From: harelb@math.cornell.edu (Harel Barzilai)
Subject: CALL for LABOR PARTY
Followup-To: alt.activism.d
Originator: daemon@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
Organization: ?
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1992 03:04:00 GMT


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Topic 263       Lcl 1100 President:Labor Party Now 
dwalters        Labor News & Notes       3:35 pm  Aug 18, 1992 
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UFCW Local 100 President Bill Fiore: 

'We have to start the Labor Party here. We need to get an independent
labor candidate into local office.'

 (The following speech was presented by Bill Fiore on Saturday, July
25, at an evening rally in San Francisco held as part of the July
25-26 National Conference for Independent Labor Political Action.
Fiore is president of Local 1100 of the United Food and Commercial
Workers Union in San Francisco.)

Well, it's always nice to be first. I didn't make it this morning. I'm
sorry I didn't. I heard there were some great speeches made.  I'm not
going to bore you with a long speech. I think this conference is a
great idea, and I think the idea of a labor party is absolutely
necessary. We can see by the popularity of Perot that there's a real
need in this country, a real political void. And there are a lot of
working people out there that I think are really sick and tired of
being sick and tired. They're looking for some direction.

Now, we sat around here today, and had a lot of good ideas about a lot
of things that I think we already now. A lot of us know the things
we've talked about today. They're good to rehash, they're good to hear
again, but I think it's time and I hope there's interest in a platform
being put together Q hopefully out of this meeting. Something
tangible.

There are at least five issues out there I'm sure everybody can agree
on. I'll just name a couple of them.

The right to strike. A living wage. Healthcare, education, the
environment.

We may have different ways of wanting to get there, but I'm sure
there's at least four or five issues that we all agree on.  I think
it's time that the labor movement give those people out there that
went to Perot, and who don't want to vote, who are apathetic and say
they don't give a damn anymore, give them a chance, and build a
platform. We may not win the first time. We may not win the second
time. Start with the Board of Supervisors race in San Francisco. Start
small, build, go somewhere, leave this meeting with an actual goal and
something to do.

A labor party is a great idea. Someday I think it's going to be a
reality. But I think we have to start it small. We have to start it
here.  A lot of people here have a lot of energy, have been working in
this movement for a lot longer than I have. But I've been to a lot of
things like this, again, where we're talking to each other. And I
think it's time we laid down a candidate, we get together a platform,
and run on that platform. Try to get a candidate into a local office.
I have no idea who it is. We have to meet to figure that out. And the
platform. It's not me; life is too short for that.

But life is also too short to keep voting in these creeps that are
winning, one after the other.  So all the energy that is out there Q
this went on in 1970. When I put this out on the floor before, someone
reminded me that it was tried before, and the bureaucrats that run
unions Q like I do Q that they're not going to be on the bandwagon.
But who cares? If the rank and file picks up on it enough, they'll get
on that bandwagon. And that's what its going to take, because these
people are elected.

Anybody who's interested, let us know. Let me know. I'll be here
tomorrow. And it may be a tough thing to start off, it may be painful,
it may sound simplistic. But I think there has to be a carrot behind
all of this. Tony Mazzocchi and the presidency Q all that's a great
idea, and a giant labor party starting off at a national idea is a
great idea. But I think we need to start off at a grassroots level.
If I could give my members something to work on in San Francisco, and
say we've got a candidate right here who's talking for you, for labor
Q Board of Supervisors or whatever Q it's a reality. With an umbrella
group like the labor party behind that on the national level.  Thank
you for listening.

Reprinted with permission from: 
The Organizer 
4017 24th St.#19 
San Francisco, CA 94114 
1 Year, 12 issues, $12. 
Newsgroups: misc.activism.progressive