The turnout of some 8,000 angry transit workers on March 28 was a strong statement that workers are prepared to wage a militant fight to defend the Health Benefit Trust (HBT). Thousands of workers eagerly took copies of Revolutionary Transit Worker (RTW) and many carried our placards with the slogan No Health Fund, No Work! Prepare to Strike! Hundreds of transit workers at the March 28 rally told supporters of RTW that our slogan, “Prepare to Strike!“ was on the money. Many who got RTW wrote in asking for bundles of copies to give their co-workers, as well as to receive future issues (if you haven’t signed-up yet, write to us with your name, address, telephone number and Local 100 division). Many demonstrators interviewed in the media said we’d have to strike to win.
Transit workers have shown they’re ready to fight back and are looking for opportunities to do so. A TWU leadership which intended a serious fight would build more rallies, soon, so that we could gather and see our strength, united and growing. It would use mass mobilizations to tell the membership the truth: we won’t get our health benefits and other gains back unless we strike for them. Any so-called leader who says that “The workers aren’t ready to strike,” is making cheap excuses not to fight. Many are ready, and it’s the duty of serious leaders to help the rest get ready. The MTA is proving daily that they fear nothing else. Some argue that if the MTA provoked an ill-planned strike, it would be disastrous for us. Fair enough: but the way to avoid an ill-planned strike is to prepare well for one. The most worst outcome of all for us would be to back down without a strike when that’s the only way to win.
Anyway, the MTA isn’t trying to provoke a strike. Their unyielding attitude comes from their long history of pushing the union around with impunity. Apparently, they believe they still can. It’s time to show them otherwise.
Unfortunately, neither Local 100 President Toussaint nor anyone else from New Directions channeled the militant spirit of the ranks into a clear plan for mass action. Toussaint and his leadership team, instead of saying, “We brought out 8,000 workers this time, and we can bring out more next time!“, are allowing the membership’s momentum to dissipate. They should have called a general membership meeting right after the rally, when the members were stoked. There the ranks would have discussed and voted on the way forward. Toussaint has yet to set a date for his promised general membership meeting: is he afraid of masses of workers deciding our own fate?
Many long-time members of ND are now grumbling about Toussaint’s going back on his promise of general membership meetings, as well as about his other back-sliding which RTW also criticizes. These are important questions for discussion and decision by the whole membership, not behind-the-scenes grumbling by some ND union officials. We challenge these ND’ers to join other workers in openly demanding: General Membership Meeting Now! A serious fight for this demand could attract the support of many transit workers and make it happen.
Instead of using the rally to prepare militant mass action, Toussaint used it as a platform for Democratic Party politicians, including four mayoral candidates and Jesse Jackson. It also received greetings from Senator Hillary Clinton. That the purpose was to boost the Democrats is clear from the report in the April Local 100 Express. In a 23 sentence article, the thousands of angry transit workers get 11 sentences, and the Democratic Party politicians get 12!
During our strike movement, none of the candidates defended us against the Giuliani-MTA-Wall Street onslaught. Hillary Clinton came out in support of Giuliani’s injunctions against our strike movement at the time! When they want our votes, the Democrats speechify against hard-hearted bosses and for poor, suffering workers. But their message is “Don’t fight, vote!“ When we wage mass struggle in the future, they’ll turn on us again.
Indeed an excellent example of this is Jesse Jackson, who has a long history of using his reputation as a “friend of labor” and fighter against racism to quell workers’ struggles, including those of transit workers. For example, the strike by Los Angeles transit workers was going very well last year. It enjoyed the public’s support in spite of the transit bosses spending millions on anti-strike advertising. When the bureaucrats of other unions encouraged their members to scab, the workers refused! No wonder when the transit union’s leaders brought to the membership a sellout contract that included the introduction of part-time low-pay workers and privatization, the workers unanimously rejected it and vowed to continue the strike. At that point Jesse Jackson rushed in to tell the workers to end their strike and accept the same concessions. Jackson’s priority was making sure that a strike didn’t embarrass the Democrats whose convention was coming up in LA shortly after. Feeling isolated and facing their own leaders’ opposition to a continued struggle, the workers saw no alternative but to accept the rotten deal.
Instead of Democrats or Republicans who talk nice at election time but always serve the bosses, we need a revolutionary leadership that shows how to fight the bosses.
Apparently, Toussaint has learned a lot from the capitalist politicians. He and other leaders from New Directions used to talk about mobilizing the ranks, militant action and fighting the sell-out policies of the old guard. Now they hold power, and, like typical bureaucrats, they reassure the media and the bosses. Toussaint, according to the Chief of April 6, refused to say that the MTA’s intransigence might cause job actions, saying, “I think there are lots of other ways for us to [get HBT funding] within the Taylor Law, whether it’s legal action, member mobilization or educating the community and the riders.” Of course, he has suggested no member mobilization other than the March 28 rally. But the Taylor Law exists precisely to prevent us from taking effective action to win our demands!
In fact, Toussaint is prepared to cut deals at the expense of the ranks in order to avoid a struggle. Shortly after the rally Toussaint, again according to the Chief, “suggested that favorable agreements could be made on ... a large-scale apprentice program or a plan to introduce additional technological advances ...” These are on the MTA’s current wish list of take-backs to get journeyman’s labor from lower-paid apprentices in the first place, and cut jobs in the second.
There have been negotiations between the TWU and the MTA, but Local 100 leaders haven’t reported back to the members on the results, if any. As of this writing, the TA has restored no funds to the HBT and hasn’t backed down from demanding big speed-ups and other take-backs in return for our health care. Further, the MTA seems to be launching new attacks. Track management, for instance, is using little-known contract clauses to change crew reporting locations at will, with no regard for the Pick. Labor Relations has declared at least one member AWOL for going on leave for union business. Management was afraid of the members’ rage after the Local election threw out the old guard. Now they seem to be getting bolder, perhaps believing the new Local leadership will hold the membership back.
Many workers are frustrated by the lack of progress in the struggle against the HBT cuts, but still want to give the Toussaint leadership more time to prove itself. While we think the Toussaint leadership’s true colors are already showing, we’re ready to unite with these workers to push for the actions the leadership should take. We should call for another mass rally to regain our momentum, and demand General Membership Meeting Now! so that the workers themselves can discuss and decide on the way forward.
Some workers already see the need to strike against the MTA’s attacks. But more are, for the moment, unsure. Another mass rally and growing calls for a mass membership meeting would boost workers’ confidence and win greater support for our slogan, No Health Fund, No Work! Prepare to Strike! This way we can mobilize and prepare our fightback while letting the bosses know we mean business.
We can win this fight! What we need is a leadership that’s ready to take on the bosses. Workers who agree should contact us. As part of a rising movement of transit workers, a small but growing group committed to seeing the struggle go all the way to victory could play a great role!