25 February 2015
A Statement by Greg Pason 2015 Socialist Party Candidate for New Jersey State Assembly (34th District)
"The
current left and progressive labor movement’s call for a $15 minimum
wage poses the need for immediate improvements in compensation of the
lowest-paid workers. But it falls short in some ways, and I believe
democratic socialists can both strengthen the campaign and use the
current focus on a $15 and hour minimum wage to put forward a democratic
socialist vision.
The Socialist Party’s Statement of Principles puts forward a vision
on how we want to address both “reform” and 'revolutionary' ideas: 'While a minority, we fight for progressive changes compatible with a
socialist future. When a majority we will rapidly introduce those
changes, which constitute socialism, with priority to the elimination of
the power of big business through public ownership and workers’ control
… socialists can support movements of working people and make
improvements that illustrate the potential of public ownership.'
When the Party advocates for issues like a living wage or an
increased minimum wage, we do so with three objectives: 1) To fight for
immediate improvements in the lives of working people; 2) To illustrate
the need to break from a system which cannot satisfy human needs even in
the best of conditions; 3) To put forward democratic socialist
alternatives.
When we organize around wage and labor issues, we need to connect
that work to a vision of the type of economy we are fighting for. The
focus is not just to get a higher wage but also to challenge an economic
model (i.e., capitalism) that takes power from the workers who provide
the labor power and the communities affected by the decisions of
business...."
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