NEW YORK CITY, February 10 — Today, thousands of angry striking workers, members of the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU), took over the Brooklyn Bridge, insisting that the city and billionaire Mayor Bloomberg listen to their demands. The large and spirited march showed what CHALLENGE has been reporting from the beginning, that the school bus drivers and matrons are fiercely determined to make their stand in what they see as a life-and-death struggle for survival and dignity.
They have been facing freezing weather, constant attacks from the media and the latest indignation, threatened denial of food stamps to those who need them. Yet despite all this, and the remnants of the recent blizzard, thousands marched today.
The mis-leadership in this strike is becoming increasingly apparent. Union officials provided no sound system to speak of, although groups of workers did their best to fire up the crowd and lead chants. The spirit was amazing as everyone helped each other navigate the ice and slush from Brooklyn.
When workers finally reached the Manhattan side, they had to endure speeches by politicians, preachers and union hacks. Even worse, one key speaker proclaimed, “We think Mayor Bloomberg has a heart.” Well, we think not, and nor do the strikers. Not with schools and hospitals closing and billionaire Bloomberg trying to bust the union in order to drive down wages even more. One of the picketline chants is “What’s disgusting? Union busting? Who’s disgusting? Bloomberg’s disgusting!” At the picket lines, one will see rank-and-file leadership, but rarely one of the local misleaders.
Why is this happening now?
Throughout the U.S., workers are facing sharp attacks on their living standards. As CHALLENGE has often said, this is due to U.S. capitalists; (1) seeking to maintain their profits in a world of increasing international capitalist competition; (2) needing to prepare a war chest; and (3) constantly driving for maximum profits.
For school bus workers this explains why Bloomberg and the bus owners want to scrap the EPP contract provision that protects job security and pay scales for drivers and matrons (attendants). Both groups of workers have an eight-year wage progression from starting to top pay — $14/hr. to $29/hr. for drivers and $9/hr. to $15/hr for matrons.
Loss of EPP would mean that a company bidding for bus routes could hire new workers at starting pay to replace senior workers. This would drive down wages, end the long-term employment of school bus workers and end any long-standing relationship between them and the families who count on them to safely transport their children, many of whom are handicapped and have strong ties with these workers.
Solidarity with Parents and Students
One striker explained how he notifies parents along his route if he was delayed. He said he doesn’t want them to have to wait in bad weather until the bus arrived. We suggested that he also call parents to explain the reasons for the strike and ask for their support. Strikers reaching out to the parents, not only picketing the bus depots, can help build solidarity and win the strike.
The support of high school students has also been important. PL’ers have been bringing various student organizations to the picket line every week, which has been invaluable. Students are learning more about the class struggle. Some workers told us they feel much more hopeful when they see the next generation coming out to the lines instead of playing video games or hanging out. We’re getting a taste of building unity between parents, teachers, students and the strikers.
Union Leaders Selling Out the Rank and File
From the beginning, strikers have welcomed us to their picket lines. They understand that support from other unions, students, parents and community groups is important to their struggle. They even added a chant, “Thank you...for your support,” which also goes out to the many passing trucks, cars and NYC transit busses which “honk” their solidarity.
The ATU leadership has done little to marshal this kind of support. On Groundhog Day at the Staten Island Zoo, they called for a rally but had no plan to leaflet the many parents who came that day. Highly-paid union functionaries don’t want to challenge the capitalist system that allows them to live more like bosses than the workers they are supposed to represent. In fact, New York’s Central Labor Council called for a “cooling off” period which would have ended the strike without resolving the job security/pay scale issues.
Racism: Bosses’ Tool to Divide and Conquer
A large percentage of the drivers and matrons are black and Latino. Many are immigrants from the English- and Creole-speaking Caribbean as well as from Europe. We see real multiracial unity on the picket lines. Many strikers act like a family, taking care and helping each other through the bad weather and the long hours of picket duty.
It’s important to point out the racist nature of the bosses’ union-busting attack. The unity of this multiracial group of strikers is setting an example to all workers citywide. They are very clear about the fact that eventually all the workers in the city will be facing a similar attack. The city bosses don’t want other unions and workers to come out to see this example of militancy and show their support.
What Is Winning?
Other workers throughout the city have been truly inspired by this relatively small group of workers who have drawn the line in the sand and have refused to back down. But as long as the bosses who own the corporations and run the government, courts, and cops and have the union misleaders in their back pockets, they have the power to take away any gains  that we workers may win. However, by taking a stand and fighting back in sharp class struggle, and  building unity of the entire working class, with communist ideas this strike can become a “school for communism.” It can provide a glimpse into what a world run by and for the workers would be like!