from the series Raise Your Voice…
By PETER MOLENAAR
Most of our neighbors are familiar with the 11th Avenue bridge as a way of crossing Interstate 94 to access Elliot Park. However, most are likely unfamiliar with the zigzag required to locate 620 12th Avenue South, the headquarters of the Laborers International Union of North America (LIUNA) Local 563. LIUNA represents workers who build roads and bridges, schools, hospitals and energy systems. They also played host to a race and labor history training with the caption: UNITED WE RISE, DIVIDED WE FALL.
The Workers Confluence Fund spawned the event via the Minneapolis Labor Center. Justice educator from Seattle Mark McDermott presented slides and commentary, which induced round table discussions between an array of union members and folks from community organizations. Centro De Trabajadores Unidos En La Lucha (CTUL) was present. The English/Spanish translation was excellent.
According to plan, the round tables were called upon to address the entire gathering. I then rose in opposition to Trump’s attempt to divide workers in his recent statements that undocumented workers are stealing “Black jobs” and “Hispanic jobs.” Question: should millions of people be forced into concentration camps?
Then, drawing on the locally-developed Climate Equity Plan, I undertook to expand their vision of jobs training to address the infrastructure needs of our entire country. Researchers estimate that the clean energy transition will demand trillions in spending, along with a massive deployment of labor power. No worker is then redundant, and entering the program should constitute a path to citizenship.
But what?
Next year’s military budget is projected to be over $850 billion, while observers expect nuclear weapons programs will cost more than $2 trillion over three decades. Meanwhile, NATO is planning to ramp up its “never ending” war with Russia despite the fact that negotiations should have commenced before the fighting started! Moreover, the 2025 plan orbiting Trump proposes massive tax cuts for billionaires.
Let’s not forget that the vast majority of all corporate stock is owned by the wealthiest sliver of Americans, who mostly do nothing but rake in the dividends. To save our country, we must then, in the short view: TAX THE RICH, CUT MILITARY SPENDING. However, in the long view, the answer is: social ownership of the means of production.
Peter Molenaar advocates a broad united-front, even as he describes socialism as the future solution.
