Plenum of the Central Committee of the CWPUSA August 2026
From August 2 – 4, the Central Committee (CC) of the Communist Workers’ Platform USA (CWPUSA) convened its plenum meeting, establishing foundational tasks leading up to the 2nd Convention of July 2027.
The situation in the US consistently demonstrates the need for a revolutionary alternative for workers and the people, who have demonstrated an immense capacity to confront the aggressive aims of the US bourgeoisie under both the Biden and Trump administrations. This is evident in every moment of social upheaval—from popular clashes against the terrorist forces of ICE to the valiant struggles of students for the liberation of Palestine—and in the seeds of workers' struggles, all taking place within the context of the immense financial burden placed on working families and the threat of a generalized imperialist war. These developments increasingly demonstrate that this parasitic system is obsolete.The slowdown of the international capitalist system, along with the overaccumulation of capital, means that crises are a normal result of the capitalist economy. The proposals of the Democrats and Republicans have not only failed to solve this inherent element of the system but have instead offloaded its consequences onto our backs in the form of skyrocketing costs for basic necessities. The inability of capital to find investment opportunities and the decline of US economic power in relation to China are defining features of the assault on social and labor rights and the further militarization of the US economy: increases in the military budget, expanding surveillance, the terror of ICE, and the shifting of the economy toward war in order to fiercely compete with China for dominance in the imperialist system. The rearrangement of the world is happening at a rapid pace, throwing diplomacy to the wind in favor of trade wars and military interventions. Even old US allies within NATO and the EU find that their shared ground is full of cracks, not only with the US, but also among themselves.The only political option that offers a real solution, the Communist Party, is absent. It is the only party that can lead the cancellation of imperialist plans and alliances that finance and aid in the genocide in Palestine; that seek to wrest control of Greenland and the Western Hemisphere, as expressed in the National Security Strategy; that attempt to reshape the entire Middle East; that maintain US military bases abroad to protect the interests of US monopolies; that strangle the Cuban people; and that drive the imperialist wars and interventions raging in Iran, Ukraine, and beyond.At the same time, developments point toward greater indignation with the two imperialist parties. Socialism is once again being discussed by wide segments of US society, despite repeated attempts by the media and education systems to wage an anti-communist campaign. The old political order is facing a crossroads, and there is an opening for communists to intervene, imbue the trade union struggles with new life, and form an independent workers' movement with the ultimate goal of overthrowing this exploitative system. The reorganization of the Communist Party is necessary. It is the only party that can and must prevent the "socialism" of social democracy from capturing those seeking a way out of the barbarity of capitalism: impoverishment, insecurity, healthcare costs, precariousness, climate disasters, increased exploitation, war, refugee crises, homelessness, and abysmal education. New technological possibilities leave no room, and no excuses, for why people cannot live to the satisfaction of all their needs.The CWPUSA believes that, with the great preparation it has undertaken, it is up to the task of reorganizing the Communist Party as the only political vehicle capable of achieving the ultimate aim of our time: socialism-communism. We will not enter the increasing conflicts between the bourgeoisie carrying their flags, nor will we lift the banner of “multipolarity.” We will struggle for the leading role
of our class and the American people in the fight against imperialist wars, against the plans of the bourgeoisie, against NATO and for its dissolution and towards the only way out of the capitalist system: the socialist revolution and the establishment of workers' power. On this road, we continue preparing and accumulating forces. The steps toward this goal are underway with the Workers' Turn, the Joseph Weydemeyer National School, and the growth of our PBOs. However, the CWPUSA must take further steps to systematize its education, correct issues with the circulation and distribution of the New Worker, improve security practices and internal communication, and, most crucially, prepare for the 2nd Convention through the drafting of the Program. The decisions taken up by the CC toward these ends are outlined below.
