Bulletin of Socialist Party members in

the Activist
distribution contract was transferred over to Eddie Stobbart Ltd in August with the loss of the workers pension schemes and other benefits. To add insult to injury they then handed out the notices with no guarantee of re-employement at the end. The new contracts will have them working on 2.50 less an hour. A strike ballot was called and 91.7% of the Unite-organised drivers voted to come out. The naked greed of Tesco has yet again been laid bare. With their 3.8 billion profit last year, s im ilar prof its registered throughout the recession and with top executives on 1.6million each, Tesco has clearly done a backroom deal with Eddie Stobbarts to tear up the TUPE agreement thereby attempting to leave their loyal workforce on the scrap-heap.

Issue 38 December 2012

Support the Tesco Drivers Strike!

been watching this dispute closely, with similar crimes taking place within distribution for decades. Unite has so far played a decent role in backing their drivers and certainly John Hannett and his cronies can take a leaf out of their book when it comes to defending his own members. Usdaw members are just as angry about the cuts and pay-caps as Unite members, we need to force our leadership to stand firm and defend retail and distribution workers nation-wide. The Activist calls on Usdaw members to raise the strike in their Usdaw branch meetings. We call on members to support the drivers by sending messages of support to Trevor Cheetham c/ o lynncheetham@yahoo.co.uk ( S e n d c o p i e s t o usdawactivist@gmail.com) There have been a number of protests outside Tesco stores taking place and we call for branches to organise similar support. There was also a protest in Westminster on the 31st and more the following week. The National Shop Stewards Network, which the Activist supports, took part. Unite will provide leaflets and placards to anyone wishing to organise a protest outside their local Tesco, email Paul Davies (paul.davies@unitetheunion.org Unite Sector National Organiser) with details of which Tesco you intend to protest outside, how many you expect there and include your mobile number. Also let the Activist know so we can report on your protest.

As we publish this issue of the Activist, Tesco drivers in Doncaster are about to embark on an indefinite strike after the failure of further negotiations. In this article a former Tesco worker looks at the background of the dispute and what USDAW members can do to help.

In one of the biggest disputes involving Tesco workers in the last decade, 182 drivers went on strike for three days on the 31st of October following a successful and well-supported strike on the 9th. Calously in the run-up to Christmas, also the busiest time of the year for Tesco stores, the The local support of the strikers drivers were handed 90 day a n d the disruption notices of redundancy. The caused through the Yorkshire and Humbershide region during this strike has shown the potential to make ESL back www.shopstewards.net down. It was clear Earlier this year, lobbying by the NSSN that despite their claims saw the TUC Congress pass a resolution they dont have the spare looking at the practicalities of a general capacity within their existing strike, despite the opposition of more workforce to carry out the right-wing unions such as USDAW. deliveries performed by the The NSSN is now following this up by Tesco drivers. This was putting pressure on the TUC to make evident by the fact that they good its congress pledge by lobbying the had to employ a scab firm, General Council meeting at Congress Taylors, during the strike. House on Tuesday 11th December from 8.30am. We urge any Activist supporters Usdaw members will have able to attend to do so.

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Bulletin of Socialist Party members in USDAW

Vion - Proof We Need a Fighting Leadership

There has been a huge decimation of Scottish food manufacturing this autumn, and Usdaw members have borne the brunt. A Scottish USDAW member Both the Halls of Broxburn factory in West Lothian and the Freshlink foods factory in Shettleston have closed with the loss of over 1,850 jobs within a matter of months. On the 16th of October the news section of the USDAW website reported Usdaw bitterly disappointed as no credible buyers found for Halls. The factory was closing after a 90 day consultation period between the parent company Vion, Usdaw and the Scottish government, sealing the fate of 1,700 manufacturing jobs. What wasnt reported was that during this 90 day process, the Area Organiser concerned wanted to take a delegation of workers over to the Netherlands to protest at Vions head office. This would have enabled these workers to have their demands heard by the remote management who are making decisions that are affecting thousands of members lives. The response from the bureaucrats at head office was that since Usdaw represents members in other subsidiaries of this company then they shouldnt go over and rock the boat. Then on 19th of November the same section of the website reported Dutch food manufacturer Vion has announced its intention to
ordinary workers.

