By CARLOS SAPIR

Leadership members of CSP-Conlutas—a Brazilian trade-union federation that organizes more than 2 million workers across the automobile, arms, education and public transport sectors—have completed their April 15-26 tour of cities in the U.S. Midwest. They visited labor conferences, union locals, universities, and protests across Illinois, Ohio, and Michigan.

The delegation included several current and past leaders of CSP-Conlutas and the Unified Socialist Workers’ Party of Brazil (PSTU-B), including Sindicato dos Metalúrgicos de São José president Weller Gonçalves, arms industry union leader Herbert Claros, autoworker union leaders Renato Almeida, Antonio Lisboa de Souza Jr., and Celio Dias da Silva, as well as Luiz Carlos Prates, an autoworker union leader and veteran of the struggle against the Brazilian military dictatorship.

The CSP-Conlutas delegation met with United Auto Workers (UAW) leadership at the local, regional, and national levels, visiting the national headquarters in Detroit, as well as autoworker union locals in Detroit and Chicago. The two unions discussed the importance of international working-class solidarity, and discussed plans for collaboration and support between them. UAW Local 551 wrote that their “meeting underscores the power of global solidarity and our shared commitment to advancing workers’ rights.”

In Chicago, the CSP-Conlutas delegation attended the Labor Notes conference, where Luiz Carlos Prates spoke alongside autoworker union leaders from Mexico, Sweden, and Italy discussing recent successful labor struggles in their respective countries and unions. Prates spoke at length about an autoworkers’ strike at GM last October, where the union won its demand for the rehiring of 1200 laid-off workers after 17 days of a strike.

The delegation also attended and participated in other discussions at the conference, and marched with their CSP-Conlutas banner at the Palestine solidarity protest organized outside the conference on April 19. As current and former leadership of one of the largest and most militant unions represented at Labor Notes, the Brazilian comrades were greeted like heroes, with North American and international-guests alike rushing to hug, take photos, and plan future meetings with them.

Afterward, Conlutas members traveled to Ohio University in Athens, and Ohio State University in Columbus, where they spoke at public events organized by Workers’ Voice and co-sponsored by Central Ohio Revolutionary Socialists, YDSA (Athens), Students for Justice in Palestine (Athens), Jewish Voice for Peace (Columbus) and Cincinnati Socialists. Translation between Portuguese and English was provided by Workers’ Voice.

Conlutas members spoke about their experiences organizing against and ultimately defeating the military dictatorship in Brazil in the 1970s-80s, with Prates describing how, despite forcing the military to stand down through a combination of labor strikes and mass protests, “the so-called ‘New Republic’ of Brazil that has existed since the 90s has failed to investigate and punish the military officers responsible for the atrocities of the dictatorship and the companies that profited from it and supported it.” He noted that these capitalists were responsible for the rise of Bolsonaro, and that three-time President Lula da Silva has only attempted to repeatedly appease these fascist forces rather than confront them.

Renato Almeida spoke on the union federation’s approach to combining union organizing with organizing social movements against racism, sexism, and LGBT-phobia, noting the union’s extensive internal political education on the importance of these struggles as well as centering the fight for socialism as part of the union’s political vision.

Antonio Lisboa de Souza Jr. spoke about their union’s perspective toward the Lula and Bolsonaro governments, stressing that while Lula was more “charismatic” than Bolsonaro, their economic programs were fundamentally identical and included uninhibited violence by companies and the military against Indigenous peoples in the Amazon.

Prates further emphasized the importance of solidarity with Palestine and Ukraine against brutal Israeli and Russian occupations, observing that the Israeli state’s existence is inherently violent toward Palestinians and that “there can only be peace in the Middle East with the dissolution of the state of Israel and the formation of a unitary, democratic, multi-national Palestinian state.” He said that their solidarity is “always with the workers, and not for the Zelensky government” that has imposed crushing neoliberal economic policies and failed to secure adequate weaponry from the imperialist NATO countries sinking Ukraine deeper into debt.

Delegation members stated that they had observed the U.S. student and labor movements to be in an upswing and expressed enthusiasm at the eagerness of young labor organizers to engage in activity as well as the sudden “explosion of organizing” in solidarity with Palestine. Throughout their presentations, Conlutas representatives emphasized the international dimension of the fight against capitalism, and the need to link up forces across borders to unite in struggle. After their prepared remarks, panelists spoke with the audience, answering further questions about strike tactics, the fight against oppression, and how to protect unions and social movements against state repression.

The Conlutas delegation also spoke at a rally for the United Academics of Ohio University on April 24, expressing solidarity with the professors’ demand that the university stop obstructing their request to hold a union formation vote. They marched with CSP-Conlutas banners alongside about 150 teachers and students (in addition to massive red flags brought by local theater workers also in solidarity with the demonstration). The delegation hoped to also attend the pro-Palestine encampment at Ohio State University on April 25, but were unable to go there due to the presence of violent police, who ultimately broke up the camp twice that day and arrested dozens on flimsy charges of “trespassing.”

Throughout all of their activities in the past week and a half, the representatives of CSP-Conlutas spoke of a different and better way to organize unions and movements—one that is truly independent of the ruling class and its political parties, whether that’s the Democrats and Republicans in the U.S. or the Workers Party (PT), Liberal Party (PL), and similar political formations in Brazil. They outlined an approach to organizing that measures its forces and builds to fight and win in every struggle that affects the working class, while setting its sights on full liberation, democracy, and socialism.

Most importantly, CSP-Conlutas came here with outstretched arms to work together with the U.S. working class and to link up our struggles. The Brazilian delegation may be leaving us with saudade (sorrow), but they leave behind durable ties with the union, student, and socialist movement in North America—ties that will undoubtedly result in further collaboration and visits.