SECOND CONVENTION
The 1st Convention of the CWPUSA was held in July 2023, nearly one year after its rupture from the Party of Communists USA (PCUSA), a process that directly reflected the continuing and profound ideological, political, and organizational crisis affecting the international communist movement. The 1st Convention set itself admirable goals, elected a CC, and adopted the Program, Political Theses, and Statutes. Among the goals it endeavored to achieve were drafting theses on the questions of working women, LGBTQ+ people, the history of the communist movement in the US, further elaboration of the class structure in the US, imperialism and the position and role of the US in the imperialist system, opportunism, and the national question in the US. While the CC has made significant progress on the questions of imperialism and opportunism, it was unable to draft theses on every question. This was due mainly to the issue of “biting off more than one can chew.” We believe that these questions will be answered, but they require a focused and organized process of discussion, debate, and synthesis. The CC has undertaken an elaboration to further assess the reasons why we were unable to answer every thesis question.In preparation for the 2nd Convention, a work plan is underway for the drafting of the Program. The Program is the fundamental document of the CWPUSA that guides its daily functioning and activity. Until now, the Program of the CWPUSA has answered the questions of who we are and what kind of Party we aim to build, provided brief reflections on the need to combat opportunism, emphasized the centrality of the organ of the CC, New Worker, and addressed the need to regroup the international communist movement. Despite these elements, which we assess as demarcating ourselves from many organizations in the US, we believe our Program is insufficient. The Program we aim to create will outline the path toward the socialist revolution and thus constitute a revolutionary document. It will highlight the main aim of the era in which we live, how socialist construction is possible in the US, the history of the CWPUSA, the worldview of the Party, our policy of alliances, our position on the bourgeois state, the position of the US in the imperialist system and the level of capitalist development today, the duties of the CWPUSA in preparing for the revolution and how we identify revolutionary situations, the character of political power in the hands of the working class, and how we will address the needs of workers and the people.The 2nd Convention will be a decisive step forward in adopting a new revolutionary Program as its main topic of discussion and debate. At the Convention, the CWPUSA will also discuss whether its level of formation has successfully prepared it to call itself a Party, in full recognition of the fact that not only can the Party be formed regardless of the quantity of its members, but that it must struggle to become the vanguard of the working class.
CADRE DEVELOPMENT
One of the greatest advancements of the past year has been the Joseph Weydemeyer National School and the development of course materials and a curriculum for cadre development. As part of a wider effort to more efficiently systematize cadre development, our various-level courses will be compiled to assist PBOs in carrying out ideological development consistently, regardless of the level of formation of individual members. These course materials include a compilation of essential readings from the classics of Marxism-Leninism and the international communist movement, as well as from New Worker. The school materials that have been developed, including presentations, study guides, and notes, are to be made accessible to members so that self-study can be improved.This year also marks the launch of our first Regional Cadre School, which builds upon the need to continuously break from online methods and develop an inner-Party and militant life among members. Each year, two of these schools will be hosted.The structure of ideological development is as follows:
The bottom is the most fundamental level, since New Worker must serve as the guiding factor and central organizer, building cohesion within the ranks of the Party. Each subsequent level reinforces the one before it, providing schools adapted to the ideological and political situation or the burning questions of the day, while fostering collective discussion to deepen the Party's ideological unity and systematically develop cadres. Furthermore, each level can be adapted to curricula of varying complexity or tailored to specific members.Following this structure, the CC is disseminating for PBO internal study its most recent analysis of the theories of Browder, derived from the previous bi-national Sen Katayama School, as well as a historical reflection on the Communist Party of the USA (CPUSA) during the period of 1919–1932.
WORKER’S TURN
In March 2025, the CC adopted the Workers' Turn as a Party-wide strategy. The Workers' Turn places the working class, most importantly those in basic industries, at the center of our organizational effort. This is in line with strengthening the proletarian composition of the CWPUSA and with the importance of building workplace cells, a crucial component and the lifeblood of the Communist Party. This is
undoubtedly a difficult strategy, requiring consistent and organized work to identify the basic industries within the areas of responsibility of Party Base Organizations (PBOs). When we say the basic industries we mean those that are vital to the functioning of capitalism. These industires also employ large numbers of workers capable of using their collective strength to challenge the power of the bosses and their state and halt imperialist war plans and repressive measures against workers and peoples within the US and abroad. The struggles of the working class, specifically its backbone within the basic industries, must be fused with the wider mass movements that have erupted against the Biden and Trump governments toward the goal of workers' power.
Significant successes have been achieved over the past year, with the growth of workplace cells in strategic areas of industry, bringing the CWPUSA closer to the struggles of the workers and their trade unions, and ultimately reinforcing the need to intervene more profoundly in building a class-oriented labor movement. However, the implementation of the Workers' Turn has not come without difficulties. There has been unevenness in its application, and questions have arisen regarding what constitutes a basic or important industry, how to identify such industries, how to intervene in the workplace, and how the work should proceed once a cell is established within a company. It is the duty of the CC to ensure that these questions are answered so as to correctly guide the work of the CWPUSA.