sell all of its UK food businesses, creating uncertainty for 13,000 employees who work at the companys 38 UK sites. Now that Vion are withdrawing from the UK and there is no boat to rock, whoever held back these workers should hang their heads in shame. Members are being prevented from organising to protect their jobs in order to protect agreements with employers who are only interested in a subdued workforce. The whole approach under John Hannett, of protecting agreements and hoping things will get better under Labour is a dead end. We as members have to claim back our union from the bureaucracy, and demand that this whole fiasco be investigated and the facts be fully reported to the membership.

Mailbag
Usdaw in the Economist Most USDAW members probably dont read the Economist. But in the 1st December issue the union received f u l s o m e p ra is e , r e ga r di n g it s partnership deal with Tesco as a model of union-management concord. This is the same partnership deal that Tesco, one of the most profitable companies in the country, have unilaterally ignored on a number of occasions this year over pension age, bonus payments amongst others. Of course the Economist wants to promote a case of workers getting screwed over by the bosses as something other than it is, it is an ultra -free market magazine which supports the governments austerity measures and is no friend of trade unionists and

attacks. I argued because of the worlds economic crisis that the trade Interestingly, the article contrasts the unions needed to adopt new tactics. timid leadership of USDAW with the rumours that PCS and Unite could The point I was making is well merge in the future, fearing the illustrated by the general secretarys countrys biggest trade union having a column in the summer issue of Arena. militant union leadership that has seen Under the title, The Coalition just the government make concessions wont listen Hannett bemoans, We over the summer and has been one of warned the Government that cutting the champions of the successful call working tax credits, raising VAT, and for a 24 hour general strike at the cutting taxes for millionaires was just TUC. PCS is a left-led union, with plain wrong, but the out-of-touch Socialist Party members a major part Coalition took no notice. of that if only retail workers could have a union leadership like that John that was the exact point I was making. They wont take no notice of Dave Ingham Usdaw. Unless we make them listen. A Fighting Programme for Usdaw When I stood as a candidate for the general secretary of Usdaw, one of the key issue that I challenged John Hannett on was the need to develop a programme to challenge the coming The article correctly explains that, our members are being battered with higher prices, low wage rises, and the treat posed by mass unemployment. The question is what is to be done. John your article provides no answers. As a union we are invisible.

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Cameron has declared he expects us to face his austerity attacks for another 10 years. The poor are As a union we should mobilise for the paying while the top 1% get richer and TUCs demo on 20 October which richer. should be the launch for a whole series of actions including a 24-hour Usdaw is encouraging us all to join the general strike. Lets match the Tories Labour party whose answer is to have determination to make us pay and less cuts now but have them in the take the fight to them. future. The three major parties and

Mailbag (cont.)

along with Usdaw leaders advocate cuts. The Activist and the Socialist Party advocates a different solution. If the system does not work then replace the system. The only answer is to remove the greed of individual gain and replace it with a method were the resources are used to benefit all of us. Robbie Segal

Black Friday Strikes Across Walmart

Walmart stores across the US saw further protests and staff striking on so called Black Friday, 23rd November. This is the second issue of the Activist in a row to feature articles on this issue which we suspect many UK retail workers are unaware of. But we do so, because we think these actions raise important questions of how to organise militant trade unionism in the retail sector, questions that would need addressing if retail workers were to participate in a general strike in the UK. We encourage readers of the Activist to contribute to the Activist with their thoughts on these issues. We reproduce below a further article from the website of Socialist Alternative, US sister party of the Socialist Party.

