I agree with John about the WWSW (David North) commentary. They think that the AFL-CIO is an organ of the capitalist state (I am not joking.) I also think that the Chicago Teachers Union leadership, the real heart of My Day Strong, is not made up of a bunch of ordinary pie-card union bureaucrats. The CTU, and the Chicago Federation of Labor, are to the left of the mainstream labor bureaucracy in both word and deed, and I cannot just write them off as worthless parasites on the working class. I am still trying to understand who and what they are. On the other hand, they are clearly not revolutionaries of any stripe.
As for May Day Strong, it did not reach its potential or my expectations except in North Carolina where the teachers union is currently on strike, and where a major May Day demonstration was held. Why May Day Strong fell short is a question I am unable to answer, but it is clear that the union bureaucracy, and the militant sectors of workers, do not feel strong enough to violate contract law with strikes on a work day. May Day is not a public holiday in the USA as it is in so many other countries. For a little bit more informative report, you might want to check out Mike Elk's Payday Report. https://paydayreport.com/watch-7-union-organizers-give-updates-from-may-day-actions-around-the-u-s/ On Mon, May 4, 2026 at 4:52 PM Mark Baugher via groups.io <mark= [email protected]> wrote: > > > On May 4, 2026, at 11:21, hari kumar via groups.io <hari6.kumar= > [email protected]> wrote: > > I also may be "sounding cynical and sectarian” - how do we break that > leadership “replay"? > > > I found no interest in a coalition independent of the Democratic Party and > the labor bureaucracy among my limited number of labor and academic > contacts. As a strategy, however, there are demands that the Democratic > Party has historically not supported such as "Abolish ICE." They could have > done this in 2009-2010 bud didn't. In the age of Trump, we can see the > risks of this federal police force for everyone and not just foreign-born > persons and non-white citizens. Eliminating the ICE threat is a > "non-reformist reform" or a "transitional demand" - a reform that takes > power away from the capitalist government and gives it to the people. > > Another demand that the Democrats have historically dodged is "Repeal > Taft-Hartley." The Taft-Hartley act authorizes the US government to > decertify unions, fine them, or prosecute their leaders for violations such > as secondary boycotts. Among other things, repealing Taft-Hartley would > rescind a prohibition against having a general strike, which people are > fond of calling for these days. Political strikes and general ones have > been illegal since Republicans and Democrats passed Taft-Hartley in 1947. > The repeal of Taft Hartley would be a revolutionary reform that removes one > way the government stops US workers from using tactics that were so > effective in the 1930s and 40s. Tactics that leverage our power as a class. > The "general strike" slogans are hollow today because too few union leaders > will risk it. That's not to say that a general strike in a city or > nationally could not happen, with or without Taft Hartley, it's not > something you can schedule. > > I think it's likely that a majority of people in the US would support the > repeal of Taft Hartley. And there are unions in my city and undoubtedly > many other places in the US that would support abolishing ICE. If > coalitions were formed around each of these two issues that would likely > put us out of the Democratic Party ecosystem. > > Mark > > > > -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Groups.io Links: You receive all messages sent to this group. View/Reply Online (#41654): https://groups.io/g/marxmail/message/41654 Mute This Topic: https://groups.io/mt/119101600/21656 -=-=- POSTING RULES & NOTES #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. #4 Do not exceed five posts a day. -=-=- Group Owner: [email protected] Unsubscribe: https://groups.io/g/marxmail/leave/13617172/21656/1316126222/xyzzy [[email protected]] -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
