como alimentos, ropa, alquiler, y gastos médicos, mientras que nuestros salarios son demasiado bajos. Muchos de nosotros necesitamos dos o tres …
Sudbury Laundry Workers Attend HSN Board Meeting on Tuesday, November 8, 2016
Initially, we understood this event to be a rally outside the Northeast Cancer Centre (NCC) while the Health Sciences North (HSN) board met, so we made a sign that read: ROY AND BOURDON TAKE $740,000 LAUNDRY WORKERS MAKE $40,000 SOLUTION: PAY BOSSES WHAT WORKERS MAKE SAVINGS: $660,000 On the back, we repeated a slogan we …
If Workers Take Power:
– Instead of the small class of capitalists controlling society, we can make our own decisions about work and social life. – Instead of some of us being forced to work too many hours while others are unable to find a job at all, the work can be divided so everyone works a reasonable amount. …
Take the Hard Road to the High Road
I had a brief late night text conversation with another worker that I’ve been in contact with over the last few weeks and he said something that really made me look back on things…and I agreed. I dropped out of high school in the twelfth grade for my own personal reasons and went to work. …
Kiss My Ass: Your Boss is Not Your Friend
All too often I have seen my coworkers, regardless of what job it was, cozy up to the manager or direct supervisor to gain some sort of favor. For some it’s blatant. But for most, I don’t think they even realize what they’re doing. The blatant ones are “ass kissers” “suck ups” or “brown nosers” …
Confessions of a Petit Bourgeois Radical Striving to Assist the Working Class in the Fight Against Capitalism
An old comrade of mine died last spring. Around 25 years ago we were part of a team distributing “Revolutionary Worker” newspapers in Miami neighborhoods. After I left the RCP a few years later, we ceased working together but remained friends. He left behind a box of pamphlets from the mid- to late-1970s issued by …
Rally Report: Laundry Workers Rally #2, November 2, 2017 at MPP’s Office
The laundry workers’ second rally was better than their first in that workers improved their level of organization. Some workers, as well as officials, greeted and engaged supporters as we arrived. And workers spoke at this rally, and more importantly, they were prepared. They did well, but they didn’t stray from the union officials’ talking …
Worker Report: A Talk with Another Laundry Worker Raises Questions Health Sciences North, Local Media and Even CUPE/OCHU Officials Are Not Asking
Laundry workers have learned that the new contract Health Sciences North (HSN) signed with Mohawk Shared Services (MSS) is for half the laundry Sudbury Hospital Services (SHS) currently launders. Presently, laundry workers process two fifty foot trailers of laundry per day, and this includes folding and loading the carts needed for each floor. The new …
Migrant Dreams Exposes Capitalism’s Nightmare But Finds No Alternative
As foreshadowed by the opening shot of sprawling greenhouses in Leamington, the strength of Migrant Dreams is its documentation of the working conditions migrant farmworkers face in Ontario. The film represents an important advance in our understanding of these conditions, which include: inadequate training, long hours of work without overtime and/or holiday pay, wage theft, …
“He meant me as the rank and file”
They called us “the Oreo gang”, three white guys, four Black guys, working on the Kansas City track maintenance gang in the summer of 1980. Friday was truck wash day, where we’d knock off early and visit the local package liquor store. One of us would go in and get a six pack of Olde …
Workers Power newsletter (South Florida), Fall 2016
Please feel free to share this newsletter widely! Links to PDFs are behind the cut, for downloading and printing on regular 8.5″ x 11″ paper. Front: wpnewsletter1front200 Back: wpnewsletter1back200
The Red Teamster
This poem was written by Chris while driving his truck. Then Stephanie illustrated it. We were inspired by a book we’re reading together about the strikes that rocked Minneapolis in 1934, “Teamster Rebellion” by Farrell Dobbs. Spanish translation below. *** The Red Teamster Behold him, the mighty Teamster Red Wielding that baseball bat Standing proud …
“HSN is taking away my life.” Laundry workers rally in Sudbury, Ontario
Rally Report: Sudbury Laundry Workers Rally, Tuesday, October 18, 2016 We interviewed a laundry worker who works at Sudbury Hospital Services (SHS) in May 2015 for Workers Struggle. You can read that interview here: http://www.workersstrugglesudbury.com/WorkersStruggle-Sudbu… When we arrived at the laundry workers rally yesterday, supporters were gathering on the road that leads up to SHS. …
“We need to speak with one voice!”
