http://themilitant.com/2015/7934/793402.html
The Militant (logo)
Vol. 79/No. 34 September 28, 2015
(front page)
Join Socialist Workers Party
drive for new readers!
BY NAOMI CRAINE
How can we strengthen our unions? How do we advance the fight against
cop brutality and killings of Blacks and others? How can workers build
our own party, a labor party based on our unions, independent of all of
the capitalist parties? These are a few of the key questions facing
working people that members of the Socialist Workers Party and Communist
Leagues and those they work with are discussing and debating at strike
picket lines, political protests and on doorsteps in working-class
neighborhoods as part of the party’s international drive to win new
readers of the Militant.
In addition to signing up new subscribers to the newsweekly, which
presents the SWP’s views and organizes its activities, members are
offering timely books on revolutionary working-class politics from
Pathfinder Press at special half-price discounts as part of this
political effort (see offers below).
In the first nine days, 434 people subscribed for the first time or
renewed — a good start to the eight-week drive.
Members of the Los Angeles branch sold eight subscriptions participating
in the annual Labor Day parade and three at a rally of Walmart workers
in Pico Rivera. “We’ve also had success going door to door in the Los
Angeles area and in Oxnard,” an agricultural area a couple hours away,
reported Bill Arth.
“The most interesting discussion I had was with a landscaping worker
originally from Mexico, who is disgusted with the U.S. elections, both
the Republicans and Democrats,” said Arth. “He really liked that we’re a
party, and that we call for a labor party based on the unions that can
organize working people to fight in our own interests. He got a
subscription to read more about the party’s work and program, and said
if he’s convinced we’re who we say, he’ll want to give money.”
“One construction worker started out telling us, ‘I’m a conservative and
a Trump supporter,’” wrote Dean Hazlewood from New York, describing his
experiences on a team that went door to door in a couple of towns in
eastern Long Island. “We showed him the paper and explained that many
workers hate the so-called political correctness and condescending
attitudes of Barack Obama and other Democratic Party politicians. But
Donald Trump also represents the ruling class, and workers need to rely
on our own power and organize independent of them. He ended up getting a
subscription.”
Members and supporters of the Oakland branch of the party won 10 new
readers to the Militant at the Labor Day picnic sponsored by the Alameda
County Labor Council. At a booth promoting the cause of union
recognition at Walmart, “one unionist after another expressed their
solidarity with workers at the retail giant,” reported Joel Britton.
“Many noted experiences members of their families have had working for
Walmart that show the need for a union.”
Some marchers from the American Postal Workers Union, sporting T-shirts
opposing moves by post office bosses to contract out services to the
Staples office supplies outfit, jumped on the special book offers for
subscribers. “With the help of one of their co-workers who had earlier
subscribed to the Militant and who had decided he needed to read
Teamster Politics by Farrell Dobbs,” said Britton, “two postal worker
friends of his signed up for introductory subscriptions and got Teamster
Rebellion or Teamster Politics.” Dobbs’ four-book series, which also
includes Teamster Power and Teamster Bureaucracy, is a treasure chest of
history and lessons from the fight to build a revolutionary union
movement in the 1930s.
“Two readers renewed tonight, and three others made arrangements for us
to come back later this week,” said Katy LeRougetel from the Communist
League in Calgary, Alberta. “We’re going back to the doors of workers
who subscribed in the spring. They’ve been reading the Militant for a
few months, and many want to get some of the books on special too.”
One new reader there took advantage of the offer to get “Capitalism’s
Long Hot Winter Has Begun” in New International no. 12 with his
subscription because he’s trying to understand what’s behind today’s
capitalist economic crisis, LeRougetel said.
Join us in this effort by contacting the party branch in your area.
Related articles:
Socialist Workers Party drive for new readers! (Chart)
‘First payments on their way’ in SWP $100,000 fund drive
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