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    Vol.60/No.24           June 17, 1996 
 
 
Striking Truckers Discuss Fight At Los Angeles Forum  

BY CRAIG HONTS

LOS ANGELES - Some 110 people, including 80 striking truckers, attended a Militant Labor Forum here May 17 entitled "Support the Truckers Strike."

The forum was conducted in Spanish, with translation in English, since most in the audience were from Mexico and Central America.

Before the meeting began, about 20 strikers gathered in front of the Pathfinder bookstore, where the event was being held, to discuss what the forum was about. Some were under the impression it was a union-sponsored event. Others were clear it was a free-speech political meeting. After talking about it for a while they decided as a group to come in and participate in the discussion.

The truckers sharply curtailed the operation of the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles when they went on strike April 28. Since then a discussion has ensued about how to continue the fight as carriers offering double the ordinary rate moved to entice truckers back to work while using the courts and the media to try to isolate the strikers.

Speaking at the forum was Vanessa Knapton, Socialist Workers Party candidate for U.S. Congress, 33rd C.D., and José Ventura, a striking trucker and member of Communication Workers of America Local 9400.

"The fight points to the increased weight and role of immigrant workers in strengthening the labor movement," Knapton said. A large percentage of striking truckers are immigrants, primarily from Central America and Mexico.

Ventura spoke about some of the obstacles the strikers are running into, like court injunctions limiting picketers to five per gate and arrests by the police. "But we refuse to be intimidated," he said. "The companies are strong and it's a hard fight but we must seek wider support. They won't serve us victory on a silver platter. We have to struggle to win."

In the discussion period one striker explained how the employers try to pit workers of different nationalities and colors against each other. "They try to divide us to exploit us," he said. "They say we're asking too much... It's not a question of $25 per hour. The most important thing is to recover our lost dignity. We came across the border -they made so many promises. They even promised credit cards. They gave the credit cards and now we're deeper in debt than ever."

"We want $25 an hour and expenses," another trucker said. "We want workers to be treated like human beings and we're going to win this struggle. A lot of us are from Central America. We know how to fight."

Craig Honts is a railroad worker and member of United Transportation Union Local 1674.  
 
 
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