To help guide the work of identifying basic and important industries, we provide the following:
Basic industries are those upon which the whole economic system depends:
Those that produce materials for production, such as steel, mining, oil, and chemicals.
Those that deliver materials to the place of production or consumption, such as railroads, trucking, marine transportation, etc.
Those that produce power for running the wheels of industry, such as electric power plants, steam and hydroelectric plants, etc.
Applying this definition, we identify:
Mining companies (e.g., iron, coal, bauxite, limestone, etc.)
Oil and gas extraction and refining (e.g., crude petroleum, natural gas, and gas processing into gas liquids)
Metal manufacturing (more upstream, e.g., steel mills, smelters, refineries, foundries, etc.)
Petroleum and coal products manufacturing (e.g., petroleum refineries, coal tar, and coke oven plants, etc.)
Chemical manufacturing (e.g., industrial gas plants, petrochemicals, synthetic rubber, fertilizer, etc.)
Semiconductor and electronic component manufacturing
Nonmetallic mineral products manufacturing (e.g., cement, lime, gypsum, clay brick, etc.)
Wood products manufacturing (e.g., logging, sawmills, etc.)
Material transportation (e.g., railroad freight, long-haul and less-than-truckload carriers, ocean freight, air freight transportation, ports, rail yards, and airports)
Power plants (e.g., coal, natural gas, nuclear, hydroelectric, wind farms, solar, etc.)
At the same time, focusing solely on basic industries would leave other non-basic but strategically important industries unorganized. The CWPUSA will need to work in all industries. However, we must marshal our forces in the most effective manner possible. The historic Communist Party of the USA
emphasized work in the basic industries, but it also worked in vital industries such as automobile manufacturing. Alongside the primary targets in the basic industries, it is important that industries we consider strategically important are included.
The following are only a few examples of strategic industries:
Large hospital systems within the most populated metropolitan areas
Public school education systems in large school districts
Construction, specifically megaprojects and industrial construction
In conclusion, the CC will convene a Workers’ Turn Conference beginning in October to address outstanding questions, collect reflections, organize discussion around experiences, and facilitate the development of a trade union and labor working group.
NEW WORKER
The growth of New Worker also carries with it a growing responsibility for its centrality in the work of every PBO and every member. Its circulation, distribution, and study are primary areas of responsibility for every member. It is unacceptable for the sale of the paper to be assigned as a task only to new members and candidates, as though it were beneath the responsibilities of everyone else. The purchase and utilization of New Worker should be a basic characteristic for the promotion of cadres and an element of criticism and self-criticism.
New Worker must be incorporated into all aspects of educational work as a core element of the ideological and political formation of every militant. The purchase and utilization of New Worker by members has been treated as a secondary matter and represents a significant weakness that the CC aims to correct. Political guidance stems from the lines of New Worker, and the relationship between the organ and the membership in daily activity must be a living one.
Several concrete steps are to be taken to correct these weaknesses:
At the level of the PBO, New Worker is to become a required agenda item for study and discussion for a minimum of 30 minutes. Meetings of the PBO cannot be relegated to mere updates on work or developments, but must incorporate a conscious element of ideological and political formation, especially concerning the PBO's areas of intervention and how to analyze the political situation within its given area of responsibility.
Each PBO is required to purchase at least 25 copies of each newly released issue. Every Member-at-Large (MAL) is required to purchase at least 10 copies.
To ensure that PBO finances are equipped to handle the purchase of New Worker, each PBO will receive timely memos with the scheduled release date of each new issue. Two weeks will be given from the date of notification to place an order.
On the issue of contributions, New Worker has made progress, with most PBOs meeting the requirement of submitting at least one article per month. However, some PBOs have not met this requirement. In order to make this requirement achievable for all PBOs, while simultaneously bringing New Worker closer to the daily lives and struggles of workers and improving the daily work of the PBOs, New Worker is introducing a new section in its physical issue called “Workers' Notes.” This section is dedicated to highlighting the struggles of workers across industries, generalizing political situations, and helping the paper truly grapple with its goal of serving as the rallying force of the working class and turning theory into a material force. In the absence of a monthly submission, PBOs are to gather notes, articles, interviews, statements, or other materials from the struggles of workers in their respective areas and submit them to the New Worker Editorial Board. These submissions may consist of rough outlines or bullet points that can be polished by the Board.