Vol. 72/No. 26      June 30, 2008

“One of the main goals of our tour has been to fulfill the pledge we put forward at the beginning of the campaign, that we would join workers in the struggles they are engaged in today,” Calero told the Militant. “So far we have been successful in this and we will continue to do so through November and beyond.”  
 
Immigrant rights
The candidates described some of the stops they made on the tour. “The first place I went was to an immigrant rights conference in Indianapolis, Indiana, in January, which was organized to protest new legislation targeting undocumented workers, as well as to plan for demonstrations for legalization that were to take place on May 1,” said Calero. He pointed out that the demands for legalization of all undocumented workers and for an end to the raids and deportations characterized several of the struggles he has taken part in over the course of the election campaign. The socialist platform champions immediate, unconditional legalization for all.

Both candidates helped build and took part in the May 1 mobilizations, which tens of thousands joined.

“Despite the attacks that undocumented workers face today, they refuse to be seen simply as victims,” explained Kennedy. “In Los Angeles, I had the opportunity to join a protest in February against a factory raid where around 150 workers were arrested. Some of the participants in the protest were among those arrested in the plant. They proudly marched with their ankle bracelets displayed, showing no fear. We got a very good response around our demand for legalization.”

Kennedy recently returned from a tour stop in Postville, Iowa, where several hundred workers in a meatpacking plant were seized in an immigration raid in May. She described the solidarity that was shown by many workers to those who were affected. “As we drove through the town,” she said, “we noticed a large number of homes had red ribbons displayed on them. We found out later that this was to show support for the workers who had been targeted in the raid.”  
 
Labor party
The Socialist Workers campaign makes its central demand the call for a labor party, based on a fighting union movement, that can take the struggles of working people into the political arena. “Many workers know that the Democrats and Republicans don’t represent our interests,” explained Calero. “We get a lot of interest and discussion around the idea of a labor party that can take on the bosses’ candidates in Washington.

“For example, I did a radio interview in San Francisco, and one worker called in to say he agreed with me that the unions should break with the Democrats. I later found out that workers at an apparel warehouse I had visited earlier that day ended up listening to the radio show at work.”

Both candidates described how their experiences as working-class fighters appeal to many of those engaged in struggle today.

Calero worked several years as a meat packer in the Midwest. In 2000, he was part of a union-organizing drive at Dakota Premium Foods in South St. Paul, Minnesota. There, the workers fought a two-year long battle that won union representation. Calero has reached out in solidarity to workers there several times over recent months as they have successfully beaten back an attempt by the company to decertify the union.

Calero was born in Nicaragua and carries a green card. In 2002, he was arrested by immigration cops upon his return from a Militant reporting trip to Cuba and Mexico. He was held in jail for 10 days and the government sought to deport him. With broad support from groups and individuals in support of immigrant and workers’ rights, including the union at Dakota Foods, a defense campaign was waged that won his right to live and work in the United States. “Working people fighting for their rights identify with the example of that defense campaign,” said Calero. “While you’re never guaranteed to win, you only stand a chance if you put up a fight.”  
 
Coal miners strike
From 2003 to 2006 Kennedy was a leading militant in a union organizing battle at the Co-Op coal mine outside Huntington, Utah. The miners there, in their majority immigrants from Mexico, fought for United Mine Workers union representation to win safer working conditions, an end to abuse by the bosses, and improved wages, which were between $5 and $7 an hour at the time. “Many of the workers that we meet are very interested in and often identify with my experiences at the Co-Op mine,” said Kennedy.

She brought that experience to Minneapolis this spring where she met with Dakota workers as part of her tour stop. She spoke on a radio show in defense of their fight. “The radio show host decided to invite the meat packers to appear on his show as a result,” she recalled.

The candidates have also spent some time campaigning outside the United States. In April and May, Calero visited New Zealand and Australia, while Kennedy traveled to the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Canada, speaking about the class struggle in the United States and learning about the struggles of workers abroad.

In Stockholm, Sweden, Kennedy was invited to speak with the executive board of the Somali Peace and Development Organization. There, they got into a discussion about the legacy of imperialism in Africa and specifically whether or not either the “West” or China could play a beneficial role. “One of them asked me if I think China’s presence in Africa would be a better alternative than domination by the U.S. and Europe,” said Kennedy. “I explained that neither Washington nor Beijing acts in the interests of working people in Africa, but the one example of internationalist aid to Africa with no strings attached is that of Cuba.” Many of them knew what I was talking about and nodded their heads affirmatively.”

Calero described attending a rally of striking teachers in Sydney, Australia, as well as a meeting there in defense of Aboriginal rights.

“Learning about and supporting the struggles of our fellow workers abroad helps us in our common fight,” said Calero.

One aspect of the campaign that has had an impact on the candidates is the response they receive from students. Calero and Kennedy have spoken at campus meetings and in classrooms in a number of different cities from Denton, Texas to New Brunswick, New Jersey.

“Every classroom I speak at, the questions are very serious,” said Kennedy. “The students are genuinely interested in how they can change the world. The revolutionary working-class perspective that our campaign offers is very unique to them. The discussion always comes down to ‘is a socialist revolution possible in the United States?’ and they always listen intently for my answer.”
 
 
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