Jim Devine:
It's wrong to talk about unions without putting them into context, i.e.,
their relations with capitalist management. To some extent, all labor unions
have to act as special-interest lobbyists (usually for the industry they're
in). It's a survival strategy for dealing with management's attacks (or even
to ally with management). The Truman-McCarthy era shoved unions away from
anything but this kind of political strategy, as Taft-Hartley was imposed
and commies were purged, etc.
In a period like the one we're living in, the percentage of craft unions in
total membership rises because they're better at such strategies. The
public-sector unions are currently under severe attack as people like Scott
Walker try to reduce public-sector unionism to the situation of non-craft
unions in the private sector (i.e., dying).
Labor unions are hardly the only enablers of financiers. Others include
almost all governments (state, local, federal) in the US and public pension
plans. Yet more include those who work in the finance industry.
--------
The basis for severe criticism of the current labor unions is the same as
the basis for criticism of the DP, of "left" groups that support the DP, of
NOW, and of the NAACP.
Wisconsin and the Occupations that followed it have opened up the
possibility of "rebuilding the left" (Michael Y) The kind of clinging to the
'established' labor unions or muffling one's criticism of "labor" is in
practice an attack, and a serious attack, on all those activities and
activists (including those 'in' the established unions) which are carrying
forward this opening up of hope. Henwood & Yates in this case speak for
everything that is promising in current left activity.
Carrol
P.S. Why doesn't the Microsoft spell check have "Henwood" in its dictionary?
;-)
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