spend on vicious anti-union lawsuits and worker intimidation programs. Throughout its 50-year history, Walmart has remained union- and strike-free, providing a bastion of the open shop for post-1970s, neoliberal America. But in recent months, this has started to change. Walmart workers are beginning to stand up for their rights.

strikes at Walmart warehouses in Illinois an d California in September - and numerous rolling strikes of small numbers of workers at stores throughout October on Black Friday, up to 1,000 of the companys stores in 46 states were picketed, disrupted or struck. The vast majority of actions involved a single worker walking out of work in protest. But in Paramount, Largest Actions against California, as many as 19 workers took strike action. Walmart on Black Friday On November 23, Black Friday, the largest wave of demonstrations and walkouts ever to hit Walmart took place. The actions were led by OUR Walmart (Organization United for Respect at W almart), an organization of Walmart workers set up by the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union. OUR Walmart has grown to thousands of members in more than 40 states by campaigning against the brutal conditions workers face and using the limited rights non-union workers have. This includes the right to collectively organize and strike over working conditions and retaliation by management. In Secaucus, New Jersey, 400 Occupy and union activists picketed in front of a combined Walmart/Sams Club complex for three hours, flagging down carloads of customers as they entered and getting strong support. Socialist Alternative members participated in the actions. We also went in the store. Using a flash-mob tactic thats hard for managers to predict or control, groups of activists gathered throughout the store at exactly 1:30 and called out Occupy-style mic checks, highlighting the embarrassingly low wages Walmart pays, standing for the need for an end to anti-union terror, and calling on workers to join the campaign to but heroic number of defend their rights. workers have since bold step of walking off We passed out information to Following the historic workers and customers - many of

When you think of the many things wrong with 21st century U.S. capitalism - low wages, dead -end jobs, bosses dictatorship and the super-exploitation of Asian workers to make cheap products for sale to impoverished workers here - one company almost always comes to mind: Walmart. At $8.90 an hour for the average associate, Walmart pays some of the lowest wages in the U.S. while employing a larger share of U.S. workers than any other private company. A small Walmart Perhaps because of this, it finds taken the millions of dollars every year to the job.

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Bulletin of Socialist Party members in USDAW

whom were am used and supportive - and then split up to avoid the anxious managers and security guards roaming the floor and pushing mic-checkers out the door. Once outside, we staged a rally in front of the main entrance for a good half hour before local cops pushed us back, sending us on a loud and winding march through the massive Walmart parking lot. Unions Pursue New Strategy Actions like this took place across the country. They consisted not only of Walmart workers and OUR Walmart staffers, but of many community activists who simply wanted to take a shot at the dominant low-wage corporation. They broadcasted the plight of Walmart workers and the need for change to a large number of customers and helped support the 100-plus Walmart employees already on strike since September. What these actions didnt do, it seems, was negatively affect the companys bottom line. Walmart - of course claims the protests had little impact, but less biased sources, like The Huffington Post, also reported minimal detraction from shopping. At this stage of the game, however, it is arguable that direct economic damage is not the primary goal. Far more important is the confidence that workers are gaining by standing up for their rights in Walmart workplaces.

contract at any given workplace according to official rules less than 1 in 4 - and probably much lower if campaigns are counted that withdraw before elections. At spread-out service firms like Walmart - or McDonalds, Target, Taco Bell, Home Depot, etc. - it is even harder to organize lasting unions on this model, since successful campaigns can be met with store closings due to the relatively low cost of investment in any given outlet.

or the mobilization of social justice, anti-racist, and immigrant rights groups along with other community support networks, as was the case in the famous Justice for Janitors campaigns in the 1990s and many smaller campaigns since. The UFCW has clearly learned from these efforts and from the hundreds of open-membership workers centers sprouting up around the country. In 2011 it founded OUR Walmart as a separate organization that any Walmart worker can join. OUR Walmart is not legally a union: It cannot, for example, bargain with the company over wages and working conditions. What it can do, however, is educate workers about the limited rights they can use and provide workers with an organizing umbrella for ongoing campaigns that may result in formal unionization, as several smaller efforts by the similarly non-union - but union-affiliated Retail Action Project have already done in New York City.

