Left: French workers in action to defend their pensions. US union leaders with their lack of class consciousness and national outlook stand aside and let the French workers fight alone. This weakens the French workers but also weakens the US workers. The US union leaders are a disgrace. They have forfeited the right to lead the union movement.
The organizers of this blog believe class consciousness is essential. What do we mean by this? Take the working class in France today. They are putting up a great struggle to defend their pensions. This is our class that is fighting. If they win this will make our struggles in the US stronger. If they lose it will have the reverse affect.
The capitalist class in the US are more class conscious than the working class. This is because they are organized with a class conscious leadership and with organizations which are controlled by this leadership and directed in a class conscious way. You can see this very clearly in the editorials and opinion pieces of the Wall Street Journal. Anything of significance that happens around the world they propagandize on it from their class point of view. At the moment they are hammering away, the French workers must be defeated. They realize that if the French workers win this will encourage US workers to fight and this will threaten their profits and control. This is the class consciousness of the US capitalist class.
But what about the US working class and class consciousness? I was in the post office yesterday and these mostly unionized workers were talking about how they were under attack. In the main, these rank and file union members have a higher class consciousness than the US worker who is not unionized and who works in the private sector non union. These postal workers were saying, correctly that the attacks all started with Reagan when he fired the air traffic controllers. The attitude of these workers is very positive and it is also the basis on which to change things in the US. Along with this most US workers have an instinctive class consciousness but the problem is it is not developed by the US union leaders.
Unfortunately, unlike the US capitalist class which has its class consciousness leadership and organizations, the US working class is lacking in this regard. The US union leaders have a very low class consciousness. In fact they do not think in terms of class at all. They do not see the French workers' struggle as having anything to do with them. They do not see how a victory for the French workers will strengthen US workers or how a defeat will weaken US workers. At best they ignore the French workers' struggle. This is a scandal.
The US union leaders should be organizing the US workers to see the French workers' struggle and how it applies to them. The US union leaders should put the demand for a guaranteed pension which can provide a decent living standard for every US worker and family up front on the agenda of society. Then point to the French workers struggle, then organize to stop all transport and communications with France in support of this struggle, then organize to stop the movement of all French goods in the US. This would have a huge affect in strengthening the French workers struggle. This would put victory on the cards. Then a victory for the French workers could be brought to the US workers in terms of mass organizing tours of French workers with their better pensions and health care and with their recent victory under their belt. This would set back the attacks of US capitalism against US workers and could be the beginning of an offensive of US workers as a class against the US capitalists and for decent pensions and a decent life for all workers.
As well as an increased class consciousness it is necessary to have an international consciousness. The US capitalists have this. But again the US union leaders do not. We need to increase the struggle in our unions and workplaces for an increased class and international consciousness. This is essential if we are to win our battles.
Sean.
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