BY MAURICE WILLIAMS, BEVERLY BERNARDO, AND PAUL KOURI
Last week saw the best sales yet in the campaign to win new readers to the Militant, Perspectiva Mundial (PM), and the Marxist magazine New International. As we enter the final week of the sales drive, supporters of the socialist press need to sell 438 Militant subscriptions, 120 subscriptions to Perspectiva Mundial, and 92 copies of the Marxist magazine New International to make the goals by May 10.

The latest sales efforts show this is possible as socialist workers, members of the Young Socialists, and other supporters sold subscriptions and hundreds of papers to workers on the picket lines, at plant gates, and on the job last week. Members of the United Auto Workers in Burlington, Iowa; East Moline, Illinois; and Racine, Wisconsin, bought a total of 56 copies of the Militant following meetings where they rejected the contract offered by the Case Corp., (see page 6). Supporters in New Zealand got back on track with a sales team to Massey University in Palmerston North selling 11 Militant subscriptions, two copies of New International, and 11 Pathfinder titles. Below are other reports of sales activities by socialist activists responding to the accelerated pace of working-class struggles around the world.

VANCOUVER - We had our best week of the drive yet winning 14 new readers to the Militant and one new reader to Perspectiva Mundial. A woman from Puerto Rico bought a PM subscription at a farm workers rally in Mount Vernon, Washington. She expressed interest in building a meeting to celebrate 100 years of struggle against Yankee imperialism.

Three supporters of the socialist press, including a member of the Young Socialists, went to Vancouver Island to sell the Militant and express solidarity with Fletcher Challenge workers, who are returning to their jobs after a nine-month strike. Workers who drove out of the mill read our sign that said: "Read the Militant: For worldwide labor news. From Australian dock workers to B.C. pulp and paper workers at Fletcher Challenge." The paper workers purchased 24 copies of the Militant and four people left their names and phone numbers to contact them later about subscribing.

SAN FRANCISCO - We carried out most of our plans this week, selling 18 Militant subscriptions, five PM subs, and four copies of New International. Six subs were bought by co- workers on the job. We sold three Militant subscriptions at the College of San Mateo. The student who invited us to come there brought several of his friends over to our literature table.

Supporters of the campaign who are members of the Oil, Chemical, and Atomic Workers union sold three Militant subscriptions and one PM sub to their co-workers during the week. They reported striking up conversations with workers they had not previously approached about subscribing. Activists who are members of the United Transportation Union and the International Association of Machinists both sold one subscription to the Militant.

Last Saturday we sent a sales team to East Palo Alto, a mixed Black and Latino community, where many fights against police brutality have occurred over the years. The team sold three Perspectiva Mundial and two Militant subscriptions, including one sub to a woman from Togo, who said there is a growing Togolese population in East Palo Alto.

The next day we sent teams to three Cinco de Mayo events. At the San Francisco event marking the Mexican national holiday, members of the United Farm Workers contingent purchased two Militant and three PM subscriptions. We sold another two Militant subs in San Jose.

For the final week of the drive we plan to go out every evening during the week and every day where it is possible to organize teams. We are preparing to use next Friday - payday for longshore workers - to campaign at the docks with the articles on the Australian dock workers strike.

Los Angeles - A team of Militant supporters sold 50 copies of the paper to Los Angeles-area dock workers at the Friday pay line. "We've got to stick together," said one longshoreman as he purchased a subscription to the Militant. Many of the workers were aware of the struggle of dock workers in Australia to defend their union and were anxious to read the Militant's firsthand coverage from the picket lines. They also expressed interest in the strike by the McDonald's workers in Ohio. One dock worker bought $140 worth of Pathfinder books from our display table.

Gale Shangold, the Socialist Workers Party candidate for governor of California, and her campaign supporters spent the afternoon talking with the dock workers about working- class struggles around the world.

As we go to press, Friedman sent another note. "I sold 21 Militants, all that I had, in five hours at work. This includes seven subscriptions-five new, two renewals-and even a pamphlet Socialism and Man in Cuba. He continued, "All of the people who bought subs had read the paper on occasion, or in the past, but saw the need now to subscribe to follow the contract developments and to read about the AMFA victory at Alaska Airlines and what that means. There was also interest in the Australian longshore workers fight, and the article on the origins of May Day," Friedman said. "Northwest IAM members in Los Angeles want to solidarize with the work-to-rule and safety campaigns being carried out by ramp workers, mechanics, and pilots."

In responding to this development, Militant supporter Sam Farley, also in Los Angeles, sold four subscriptions to his co-workers in one day at another airline.

Other sales of the socialist press to airline workers at Northwest include Minneapolis where workers bought 35 copies of the Militant. "Knowing the article on Northwest job actions was reported in this issue, we had our bundle sent early," wrote Tony Lane. "We beefed up our usual plant gate sales team, which sold 21 copies of the Militant. Two supporters of the campaign sold another 14 copies of the paper to their co-workers, plus a renewal and an introductory subscription to the Militant."

"We did something unusual to attract attention, taping broomsticks on the literature table and hanging a paper banner that read in Spanish: `Subscribe to Perspectiva Mundial; Independence for Puerto Rico; Free Antonio Camacho Now!; Equal rights for all immigrants; Stop the `Cold War' against Cuba.' A young Puerto worker stopped when he noticed the slogan to free Camacho and bought a subscription to PM."  
 
 
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