News and Views from the People's Struggle
Austin, TX – On November 20, Austin Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) held a speak out against a U.S. war on Venezuela. A group of students and faculty gathered for speeches at the George Washington statue on the University of Texas campus
Dallas, TX – On November 18, Texas Governor Greg Abbot signed a proclamation declaring Council on American-Islam Relations (CAIR) a terrorist organization under Texas state law. This designation allows the state to add enhanced criminal charges when prosecuting those it deems CAIR members and removes the ability of CAIR affiliates to own property in the state.
Lancaster, TX – In a bold display of unity and shop-floor power, warehouse workers at United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI) in Lancaster marched on management this past Monday, November 17, to deliver a clear message – they are forming a union, and they want it recognized now. The UNFI workers have been organizing to join the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 745.
By Jake Holtzman
Austin, TX – On November 19, a group of around 30 UT Austin students and alumni rallied at the UT Systems Building during the UT board of regents meeting. Students are demanding that UT deny Trump’s Compact on Higher Education, which would slash gender and ethnic studies programs, lower international student enrollment, and limit academic freedom.
Arlington, TX – Plans are moving forward for UPS to automate much of the work at its Lonestar Hub. UPS has framed the automation push as “Modernization” and has favored a “Better, Not Bigger” policy which means reducing overall volume while increasing profits for the company. UPS is anticipating a 6% gain in revenue per package as a result of recent changes; however, they also expect to see a decline of 8.5% in average daily volume. They expect to achieve this by focusing less on volume and more on transporting goods that bring a higher profit per package delivered.
Dallas, TX – On November 13, Starbucks workers who are represented by Starbucks Workers United (SBWU), an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), began and open-ended strike over unfair labor practices they say that Starbucks has committed. The SBWU workers say that Starbucks has been unwilling to bargain in good faith to reach a first contract with the newly formed union.
Austin, TX – On November 7, around 200 students gathered by the UT Tower in opposition to Trump’s “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education,” which would effectively cede more control of the university and its academic programs to the Trump administration.
Austin, TX – On October 20, roughly 200 students, faculty and community members took to the streets at the University of Texas at Austin to reject Trump’s “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education”. This march followed on the momentum of an earlier rally which took place on October 13.
Austin, TX – On October 13, over 200 students, faculty, staff and community members at the University of Texas at Austin gathered at the main tower to reject the compact agreement that Trump’s administration sent to nine universities on October 2.
Garland, TX – A coalition of DFW Anti War Committee, Palestinian Youth Movement and Freedom Road Socialist Organization rallied outside the REPKON USA facility off of Glenbrook Drive, on October 10. Settled in a relatively quiet suburb outside of Dallas next to a high school football stadium, the REPKON facility spans 38 acres and is responsible for the production of the Mk-80 and BLU-109 “bunker buster” bombs, the vast majority of the munitions dropped on families and refugee camps in Gaza along with other theatres of war around the globe.
Dallas, TX – On September 21, the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression-Dallas (NAARPR-Dallas) hosted a rally in solidarity with Chicago, Washington DC and Los Angeles, along with other cities impacted by the deployment or threatened deployment of the National Guard and mass ICE raids.
Dallas, TX – On September 26, The National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression-Dallas organized a vigil to honor the lives of the three victims, two of whom were fatally shot after being detained by ICE.
The Vigil began at 7 p.m. at Civic Garden park in Dallas and lasted well into the night. Many from the community and in allied organizations came to pay their respects to those victims and to their families.
Austin, TX – On October 2, about 25 students gathered on UT’s South Lawn for a vigil in commemoration of the families who have been torn apart by ICE in Trump’s mass deportation campaign. The vigil was organized by the Austin Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) in order to stand in solidarity with the 200,000-plus people who have been deported since Trump was inaugurated in January of this year.
Garland, TX – Over two dozen people gathered on Saturday, September 13, for a town hall meeting for the DFW Anti-War Committee's “Stop the Bombs” campaign to shut down the Repkon munitions factory.
