May 1, 2011 is the 125th anniversary of the U.S. 1886 general strike for the 8-hour day. Since then, May 1st has become the holiday of workers everywhere, a day when workers assess the progress of their movement, and a day of marches, protests, struggle, and international solidarity.
This May Day comes with the international working class everywhere under stepped-up assault by the capitalists and their governments. But the past year has been one of mounting resistance. Millions of European workers went into the streets against austerity budgets. Significant protests have broken out against budget cutting in the U.S. And in North Africa and the Middle East the workers have risen shoulder to shoulder with all of the oppressed masses to topple long-entrenched tyrants! These developments are truly something to celebrate.
North Africa and the Middle East
The working people of these countries have long lived under dictatorships supported by the United States and other imperialist powers, and these imperialist-allied governments have followed neo-liberal economic policies, worsening unemployment and poverty. But beginning in Tunisia in December, the masses of people throughout the Arab world have increasingly stood up, demanding democracy, rights, an end to corruption, and economic concessions from the employers and governments. They’ve driven ben Ali of Tunisia, Mubarak of Egypt from power; and now Saleh of Yemen is on his way out, while the Syrian people are rising as never before!
The 25 million strong Egyptian working class is playing a dramatic role in this great popular uprising. The workers were active in 18 days of continuous demonstrations that eventually brought millions into the streets, and active in all the battles with the police and goons. Moreover, the workers’ growing strike movement around both economic and political demands was the final act leading to Mubarak’s resignation.
But after this the workers continued strikes in defiance of warnings by the generals who took over, and united with the rest of the democratic movement around political demands: arrest Mubarak and other notorious murderers from the deposed regime; lift the repressive emergency laws in force since 1981; raise the minimum wage; and more. And when the military then outlawed all protests and strikes which disrupt the economy or state institutions the workers and other progressive masses defied this too. Today, they continue to wage economic and political struggles while getting organized as never before.
New struggle in the United States
Obama and the Democrats essentially gave $trillions to the Wall Street robbers after taking office. Then, while the Democrats still controlled Congress they extended Bush’s tax cuts for the wealthy: hundreds of $billions more for the rich! But when it comes to the workers and poor they freeze wages for public employees and cry that the federal budget must be cut. Meanwhile, both Republican- and Democrat-controlled state and local governments are also shifting the burden of the economic crisis onto the backs of the workers and poor. Tens of thousands of teachers are being fired and schools closed, college tuitions dramatically increased, programs that help the elderly, ill, national minorities, immigrants, and others in need are being cut back or eliminated.
But this is not going without protests, with the Wisconsin events being an inspiring example. There, protesters occupied the state capital buildings for a month to oppose draconian budget cuts and attacks on the collective bargaining rights of state workers. Thousands of teachers and other workers called in sick. Students walked out of classes. Demonstrations grew to be as large as 100,000 people. And there were calls for a general strike. But the Democrats and top trade union leaders which many protesters looked to for leadership agreed that there should be budget cuts, and they opposed strikes. Their main concern was to keep collective bargaining rights…not because they want to use the strike weapon against the capitalists, but because they want to keep collecting union dues while selling the workers concessions-filled contracts.
Stop the deportations! Full rights for all immigrants!
Meanwhile, Obama and the Democrats came into office pretending to be friends of migrant workers. But the actual content of their proposed immigration reform was a huge attack on migrants: more fences and border patrol agents; a version of the notorious bracero program; biometric Social Security cards; fines, fees, learning English, and a years-long maze of legal hoops. They’ve now stopped pushing this attack, while the Obama administration deports more migrant workers than Bush or any other president! Meanwhile, various states have already passed racist anti-immigrant laws, while others are debating them.
This is a golden egg for the employers because as long as migrant workers are without rights, and forced to live in fear of deportation, then exploiting their labor power becomes extra profitable. But for the working class this inhuman treatment of undocumented sisters and brothers is an outrage that is also used by the capitalists to drive down the wages and conditions of all.
Build the independent political movement of the working class!
The Republicans and Democrats share a common program: shift the burden of the economic crises onto the backs of the masses, brutalize and super-exploit migrant workers, ignore mounting environmental catastrophe, and wage imperialist wars. This is because they’re the political handmaidens of the capitalist class. To resist the effects of capitalism the working class must therefore build its movement independent of and against these twin parties of the exploiters. More, it should unite all the necessary immediate struggles with the great goal raised by workers in the historic general strike begun on May Day, 1886: “Abolition of the wages system!”
Salute the uprisings in North Africa and the Middle East!
Salute the Wisconsin and other protesters!
Defend undocumented immigrants!
Workers of the world, unite!
Seattle Anti-Imperialist Committee, April 30, 2011