Connolly Lives! Class struggle intensifies in New York City

international | worker & community struggles and protests | news report

Wednesday December 21, 2005 00:33

by gurley flynn

The Living Legacy of James Connolly

The Transport Workers Union in New York City has gone on strike and shut down the biggest mass transit system in the world. The TWU was founded in the 1930s by Irish radicals based on the industrial unionism ideas of James Connolly. The walkout by 34,000 workers shows that the ideas of Connolly are a living reality in New York City.

New York City was put on its feet today thanks to the strike by the Transport Workers Union whose members run the transit system. Named for Jim Larkin's union the TWU was founded in the 1930s by Irish socialist republicans led by IRA man Mike Quill of Gortloughera, Kilgarvan, County Kerry. (Gortloughera, please take a bow).
James Gralton, the only Irishman ever deported from Ireland (by the phony bastards in the 'republican' party, Fianna Fail) played a key role due to his friendship with Quill, and his promotion of the industrial unionism ideas of James Connolly, and through the Communist Party backed Irish Worker Clubs. The national chairman of the Communist Party, U.S.A., William Foster, the son of a Fenian, also was influential. But it was the workers themselves led by Quinn who bulit one of the most effective workers organizations in the world. Quill became a martyr to the class struggle when he was jailed during the 1966 strike. He collapsed in jail and was removed to hospital. The rich bastards who controlled the Transport System caved in after 10 days. Quill emerged from hospital to a jubilant celebration. But he died a few days later. He was a little over 60 years of age.
There was another strike in 1980. The workers victory here was not so jubilant as they had to pay massive fines, imposed under the draconian Taylor Law, passed by the bosses after the 1966 strike.
During the negotiations which preceded the current intensification of the class struggle, the millionaire businessman, Kalikow, who heads the Metropolitan Transportation Authority demanded give-backs in pensions and health care. And he offered the workers a paltry pay increase, despite the MTA having a billion dollars surplus and massive increases in worker productivity.
The leader of the TWU, Trinidadian Roger Touissant, made a pilgrimage to Kilgarvan shortly after he became leader.
A judge today ordered that the TWU be fined one million dollars for every day of the strike. The TWU leadership will show the same contempt for this as Quill did in 1966 when he tore up the court injunction, saying that injunctions do not run trains, and telling the judge to drop dead in his black robes.
Other worker unions have come out in support of the TWU. Brian McLaughlin of the Central Labor Council of NY, has offered one million dollars for the strike fund. Lynch, leader of the police union, spoke at a massive rally yesterday. He said that his father, who was a TWU member and on strike in 1966 and 1980, was not a criminal and that the union members today were not criminals either. Such class solidarity has scared the billionaire mayor of New York, Bloomberg, who today called for no negotiations until the workers return to work. Pataki, the Republican governor, who has already joined the race for the Republican nomination for President, is also taking a hard line.
As the capitalist class intensifies the world-wide war on workers, this struggle here in the core city of capitalism is key. But the living manifestation of Connollys ideas, the TWU, is alive and fighting in New York City today. Well might the rich and powerful tremble.

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Comments (8 of 8)

Indefinite transport strike in New York

by CWI

Wed Dec 21, 2005 00:48

Support Transit Workers' Fight for a Decent Contract!
Socialist Alternative (CWI), New York
http://www.socialistworld.net/

The Union is being ridiculous

by New York

Wed Dec 21, 2005 15:08

"As I'm walking, I hope the are walking Roger Toussaint (the Transport Workers Union leader) to jail," - Peter Johnson, 56, a Columbia College administrator trekking to work along Broadway.

"The people this will hurt the most are the working poor. They can't bear another burden, especially at this festive time of the year."

The New York pension plans are very generous in comparison with other cities. A Citizens Budget Commission study released in April to urge a redesign of retirement benefits for the city's public employees, and that's what this is about. They are costing the city $400m per day. Were it not for the dedication of all the people to get to work every day, the MTA would have far fewer jobs and far fewer benefits.

