I made a pot of curried chicken and rice and drove over to the Stella D’Oro plant in the Bronx. There were 15 workers there and as usual they were warm and welcoming. It was a pleasure feeding workers who have stayed together on the picket line for 10 months, refusing to break ranks and scab for a company that’s trying to cut their wages and benefits. One of the shop stewards has walking pneumonia and he looked tired, but he was there because he feels responsible to the other workers.

Many of the workers immediately recognized those of us in the PSC (the CUNY faculty and staff union) who have joined them on the picket lines, helped them give out flyers calling for a boycott of Stella D’Oro products, and worked with them to organize support rallies and marches. Besides the chicken and rice, I also distributed copies of CHALLENGE, with a large front-page picture of the recent march of almost a thousand people — including many Party comrades — to the plant gates.

I had an interesting conversation with an unemployed printer who was there supporting his friend who’s on strike. He has been laid off from two printing companies, the last because clients are now sending printing jobs to competitors in China, where workers are paid very little. He agreed that workers of all different trades need to unite as a class against the owners who compete to see who can pay the least in wages and benefits.

This summer, PLP students and teachers will be visiting the workers regularly, bringing food and red politics to a terrific group of men and women who are determined not to surrender to the owners, and who need and deserve our support.

Red Faculty