Austin, TX – On Thursday, September 4, around 70 students gathered outside the UT Tower to protest Trump’s bigoted and reactionary agenda. The protest was organized by Austin Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) as a part of a National Day of Action.
“We’re out here to demand protection for immigrants here at UT and in Texas, and also in acknowledgement that Trump wants to turn the whole country into Texas,” SDS member Daniel Ramirez said, in reference to Trump’s attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion and multicultural programs. “We can’t stand alone in this fight, and we’re proud to kick off this semester standing in solidarity with students all over the country in the fight against Trump.”
Dallas, TX – On Saturday, August 30, more than 30 Dallas residents gathered at Pan African Connection Bookstore and Resource Center for discussion on socialism as it pertains to the modern People's Republic of China.
Hosted by the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, (FRSO), the event was part of a speaking tour led by Sydney Loving, a Central Committee member of FRSO, who spent ten days in China as part of a delegation of Friends of Socialist China.
Loving began the presentation by stating, “75 years of socialist construction. We saw a country that has the largest economy in the world as measured by Purchasing Power Parity, which is a more accurate view than GDP, or Gross Domestic Product, which relies on the stock market and inflates the real economy. China's economy is the largest by industrial manufacturing. Even smaller cities are high-tech and increasingly green, life expectancy is over 78 years which is two years longer than the U.S., and of course where over 800 million people have been lifted out of extreme poverty.”
Loving continued, “Thanks to China's socialism they are completing an industrial revolution every decade since the 1980s. China is in the forefront of this new industrial revolution with AI, quantum technology, big data etc. China and the world have changed forever. But despite these advancements China remains controversial in the West, even amongst the left! Believe it or not. So, it's important to seek truth from fact as Mao says.”
Loving expounded on the particular advancements from the five cities she visited, Xi’an, Yan’an, Dunhuang, Jiayu guan and Shanghai.
Loving stated, “We went to Yan’an, which was really the cradle of the revolution from 1935 to 1947. The Red Army re-grouped there after the Long March, and the CPC [Communist Party of China] held the 7th National Congress there, 16 long years after the 6th Congress, because they were fighting Japanese imperialism and the KMT. [Yan’an is] where Mao Zedong Thought was crystalized and adopted. They fought dogmatism and made the decision to be the party of the masses of Chinese people.”
“In Jiayu guan, we visited JISCO, a state-owned steel company that the workers built the whole city around in the 1950s. Today it has 42% green cover, with ponds and parks– remember this is the Gobi Desert, “ said Loving.
“In Shanghai we went to a robotics facility where they demonstrated the advancements for surgery and industry, and a Lenovo factory where they showed off how they’re partnering with the school system to bring advanced tech into rural classrooms,” said Loving.
Loving concluded her presentation by saying, “China is not a utopia, it's a real place. Everything that we saw affirmed that China is continuing to build socialism that centers the people. China is building a future for all of us that is more peaceful and more equal.”
#DallasTX #TX #International #RevolutionaryTheory #China #Socialism
Dallas, TX – On August 18, Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) flight attendants and supporters picketed outside of Dallas – Fort Worth Airport to demand an end to work without pay and for pay raises that reflect the work they do. This comes during stalled contract negotiations and the potential to move into mediation in late August.
Dallas TX – Members of NAARPR Dallas gathered to host a raffle, August 15, to promote vendors’ businesses at the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge in Dallas, Texas. For more than a year, Dallas police have been harassing and kicking out the vendors at the bridge. In one case last summer, DPD officers pinned down a vendor and sprayed her directly in the face with mace.
Dallas, TX – Palestinian Youth Movement called an emergency picket, August 12, at the Dallas Morning News headquarters downtown followed by a vigil for journalists and media members targeted by the Israeli military.
Dallas, TX – Over 100 Dallas residents joined a protest against Boston Consulting Group (BCG) on Friday, July 25 to call attention to the firm’s backing of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which has killed over a thousand Palestinians seeking aid.