Given this environment, it is unsurprising that ten years of sporadic UFCW campaigns have yielded a big fat zero on the membership charts. Organizing retail - and low-wage service jobs generally - requires going beyond the narrow and ineffective channel otherwise known as the National Labor Relations Board Having tried unsuccessfully for (NLRB). over a decade to organize O rg a n i z i n g Forms Walmart stores, the United Food N e w a n d C om m e rc ia l W or k e rs One way to break out of this (UFCW) - Americas largest retail corral is to build associational union - is clearly pursuing a new power outside the workplace. strategy. U.S. labor law and This can happen either through employers vicious anti-unionism t h e f o r m a t i o n o f o p e n - Another way to break the NLRB make the chances for organizing m e m b e r s h i p w o r k e r deadlock is through the flexing of a union and winning a first organizations, like OUR Walmart, key workers structural power in
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the supply chain. The success of Walmart and other big-box firms is largely a function of their centralized and sophisticated logistics systems. Store-level inventories are replenished through just-in-time deliveries from regional distribution centers, which in turn depend on shipments from huge national transport hubs in the Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York metro areas. Many of these warehouse workers are not employed directly by Walmart, but by multiple layers of shady subcontractors that exercise the most brutal - and blatantly illegal forms of labor exploitation on predominantly immigrant workers. At present, both forms of real worker power - associational and structural - are in processes of form ation am ong W alm art workers, with coordination coming from the UFCW, OUR Walmart, and local workers centers. This kind of bold, movement-building approach is a positive step by the leaders of UFCW and other Change to Win (CtW) unions one which, if consistently pursued over the past 30 or 40 years, might have prevented the colossal decline in unions, wages, and living standards weve seen since then. The Role of the Unions But we also have to be clear that the UFCW and its CtW brethren SEIU, the Teamsters and, to a lesser extent, UFW - are topdown, bureaucratic organizations with track records of squelching union democracy when it conflicts with the objectives and privileges of paid union officials. Not to mention that the leaders of these organizations are bound at the hip to the Democratic Party, funneling millions to them every election season despite the partys continued anti-worker, anti -union, pro-business policies. histories of both the Teamsters and the Steelworkers bear out. The second argument is a recipe for long-term defeat, since the source of worker power under capitalism consists not in contracts or slick negotiating skills or, for that matter, in employer largesse or middle-class sympathy - but in the ability of workers, when they act collectively in their own interests, to shut down key sources of capitalist money-making. The left needs to get involved in these organizing efforts, while at the same time arguing for the maximum power to rest with the workers themselves. At the same time, the left should be putting forward effective, dynamic strategies to help arm a new layer of worker activists at Walmart, who will play the main role in winning the decisive battles to come. Mobilize Millions for Workers R i g h t s Despite the small number of workers who actually struck, the OUR Walmart campaign and the actions taken by hundreds of heroic Walmart workers represent important steps forward. With over 1.4 million workers working in brutal conditions for pitiful wages, the potential for explosive developments cannot be ruled out. Ultimately, winning livingwage jobs, respectful working conditions, and a union for all Walmart workers will require the mobilization of millions. It is absolutely crucial that the activity of Walmart workers themselves be at the heart of any strategy. This includes democratic decision-making by the workers, as opposed to the top-down models that currently dominate the labor movement.

