Rob Mirabito – Boston, MA, Member of Carpenters Union Local 33
Throughout my life, I listened to family members talk of the value of being in a union and voting Democrat. It didn’t take much research to become disgusted with this contradiction. On the issue of the Iraq war, the Democrats have only continued their tradition of being a pro-war friend to big business. From FDR’s use of the National Guard to suppress strikers to Bill Clinton’s NAFTA, from Truman’s Taft-Hartley Act to LBJ’s war on Vietnam, the Democratic Party has been a consistent back-stabber of the working class.
The power of the ruling class stems from its ability to divide workers. Racism, sexism, poverty, and war are staples of class society, and it cannot exist without them. As the labor movement gets weaker, the bosses get stronger. I became a socialist because I believe that the working class must be united to effectively beat back the assault of big business.
A workers’ party, with a clear aim to transform society, would give us a voice to demand an end to all the wars, military recruiters out of our schools, a halt to the erosion of civil liberties, and an end to the dictatorship of big business. I believe that socialism is the only way to fight the injustices that workers face everyday.