Translation from BC

Figures on the on the growth of homelessness throughout the United States, due to workers who until recently had a house, but lost it because of debts, or were suddenly fired, are truly alarming. For example in recent months the city of San Francisco has suffered a crisis throughout the legal and hi-tech sectors and city authorities show an increase of 257% in evictions and say that more than 60% of homeless people have become so in the last year. Even canteens and food collections are in serious difficulty, in addition to cuts in funding, often the same people who until recently would donate food now find themselves on the receiving end. In the USA the situation is escalating ever more, particularly in California: according to data produced by the Employment Development Department, from November the unemployment rate rose by 8, 4%, which corresponds to about 1,56 million people, 300,000 more than last year. The automobile sector continues to be one of those most affected by the disastrous effects of capitalist crisis. In the U.S., General Motors is finally closing two factories in Ohio and Wisconsin, so nearly 4000 workers longer have a job from the beginning of the year; in Michigan and in Ontario another two factories are at serious risk. This is going to add to heavy cuts already made by the Government and cuts in wages. GM has already planned to expel 31,500 more employees.

The closure of these factories, and the social catastrophe that will follow, highlights once again the negative role of the union, which over the years has supported collaboration and not defending workers' interests, and indeed has created competition between the different sectors, fragmenting the class. Even today, these cuts are supported by the union in the name of the greater good of the company, to avoid bankruptcy. We know that these explanations are far from the truth and only the proletariat will pay for this crisis.

The automobile crisis is felt even in Europe, in Germany at HWU, a supply factory, workers have occupied the plant in order to defend their jobs, threatened by the anticipation of closure by the end of the year. Towards the end of October, the management had declared bankruptcy and was not able to guarantee salaries, the workers had then responded with a spontaneous strike and a 24 hours occupation, ended only with the guarantee of receiving a salary. Towards December came news of closure by the end of the year and employees have decided to occupy the factory. They have no confidence in the promises of the company, which says it will find alternative employment for all.

Faced with this declining situation, in Chicago, the employees of the Republic of Windows & Doors have raised their heads, and on the fifth of December began the occupation of their factory in reaction to the decision of the owners of immediate closure of the establishment. Workers have demanded immediate payment of leave not taken and the payment of unemployment benefits. Employees of the Republic has denounced both the violations of labour law perpetrated by the company as well as position of the Bank of America which has refused to extend the credit line to the Republic and in fact has impeded normal functioning and, therefore, caused the non-payment of sums due to employees. The position of the Bank of America is even more serious if you think the 25 billion dollars that it has just received by the Bush administration (and then from the pockets of taxpayers) just to boost loans to companies in difficulty. The workers’ objective was also to ensure that the management does not move the more important machines elsewhere. The suspicion is that the Republic wants to move production to another plant with a lower level of conflict, in Iowa. The workers occupying the Republic have been busy receiving the support (including concrete and material) from many workers not only in the United States but also abroad. Petitions and pickets took place almost immediately hundreds of people came to the occupied factory. Of course, given the obvious violation of the law, for many bourgeois politicians and trade unionists it was easy to descend like vultures to bring their "disinterested" solidarity. On December 10, the employees of the Republic decided to end the occupation. The Bank of America had in fact made available an increase in the loan to the company for the payment of unemployment benefits, the leave not taken and health insurance contributions. The main union sees this result as a great victory. If one stops to think that in the United States the last occupations of factories dated back to the thirties, it is easy to see a reason for enthusiasm, especially considering the strong support expressed by other sectors of the working class.

However there still remains the fundamental problem of the structural crisis of the economy. The policy of containment of the damage carried out by the unions is really exhausted. These are just heinous examples of what is happening: millions of workers will continue to lose their jobs in coming months and will find it difficult to find another in the short term.