The Platform of the American Party of Labor

The platform of a Marxist-Leninist party outlines its present political demands. For a full explanation of our line, visit Our Program.

These are our demands at the present time. We understand that to achieve most of them a socialist revolution must occur.

I. In Regard to the Workers

1. We demand that all means of production be in the hands of the working class through the socialist state, represented through worker councils or elected managers with production estimates provided by the state.

2. We demand the right of all workers to organize and the protection of free speech in the workplace.

3. We demand a 30-hour work week with at least six weeks of annual paid vacation.

4. We demand retirement pensions to be no less than 75% of a person’s pay at the time of retirement enacted after at least 10 years of work.

5. We demand the right for part-time workers to be eligible for benefits as well as the right to join a union.

6. We demand a universal basic income for all Americans over the age of 18 in the form of a monthly sum equivalent to an income above the poverty line.

7. We demand a living wage that is indexed to inflation.

8. We demand an end to corporate welfare and tax breaks to corporations.

9. We demand an end to deportations and an end to the deployment of military forces on the U.S.-Mexican border. We are opposed to anti-immigrant vigilantes and racist anti-immigrant laws.

II. In Regard to Education and the Arts

1. We demand that libraries, museums and schools be available as centers for exhibiting the rich aspects of American culture.

2. We demand that art reflect the struggles and achievements of the working people.

3. We demand free and quality education for all people, including college, professional, vocational, and graduate schools.

4. We demand that every child’s right to learn in a safe and clean environment be respected.

5. We demand fair and decent wages for teachers.

6. We demand that education be in the hands of the community and the state. We are opposed to private education and the corporate running of schools.

7. We demand realistic sex education programs emphasizing health and protection. We oppose abstinence-only sex education.

8. We demand secular and scientific education. We oppose religion in schools which is manifested, but not limited to, religious institutions, prayer in schools and creationism.

9. We demand student-parent-teacher controlled committees that deal with the development of curricula and the election of school administrators.

10. We demand national financing of public K-12 schools to replace the current funding via property taxes, which ensures inequality between rural, suburban and urban schools.

III. In Regard to Health

1. We demand a national healthcare system that will cover all Americans with an emphasis towards preventative care.

2. We demand the nationalization of the pharmaceutical industry.

3. We demand government research of presently incurable diseases and oppose discrimination against people with those diseases.

4. We demand the combating of drug addiction through the use of proven medical treatments and preventive education. We demand the complete legalization of marijuana. We oppose the legalization of so-called hard drugs.

5. We demand full rights for patients, including the right to die with dignity.

IV. In Regard to Housing

1. We demand the right of all people to have quality and affordable housing with proper temperature control, utilities, and livable conditions.

2. We demand state-funded construction of public apartment complexes as a means to support the growing population and to house those without homes.

3. We demand state-funded broad renovation and remodeling projects for old homes and neighborhoods.

4. We demand an end to all home foreclosures. We oppose cuts to public housing.

5. We demand the abolition of slum-lording.

6. We demand that the rights of renters be respected.

V. In Regard to Civil Rights

1. We demand an end to police crimes and racial profiling, and we demand civilian oversight councils be established nationwide to secure community control of the police.

2. We demand the repeal of the PATRIOT Act and the Espionage Act and the immediate end to emergency powers and mass surveillance programs, as well as the abolition of the Department of Homeland Security and the National Security Agency (NSA).

3. We demand the end of prison slavery, the abolition of all privately-run prisons, an end to solitary confinement, the release of all political prisoners, and an immediate halt to legal and physical attacks on activists by the state.

4. We demand the right of self-determination for all nations within the borders of the U.S., up to and including the right of secession.

5. We demand amnesty for undocumented workers as well as the access of all immigrants to education, health, civil, and legal rights.

6. We demand the end of police discrimination and raids against Latino citizens and immigrant communities.

7. We demand access to citizenship after one year of residency with no criminal records.

8. We demand the reproductive rights of women, including access to free and safe abortion, be respected.

9. We demand an end to the intimidation of women and the staff of abortion clinics by anti-choice groups.

10. We demand an end to sexual slavery and exploitation through the pornography industry and sex trafficking.

11. We demand a minimum of 12 months paid leave for new parents and guardians of infants with access to fully-funded and quality childcare centers.

12. We demand equal pay for men and women for equal work.

13. We demand an end to violence against women, trans people, non-binary people, and children and call on the state to actively protect them from battery and other violent offenses.

