the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
Aug 1, 2011
Nearly 1000 public sector workers turned out in Detroit to protest government attacks on wages and benefits, and cuts in public services. Workers from most state departments and five different counties came out, rushing to get there, since they were on their lunch time! Teachers and Wayne County workers came out, too. And several fire trucks and a police cruiser went by blaring their horns. The crowd was raucous!
Public workers at every level are being attacked. We’re all being told we have to pay for a crisis we didn’t create–so the rich can keep raking in billions!
Well, the workers who came to demonstrate had had enough! Union big wigs, like Cindy Estrada, and politicians may have pushed themselves up to the microphones–but the workers expressed themselves in the many chants that local union activists led with their bullhorns: “They say cut back, we say fight back!” or “They say bottom line, we say front line!” or simply “Shut It Down!”–meaning Lansing.
The protest ended with the chant: “We’ll be back!” The sooner, the better!