SEATTLE, WA, October 26 — As CHALLENGE reported (10/28), Boeing International Association of Machinists (IAM) union district president Wroblewski hasn’t found the time to attend our local meetings since the Party’s summer plant-gate demonstrations against the no-strike deal. He has, however, found time to participate in secret no-strike talks in Chicago and Washington, D.C. led by international IAM president Buffenbarger (Seattle Times, 10/22, front page).

This shocker reemphasized how serious the bosses are about imposing fascist conditions on industrial workers. These times call for nothing less than the long-term fight for communist revolution. Increased CHALLENGE networks and revolutionary class-conscious leadership moving workers into class struggle are paramount.

In contrast, the day before many local union officials joined Boeing representatives in company cafeterias praising “20 Years [of] Building Bridges Together,” celebrating joint safety and training programs. More like building bridges to capitulation to fascism!

The UAW at Boeing is doing its class-collaborationist part. Refusing to let workers strike after their contract expired earlier this month at the Philadelphia military helicopter plant, the union leadership rammed through an extra-long 5-year contract last week. This pales before the plans discussed at the IAM secret talks — a 10-year no-strike pledge!

Reject Capitalist Illusions; Build A Workers’ Movement

Wroblewski’s e-mail response to the Times article is patently absurd: “There are no ‘secret talks’ …just ongoing discussions.” Calls to the International have resulted in equally unbelievable assurances. “Maybe, we’ll wait till the new contract comes up [in 2012] to consider a 10-year pact,” an international official suggested by way of “reassuring” us. Why believe anything these fascists-in-waiting say? They’re clearly not opposed in principal to disarming us for 10 years.

These “reassurances” negatively affect our ability to fight back. We should not underestimate U.S. rulers’ absolute need to develop fascist control as their empire wanes because of international capitalist rivalry. Many of us may have the vain hope of some negotiated, relatively “peaceful” solution.

For years we’ve followed a certain path: Contracts come every three or four years. Often we strike, trying to stop Boeing from cutting our wages and benefits. Sometimes we even override the union’s sellouts.  But we never break the chains of wage slavery, only fight to change the shape of exploitation.

As fascism is consolidated, these contracts, more than ever, clamp down on class struggle. “You can’t strike. You are under contract,” the Seattle Times editorial gleefully declares, saying we must give in to the bosses’ demands.

Boeing bosses have used racism to contract out work to factories with predominantly immigrant, black and Latino workforces, at poverty wages, a central part of fascism.

Advancing under these conditions requires strengthening the Party’s anti-racist communist political base-building, our CHALLENGE networks and developing the closer personal ties allowing us to struggle for a revolutionary outlook among readers, sellers, their families and friends.

Real gains are harder to come by because of the bosses’ fascist plans. The union misleaders’ snake oil will never spontaneously disappear. As our campaign against this no-strike deal gathers steam, our success will be judged, in part, on how much we can win workers away from capitalist illusions and to our Party. Let’s replace 5, 10, 20 years of building bridges to fascism with 5, 10, 20 years of building for communist revolution! J

BULLETIN — As we go to press, Boeing has abandoned the no-strike talks. U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D.-WA.) and Washington governor Chris Gregorie intervened over the weekend. That led to further direct talks between the IAM general vice-president and Boeing, with the union offering further concessions to get a 10-year pact. The talks’ end most likely means the second 787 production line will be moved to Charleston, S.C., eventually employing 3,800.