14. We demand the right of women, trans people, and non-binary people to enter into any occupation without discrimination.

15. We demand an end to discrimination as well as support full employment, benefits, quality education and job training programs for people with disabilities.

16. We demand the dismantling of walls erected both physically and socially that hinder people with disabilities to fully participate in society.

17. We demand an end to all discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in the spheres of employment, education and society.

18. We demand an end to acts of violence against persons on the basis of their race, ethnicity, religion, age, physical condition, sex or sexual identity and/or orientation.

VI. In Regard to the World

1. We demand the cancellation of all colonial and neo-colonial debt.

2. We demand the right of all U.S. colonial territories and Commonwealths to self-determination with the right to form an independent nation or to join the U.S. as a state with full representation.

3. We demand an end to all current imperialist wars and proxy wars, including CIA-backed regime changes and military interventions.

4. We demand an end to U.S. involvement in NATO and other imperialist alliances and demand an end to the bullying and intimidating of other countries.

5. We demand an immediate and unconditional military withdrawal from all foreign countries, the closure of all overseas U.S. military bases, and the nullification of all existing status of forces agreements, which place the militaries of sovereign countries under U.S. command.

6. We demand an immediate cessation of military and financial aid to the governments of the Philippines, Colombia, the Zionist entity of Israel, and other outposts of imperialism and capitalist oppression.

7. We demand the immediate signing of a peace treaty with the DPRK, an end to U.S. sanctions, an end to the occupation of the south of the Korean peninsula, an end to harassment and joint-military exercises, and the nullification of all status of forces agreements.

8. We demand an end to the U.S. embargo of Cuba, an end to anti-socialist agitation, the end of the occupation of Guantanamo, and the payment of reparations to the Cuban people for the damages done to them.

9. We demand mending our relationship with other countries, including, but not limited to, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the Republic of Cuba, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the Syrian Arab Republic for the sake of peace and prosperity.

VII. In Regard to the Economy

1. We demand an immediate American withdrawal from NAFTA, DR-CAFTA and all other free trade agreements in which the U.S. participates. We oppose the creation of more free trade agreements.

2. We demand an immediate end of the exporting of American jobs overseas and demand full employment for the American people.

3. We demand that all financial institutions be commonly owned and directed by an American Central Bank.

4. We demand a maximum cap on wages with a ratio of 10:1.

5. We demand an end to payroll taxes, sales taxes, property taxes and other regressive taxes.

6. We demand the abolition of the inheritance of all productive capital and liquid assets.

7. We demand retraining programs, compensation and relocation for workers displaced by technological advances.

8. We demand an end to American involvement in the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the World Trade Organization.

VIII. In Regard to Agriculture

1. We demand the abolition of all corporate farms.

2. We demand the establishment and encouragement of agricultural cooperatives and collectives.

3. We demand state low-cost grants, loans and machinery assistance to farmers.

4. We demand that measures be taken encouraging farmers to produce staple foods rather than non-essentials.

5. We demand an end to current debts placed on farmers.

6. We demand that the cultivation of hemp for food, fuel, fiber and industrial uses be encouraged.

7. We demand the right of farm workers to organize.

IX. In Regard to Energy, Transportation, the Environment and Communications

1. We demand the creation of a publicly-funded high-speed national rail system with low rates and access to all major U.S. cities.

2. We demand the nationalization and worker control of the automobile production industry.

3. We demand the creation of light-rails and/or subways funded by the state in every major city.

4. We demand the nationalization of the airline and tourist industries.

5. We demand the development of alternative forms of energy including nuclear power, wind, solar, geothermal, and hydropower.

6. We demand public ownership of all American natural resources and their conservation.

7. We demand the institution of active recycling programs of paper, metal and plastic.

8. We demand affordable utility rates for working people.

9. We demand an end to private ownership of newspapers, radio, magazines, television and the internet. We oppose the restriction of the ability of the working people to express their opinions and viewpoints.

10. We demand the abolition of copyright laws.

11. We demand internet reform and the public ownership of all internet bandwidth. We support providing free internet access to the public at large and computers to school-aged children.

12. We demand that all communications that utilize public infrastructure and public maintenance such as the internet, phone service and cable television be provided free to the public and maintained by the state.

13. We demand that all communities that have a population of 30,000 or more have a public transit system or be served by a nearby public transit system.