We spoke with several independent operator truck drivers in Fort Lauderdale recently. A driver for XX (company names witheld to protect worker anonymity) explained that he has to pay for all the upkeep of his truck, fuel, etc. It costs him about $30 just to come out and wait for work. That day he had …
“¡Tenemos que hablar con una sola voz!”
Un camionero que trabaja con la Empresa “X” (nombre de la empresa declarado desierto para proteger el anonimato) en Ft. Lauderdale habló con nosotros acerca de sus condiciones de trabajo. Nos explicó que él tiene que pagar todo el mantenimiento de su camioneta, incluyendo combustible diesel, seguro, etc. Le cuesta $ 30 sólo para salir …
Are You Misclassified?
Job misclassification seems to be increasingly plaguing our workforce. To cut down on overhead and labor costs, companies are hiring workers as independent contractors instead of employees, so they can avoid paying for equipment, insurance, paid sick leave, overtime etc. Independent contractors, which essentially means workers own their own business, are still often made to …
¿Está mal clasificado?
La clasificación errónea de empleo (mal clasificación) parece estar aumentando en nuestra fuerza de trabajo. Para reducir los gastos generales y de mano de obra, las empresas son contrayendo con trabajadores como contratistas independientes en lugar de empleados, para que las empresas puedan evitar el pago de los equipos, seguro, licencia por enfermedad, horas extras, …
“No one that doesn’t have to be in front of the grill comes near it!”
“This is actually a classic don’t give a fuck about workers story. I work in front of three 6 ft grills that have had the regulators taken out so instead of only 500 degrees, they hit 700 degrees. There is only a 5hp motor running the beleaguered exhaust hoods. It’s in this environment that …
The Lesser Evil
A great new song by John Newlands of Sudbury, Ontario! Capitalist politicians have nothing to offer us; whatever we gain, we need to fight for ourselves.
Truck Drivers Pushed Too Far!
In spite of a growing nationwide truck driver shortage (due to retirement and the unwillingness of the younger generation to enter into the industry), truck drivers are being exploited more than ever. Pay cuts, loss of benefits, vacation time, etc. are plaguing the industry. We’re finding that the independent truck drivers (aka owner operators) are …
¡Camioneros Empujado Demasiado Lejos!
A pesar de la creciente escasez de camioneros en todo el país (debido a la jubilación y la falta de voluntad de la generación más joven para entrar en la industria), los camioneros están siendo explotados más que nunca. Recortes salariales , pérdida de beneficios, tiempo de vacaciones, etc. están plagando la industria. Estamos encontrando …
This is Not Life
Struggle Transforms Us
There are some exciting developments in the railroad industry, an insular world perfectly described by Eugene Debs in his essay “You Railroad Men” which can be easily googled. One of its several colorful passages reads: “Poor, dumb giant, you could in a breath extinguish your pigmy exploiter, were you only conscious of your overmastering power!” …
Bosses’ Day Cards — Don’t Miss Expressing Your Heartfelt Sentiments on Oct. 17!!
Rise Up!
Response to solidarity: statement from garment workers in Haiti
We received this message (original Kreyol is below): We, the workers organized in PLASIT, (Platform of Garment Industry Unions) we salute all our comrades who took part in the solidarity response against all the illegal reprisals and abuse we have faced at the hands of the garment industry bosses in Haiti and all their associates …
The Fight is Still On!
I’ve been working full time in the blue collar sector for over 30 years. I have over 20 years in the transportation industry and another 6 on a factory floor, with a few other jobs during my first few years in the labor force. From early on I started to hear and experience the same …
Worker Testifies: Miner (Sudbury, ON)
Interview by Rachael Charbonneau and John Newlands.The miner’s name has been changed to protect his identity. Saul Idarity works for Vale as a miner. He is unionized with United Steelworkers (USW) Local 6500. With twenty-five years seniority, he’s done it all: drilled, blasted, mucked and bolted – but he has worked right at the face, …