But it is precisely these workers, in contrast to their store-level counterparts, who could shut down big portions of the company through concerted strike action not unlike the sit-down strikers in Flint, Michigan who brought GM to a screeching halt in the winter of 1937. Crucially, the UFCW has begun to build this form of worker power in its campaign against Walmart: Warehouse workers at the Los Angeles and Chicagoarea transport hubs courageously walked out in September to p r o t e s t i n h u m a n w o r k i n g Some on the left might claim that conditions. these factors make unions like the UFCW useless for building These were not random, worker power in U.S. society or at spontaneous actions, but the companies like Walmart. Others products of several years might take a wholly uncritical organizing by immigrant workers approach, delegating all decisionwith the help of local workers making power and moral authority centers: Warehouse Workers to the leaders of UFCW and OUR United (WWU) in L.A. and Walmart. But these are no Warehouse Workers for Justice reasons not to aggressively begin (WWJ) in Chicago. New Jerseys serious organizing efforts. The warehouse workers have also first argument ignores the been organizing under the potential for workers to win framework of the New Labor meaningful material gains even workers center, but they have as under the framework of unions yet been unable to take strike that are bureaucratic and, initially, action. class-collaborationist - as the

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The lessons of the 1930s labor battles will be crucial. Mass strikes, picket lines of thousands, occupations, and other militant tactics will be crucial for effective action by the powerful ranks of Walmart workers. While the current strategy to avoid the normal NLRB channels and use the limited existing laws for non-union workers can provide an important start, ultimately the law is stacked against workers. Organizing at Walmart should be combined with broader campaigns and movements to advance workers rights. While we should take advantage of every single legal opening we can get, we should not acquiesce to the limitations of a draconian legal system designed by corporate politicians to make effective action by workers nearly impossible. Any meaningful change for the 1.4 million workers at Walmart will require mobilizing millions to demand our rights in spite of the law and in defiance of it. Previous struggles have shown that unjust laws can be defeated through massive mobilizations of workers power. Otherwise, there would be no unions today, and racist segregation laws would never have been overturned. This would also mean mobilizing active support among the pubic and the community in defense of these organizing efforts. If a non-union, low-wage Walmart epitomizes much that is wrong with contemporary capitalism, a unionized, living-wage Walmart would point more clearly in the direction of what is really needed: the public ownership and democratic control by workers of all key sectors of the economy, from manufacturing and finance to education, health care and, yes, even retail.

The tale of two wage negotiations

During the last general secretary general secretary has received election, Robbie Segal the Broad another hefty wage increase. Lefts candidate and Socialist Party member, declared she would only accept the wage of a Tesco Minimum wage to increase worker. The Government has accepted Please read the two extracts from the independent Low Pay Comthe members magazine Arena missions* recommendations for which effectively illustrates Robthis years national minimum bies position why officials should wage, which will see the following not be paid incomes massively rates come into effect on 1 Octohigher than its members. We have asked Robbie for her comments ber 2012:

Robbie comments:

In this day and age of austerity why does the leader of a union of the lowest paid workers, mainly young women and men, some with families working mainly part time need that amount of money. How can he understand the reality of making ends met? How can he understand what it is like trying to feed yourself let alone a family or house yourselves on a wage just above the minimum basic and that is printed below. The adult rate will increase by wage that the Low Paid Commission that he sits on recommends? General Secretarys income 11p to 6.19 an hour 2011 The rate for 18-20 year olds will It is beyond belief that his car is worth more than unionised workThe salary paid to the post of remain at 4.98 ers who work in supermarkets General Secretary of 90,035* The rate for 16-17 year olds will earn in a year. The stars of the and employers contributions in union the drivers and pickers in respect of National Insurance and remain at 3.68 an hour and warehouses have taken a dive in Superannuation of 11,287 and The rate for apprentices will in- their wages and conditions. What 18,342 respectively. The value are we becoming when there is placed by the Inland Revenue on crease by 5p to 2.65 an hour Arena, Summer 2012 no fight back from our leaders the car supplied to the General who are sitting pretty thank you Secretary amounts to 10,518. * Hannett is a member of the Low very much? Keep paying your Arena, Autumn 2012 *Since the publication of monies Pay Commission which is respon- subs members! paid to John Hannett in 2011 our sible for the latest increases in the minimum wages.
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