A few years ago a friend of mine, an electrician, visited me from Dublin Ireland. It was March and we went to the South Side so called St Patrick's Day parade. I never go to these as I find the politics of them, a feeling that the Irish are superior, a tinge at the least of racism, smelling of the odor of Catholic reaction and child abuse and led by the dirty swindling crooks of the Democratic Party and the union leaders. But because my friend was here we went. (Talking about saints, I see the last pope is now no longer a shoo in for sainthood due to his cover up of the mass child abuse and rape of that corrupt organization. I was devastated when I first heard this. But then I realized that as an atheist I did not believe in saints. And on top of that I did not know what a saint was. I think I will set up my own church, follow the example of the Catholic church and murder and steal left right and center to finance its establishment, and get myself appointed a saint, should be worth something if I want to get into the con trick business. A tall hat, men in long dresses and music, should go a long way. )
But back to the so called St. Patrick's day parade in Chicago. My friend and I marched with the electricians union. Within five minutes we were in an argument about unions and work. We were told by a union member that the problem with Ireland was that the Irish workers were lazy!!!!!!! This on a so called St. Patrick's day parade by an Irish American!!!!! Anti Irish racism. I can imagine what this person would have been saying about black workers.
How come there is such confusion and backwardness?
Chicago is a city of just under three million. It is ruled by the wealthy swindlers of the Chicago Stock Exchange, the Chicago Stock Market, the Banks and major property developers. And the instrument they use to rule is the Democratic Party regime and the Daley machine at its center. And of course these forces are backed up by the cops with their history of murder of the labor leaders of the Chicago martyrs, the black panther leaders, rebellious youth. These forces also dominate the ideas of the city. They do this through the TV stations, the radio stations, the universities and schools and the newspapers, all of which in one way or another they own. Hence the indoctrination of the working class.
But it does not have to be like this. In this city of almost three million there are 500,000 trade unionists. These are affiliated to a central body the Chicago Federation of Labor. These include the most powerful sections of the working class, the skilled trades, the transport sectors, the utility workers and so on. The workers affiliated to the Chicago federation of Labor could bring the city to a halt at any moment. More importantly they could every day put forward an alternative point of view and program to the capitalist corporations and their politicians. Every day working class people could have an alternative to consider. The Chicago Federation of Labor could have its own TV stations, newspapers and fight for an alternative curriculum in the schools and colleges. But. And it is a big but. Practically nobody I speak to has ever heard of the Chicago Federation of Labor at all never mind hear from it on a daily basis. When I mention it I usually get a glazed over questioning look. What am I talking about is the usual response. This is a devastating statement on the failure of the union leaders. In their own city with such vast resources practically nobody knows about them. But I suppose this is they way they want it.
This brings me to the heading of this post. Union leaders. Pathetic, enraging, bootlickers. The 500,000 workers affiliated to the Chicago Federation of Labor are in organizations which are controlled by union leaders with a particular outlook. First they believe that there is no other system but capitalism and to try to create another system would only bring chaos. They do not believe the working class can build an alternative society. Along with this they are doing well with capitalism. They have good wages and benefits, secure jobs and they hobnob at the big dinners and dos with the capitalists whom they are supposed to be fighting. They are also cowed by capitalism. This is why I refer to them at pathetic enraging bootlickers, in their expensive suits bootlicking the bosses and keeping down the rank and file of their own organizations.
There is a huge working class in Chicago. Over 2.5 million. It has the power to change the entire city. But this great potential force is blocked by the union leadership who control the 500,000 of this class who are organized. They sell their own bureaucratic interests and perks in return for holding down the working class. They prevent their organized members from getting much better wages and benefits than they now have. And they do not try to organize the unorganized and for this great service to the employers they are also rewarded. The leadership of the organized sector in return for the most marginal better wages and benefits for their members sell out the low paid and unorganized workers. It is a dirty scandal and betrayal.
Look at what could be done. The leaders of the Chicago federation of Labor could put forward a program for all workers. A $15.00 an hour minimum wage for all or a $5.00 an hour increase whichever is the greater. A 35 hour week and a program for jobs based on the investing of trillions of dollars to rebuild the infrastructure. Free health care and education for all. Free professionally staffed child care in every work place and community. Link this program to a stand against racism, sexism and police repression.
The Chicago Federation of Labor could then take this program into every union local, every workplace, every school and college classroom where it is organized and hold shop floor and class room meetings. From these it could set up action committees in these areas to fight for this program and draw these together into a network of struggle. Then on this basis it could open up a plan of action to win these demands, marches, demonstrations, direct actions, disruptions, strikes the mobilization of the working class. It could regularly distribute hundreds of thousands of flyers with this program throughout the city. And through this it could win hundreds of thousands of new members into the unions. On this basis the Chicago Federation Of Labor could become the center of organizing and life and vitality in the city. Union membership could be doubled and quadrupled, and the balance of forces in the city could begin to be changed.
On this basis we could begin to challenge the forces that now run the city, the billionaires and capitalist criminals and instead move towards the city being run by the united working class movement. On this basis we could then spread our struggle and take on the capitalist swindlers throughout the whole country.
Before I go. Just to be clear. All I say above is entirely possible. I am sure many of you reading this will think it is a good idea. But we need to be clear, to the union leaders it is at best a pipe dream which will never happen or at worst a nightmare which might happen if they do not block any steps in that direction at every turn about. Unless these union leaders are faced with being thrown out of their positions by a movement from below they will never lead such a movement. The present union leadership have forfeited the right to rule. They have to be removed and replaced with a fighting leadership that believes an alternative society to capitalism can be built. Around the program and strategy above we have to build caucuses in all the unions, in all the workplaces and communities, in all the schools and colleges, an alternative organized network for change.
Sean.
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