Unions. Elections. The "big dog" that does not bite.

Trade union leaders handing their members' money over to the Capitalist Party the Democrats.

The leader of political operations for America's biggest union, AFSCME, just boasted that because they are the biggest contributer of dollars in the coming elections they are "the big dog." Now there are dogs and dogs. This so called big dog is giving all its members money to the Democrats who represent capitalist interests. There is no point in having a big dog if you train it to be friendly to the burglar and usher it into the house. This is what the AFSCME leadership is doing. The $80 million plus they are handing over to their class enemies will help elect capitalist politicians who will act against the workers, their own members interests. This is a disgrace. Childish statements about big dogs cannot hide this reality.

Look at what would be possible if these union leaders were not to cowed by the employers and their capitalist system, if they were not integrated into the perks and and way of thinking of capitalism. There are 57 national and international unions in the AFL-CIO. There are 12.2 plus million members. These are organized in 51 state labor federations and 525 Central Labor Councils and 30,000 locals. Now this really is a big dog, or to be more accurate, potentially a big dog. This is an enormous potential force for change. But the union leaders will not let it realize its potential strength instead fearing its power and what it might demand if it got off the lead they keep it tied up, keep it from barking, never mind biting, they train it to lick the hands of the Democrats.

Use your imagination. Take the hundreds of millions of dollars being given to the Democrats, take the over 12 million members of the AFL-CIO, take the resources of the 57 unions in the AFL-CIO, take the membership and organizing potential of the 51 state federations and the 525 central labor councils, take the membership and base in the workplaces and communities of the 30,000 union locals and along with that all the union activists in the workplaces. This is potentially a big dog. But the key word is potentially. It must be freed to realize this potential. It must be unleashed from the control of the Democratic party.

It is simple. Build an independent political force of the working class, that is a working peoples party. First start with a program, that is what the new party and force would stand for. This should start, along with the unions, and reject any and all attacks and cuts in living standards of working people and not only that but put forward a program to organize all workers, union and non union, around the fight for a decent living standard for all. That is to increase all working peoples living standards. The Wall Street Journal says the country is "awash with cash", let us use this for working people. Then around this program organize a mass mobilization of the hundreds of millions of US workers. No votes for Democrats or Republicans or their common program of attacking working people. Let the working peoples' party run candidates linked to the union and community movement with the commitment that they will never under any conditions support any cuts in working peoples standards, that they will fight instead for raising the living standards of all working people, that they will oppose the wars and all racism and sexism. Such an approach, building an independent working class movement would transform politics and life in this country. The union leaders with their refusal to do anything but follow the Democrats are ensuring that the capitalist Parties, the Republicans and Democrats and the class they represent the capitalists, and their capitalist system continue to rule the country. Their policies are ensuring that the big dog they speak of cannot bark never mind bite.

The union leaders have forfeited their right to lead the union movement. We have to build an organized opposition in the workplaces and unions along the lines outlined above. This is the way to realize the full potential of our power.