Abayomi Azikiwe, editor of the Pan-African News Wire, speaking to the people in downtown Detroit on March 15, 2008. Bryan Pfeifer of the AFT holds bullhorn. (Alan Pollock)., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.
Wisconsin: Lighting the fires of class struggle
Published Dec 5, 2011 8:53 PM
Excerpts from a talk given by WWP organizer in Wisconsin, Bryan G. Pfeifer, at the Workers World Party National Conference on Oct. 8-9 in New York City.
Propelled by unrelenting exploitation and oppression by the ruling class, Gov. Scott Walker’s union-busting bill that was being pushed by finance capital, and inspired by the Egyptian people’s uprising, Wisconsin’s working class and oppressed began their weeks-long occupation and protests at the state Capitol in Madison on Feb. 14.
Workers World Party was there as the occupation began to take shape, and tens of thousands joined the largest student-worker occupation in this country in decades. The unions took center stage. For the first time in a long time, they were looked to by the masses for leadership and direction. Youth, students and organizations such as Voces de la Frontera took a decisive leadership role, allied with the unions and community organizations. The skills and experience gathered will be a boon for our class.
Ushering in a new period of resistance in the U.S., the world watched the power of our class — over the Internet — as youth and students, workers and the oppressed slept on marble floors, rallied daily and flocked to the capitol battlefield for weeks.
The Occupy Wall Street Movement is as inspired by the Wisconsin people’s uprising as the Wisconsin people were inspired by the Egyptian people.
Poor and working people worldwide swelled with joy and pride as their sisters and brothers in Wisconsin brought international resistance to the racist, imperialist U.S. The exemplary self-sacrifice of the masses, the firefighters, the youth and students, the workers and oppressed were on full display. “Fight like an Egyptian” echoed throughout the Capitol.
Pushing forward despite challenges
In alliance with all workers and oppressed, the Wisconsin masses are pushing forward the struggle despite challenges and repressive state attacks.
Despite the qualitative leap in mass consciousness and positive advances, the Wisconsin people’s struggle is challenged by a void of class consciousness. This includes the Democrats and labor lieutenants co-opting, derailing or muting various forms of struggle, helping to quash the potential for a general strike, not understanding low-wage capitalism, not running working-class candidates for office after the successful recalls, and not understanding the role of the repressive state apparatus under capitalism.
Another major challenge is that more privileged members of our class within unions aren’t prioritizing reaching out to and supporting Black and Latino/a people in Milwaukee. As finance capital and its politicians’ attacks on public sector unions are anti-women and racist, the unions must defend these specially oppressed sectors of the working class.
Workers World Party’s former Chairperson Sam Marcy and comrade Dottie Ballan always asked what is in the interests of the world revolutionary struggle and what is in the interests of uniting all the revolutionary and progressive forces? Solidarity is important. Comrade Sam emphasized that unity between white and other workers and the oppressed of all nationalities must be achieved for victory in day-to-day class struggles and for a successful socialist revolution.
WWP’s approach to the Wisconsin people’s uprising is to support the workers and the oppressed who are in motion. Revolutionary theory goes hand-in-hand with revolutionary practice.
The Wisconsin people’s uprising and the Occupy Wall Street Movement are qualitative advances against capitalist bosses and bankers. We aren’t bystanders or mere sympathizers in this global class struggle. We understood that a people’s victory in Wisconsin would be a victory for the world’s working class and oppressed. We gave whatever support we could — to learn from this struggle and to influence it in a more anti-racist, class-conscious and socialist direction.
We had to win the confidence and respect of the masses to do outreach and recruitment for the party and to reestablish a branch in Milwaukee and possibly elsewhere in Wisconsin. Our party had to make the masses’ struggle our struggle. We’ve done that. We have had to work with all progressive and revolutionary forces on all issues and work to build socialist unity.
We sacrificed our resources and ourselves. Two dozen of our cadres have been in Wisconsin at various times since February. They have gathered WW newspaper subscriptions, gone on speaking tours, attended demonstrations, held discussions especially in Milwaukee’s Black and Latino/a communities, and distributed countless leaflets. We played a decisive role in defeating the Sept. 3 Nazi recruitment rally in West Allis. We support Wisconsin’s Occupy Wall Street movement and many mass struggles. We need more cadres.
In Wisconsin, across the U.S. and internationally, we can’t undo the horrors of capitalist-imperialism without revolutionary Marxist-Leninist theory and practice. For the sake of humanity and the planet, we must put capitalist-imperialism into the dustbin of history where it belongs.
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