We welcome the union movement into the Occupy Wall Street actions. Tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of union members becoming involved will have a great strengthening affect. We unconditionally welcome the union movement.
However we would like to discuss the policies of the union leaders and how they see this movement. The union leaders see the OWS movement in a number of ways. One is they worry that this movement may begin to take their own rank and file away from their policies of support for the Democrats and the Team Concept. Both these approaches have meant major falls in living standards for working people and have supported the huge wealth build up of Wall Street and capitalism both of which are the policies of the Democratic Party which the union leaders support.
The union leaders say how wonderful the youth have been to take the militant action but we regret to say that these very same union leaders have crushed every militant action their own members have tried to take up to now. The union leaders have made no comment on their continuing support for the so called Team Concept and the capitalist Democratic Party. It is clear they have no intention of breaking from these policies unless they are forced to by their own rank and file. See the UAW deal with Ford a week or so ago. See the hundreds of millions they gave to elect Democrats in the last elections and the hundreds of millions more they intend to give to the Democrats in the 2012 elections.
We welcome the union movement into the OWS movement. But we cannot and will not say this and that is all. We also say that while we welcome the movement we do not have agreement with the union leaders' policies and we wish to discuss these within the movement. What we wish to do is in a comradely way contrast the various policies of the different forces that exist in the movement. The most conscious of the youth are conscious of the union leaders' role in the past and their seeking to control the OWS movement and other such movements. One of the youth was interviewed on TV in NYC the other night and he stated exactly this. He welcomed the union movement but said they were only one part of the movement and all views would have to be heard. The union leaders policies have not worked over the past years and this has to be discussed openly.
I do not know if it is the same in other countries but as with the WTO movement in Seattle, with the struggle to defend public education last year in California, this OWS movement at present is seen as a major threat by the Democrats. But not only that, it also worries the union leaders because it threatens to disrupt their collaboration with the bosses in the Team Concept and their support for the Democrats. When faced with such situations in the past the Union leaders have acted to recruit young people to their apparatus and turn them against the movement. The best of these youth come to see this and if they are not offered an alternative they drop out: the best of the workers see this as they come up against young people mainly from university who have no understanding of the workers' struggles and lives and just put the line of the union leaders.
I know and am in contact with excellent workers who have led major strikes and struggles and been driven out of their jobs and unions with the assistance of the union leaders. These activists support the OWS movement too. But they also are waiting to see what will develop. They are waiting to see what the OWS movement will say and do about the union leaders who have collaborated with the bosses against them and they are also waiting to see what and who will explain the union leaders role.
We must not act in a sectarian way and denounce the union leaders. We must explain that their policies do not and have not worked. We must explain what policies can work. We are for a national and international wide movement taking on the dictatorship of capitalism worldwide through mass direct action such as the OWS movement and this linking up with the building of independent mass workers' organizations such as the unions and mass workers parties.
Sean.
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