Lots of information at nyc indymedia

by Chekov

Wed Dec 21, 2005 15:26

Including details of their Taylor Law which makes strikes by public employees illegal!!!

You get fined twice your daily wage for every day you spend on strike. Ah - the land of the free!

Great Blogger Blogs the Strike And the Racial Aspects Thereof

by eeekkkkk

Thu Dec 22, 2005 00:46

Mayor forgot the city's not all white everywhere - just on tv

'thugs' racist codeword broke camels back

just cause

by jon

Sat Dec 24, 2005 09:28

Yes, there is a just cause. Workers of the world, Unite!!! The trade Unions are indeed the vehicle to the workers' state. Both Marx and Engles agreed to that, along with William Morris. After all , these workers make the wealth and are only seeking to improve their living standards. I hope the move towards electrification happens though, as the pollution of the inturnal gas engines produces too much poison for my liking. Re-tool the entire industrial revolution to wind, tidal, and solar power which transforms to electricity and is more power than can be used by society. No more blackouts. This non-pollution solution is given freely in natures kinder laws and provides work for all and forever more. It would also help if the workers in the TWU were given fifty-one per cent of the ownership in the public company so long and expensive strikes would not be needed . Viva the One Big Union. A workers' world is possible.

TWU, must practice workers democracy as collective agreewoment to win.

Sat Dec 24, 2005 21:21

The thread of victory has been laid in that the workers and their leadership had the courage to strike for improved conditions and to shut down the largest city in America, proving once again where the real power lays. However , as we found by the TWU-- Telecommunications Workers Union- in Canada just recently. The victory may be short lived if the leadership does not take the collective agreement to the membership for a vote, before calling the strike off. A sure sign of weakness in the union structure is for one leader , who was elected by the membership and therefore is responsible to their democracy for his or her power, if agreement is near that they must renew that sacred trust and only have in the agreement that the membership must vote on the proposed collective agreement before calling the strike off. Apparently there is some constructive criticism going on to Tousaint for not doing so before calling the strike off. Now importantly, the members should call a meeting and discuss the agreement and vote on it to decide if they want it or not, and if the wish to continue the strike or not. Power to the workers-- that way the trade unions become a vehicle to the workers' state as Marx, and Engles forecast at the inception of the industrial revolution.

transit strike

by saoirse

Sun Jan 01, 2006 10:28

catroina45 at aol dot com

elite exec.
obviously has forgotteN that the MTA has
a BILLION DOLLAR surplus--
and doesn't know
that many transit union employees
DO NOT get any freebies and
holy horse $hit--- not only are WE walking as well,the sameas THEM --we pay full frigginfare when these same buses and trains are running.
same as the medias full blown SCATLOGY
about a STARTING pay of 55Gs.....
MTA picks the dates for a contract to end...and that's their dateS ,not the union's.
AND PLEEEEEZE--
it's a strike--
not a class struggle.

Workers Reject Contract

by pat c

Tue Jan 31, 2006 12:35

By a very narrow vote, TWU members have rejected the new contract on offer from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority . What now?

pat c

"In a surprise coup at the ballot box on Friday, New York City transit workers refused to ratify the contract that their leadership negotiated for them in the wake of the three-day pre-Christmas strike, reviving fears that the city may again be paralyzed by a work stoppage.

The margin of defeat was rail-thin. Out of over 22,000 votes cast, there were just seven more nays than yeas. But short of a recount, the contract is dead—a stark reversal of fortunes for Transport Workers Union president Roger Toussaint. During the strike, the former subway car cleaner survived the wrath of millions of nettled commuters just long enough to win some real concessions from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). Toussaint faces possible jail time for the strike, not to mention the millions in fines leveled at the union, but he had managed to preserve pensions and lock in pay increases substantial enough to make New York Governor George Pataki wonder aloud if the MTA hadn’t gotten ripped off in its rush to end the strike. "

Full article at link.

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Connolly Lives! Class struggle intensifies in New York City

Comments (8 of 8)