The Occupy Wall Street Movement has arisen as a response to the capitalist offensive in the age of capitalist globalization. In previous blogs we have written about the decline of US imperialism on the world stage and in the midst of this process, the US capitalist class finding it necessary in its hapless struggle to maintain global dominance to put the US working class on rations.
The young people that have been behind the Occupy Wall Street movement have been an inspiration for so many of us. They have shifted the focus of the debate as we have said and we can see from the report on CNBC of a memo about the finance industry paying almost $1 million to a lobbying firm to go after OWS and politicians sympathetic to it that the movement has had an affect.
The other important aspect of the OWS movement is that it has decidedly broken from the passive and ineffective methods of the liberals and the Labor hierarchy, sending an email to our Congressperson or appealing to so-called “friendly” Democratic politicians.
Direct action, defiance of the law and occupations of public space and buildings has transformed the mood and the consciousness of the vast majority of Americans and has stirred some hope among the rank and file of organized Labor. I was present as we returned to Oscar Grant Plaza in Oakland after the police had cleared it out for a second time. Courage and audacity is not in short supply among the movers and shakers in the OWS movement.
But in our opinion there has been serious weakness and that is the reliance alone on action, action, action. There has also been a consistent opposition to discussing politics and raising any demands at all. “Occupy everything, demand nothing” was a slogan I have seen more than once. I was at a Labor outreach meeting of Occupy Oakland a week or so ago and a woman that describes herself as an Anarchist of some sort commented that they don’t allow the police in to OO, that the police are not welcome here and that they stay out. This is a false estimation of our strength. I explained that as we spoke, a nationwide discussion was taking place between the various municipalities, states and at the federal level about how to proceed. The police weren’t coming in because they were as yet unprepared to. It is a credit to the resilience and determination of the OSW movement that the state forces had to do this but not a day or so later they cleared out the tents from the plaza. We must not underestimate the resolve of our enemies. They are driven by the system itself to drive back this movement and have shown that they will do so with extreme brutality.
We have stressed that if the movement does not reach out to the millions of workers and our families, if it does not raise high on its banner demands that speak to the need that ordinary working people face, the state will isolate the OSW movement. We have approached this question on numerous occasions including here and here.
With regards to occupations, the idea of continually occupying open spaces like the plaza here in Oakland and other cities is a bit of a gift to the cops. They know where we all are and can plan accordingly. Workers discovered in the 1930’s that occupying factories had its advantages. It removed them from the picket lines where they were exposed to the violence of the cops and hired thugs and also affected consciousness as workers saw that the workplace could work without the boss in it. In Flint, when they entered the factories, they threw out the bosses. The bosses cared much more about damaging their property that the workers had taken over than they did when it came to attacking workers on a picket line.
The activities that were taking place in Oscar Grant Plaza, providing, shelter food and medical assistance to the homeless and those that capitalist society abandons are good but better to occupy a huge warehouse or any one of the numerous large empty, privately (or publicly if its unused) owned buildings in town. The same activities could be carried on under a roof and people would have more shelter. Mass pickets could surround the occupied properties and appeals could be made to workers and their Unions in the water, power and other departments to not shut these services off.
Yesterday within a 17- hour period, (6.PM Saturday to 11:AM Sunday) I received the following announcements from Occupy Oakland:
With regards to occupations, the idea of continually occupying open spaces like the plaza here in Oakland and other cities is a bit of a gift to the cops. They know where we all are and can plan accordingly. Workers discovered in the 1930’s that occupying factories had its advantages. It removed them from the picket lines where they were exposed to the violence of the cops and hired thugs and also affected consciousness as workers saw that the workplace could work without the boss in it. In Flint, when they entered the factories, they threw out the bosses. The bosses cared much more about damaging their property that the workers had taken over than they did when it came to attacking workers on a picket line.
The activities that were taking place in Oscar Grant Plaza, providing, shelter food and medical assistance to the homeless and those that capitalist society abandons are good but better to occupy a huge warehouse or any one of the numerous large empty, privately (or publicly if its unused) owned buildings in town. The same activities could be carried on under a roof and people would have more shelter. Mass pickets could surround the occupied properties and appeals could be made to workers and their Unions in the water, power and other departments to not shut these services off.
Yesterday within a 17- hour period, (6.PM Saturday to 11:AM Sunday) I received the following announcements from Occupy Oakland:
*Occupy Oakland has a new home at 19th and Telegraph. Big housewarming part right now. Bring tents!
*OccupySF call for support: come defend 101 market, cops in riot gear NOW staging a few blocks away.
*Riot cops here at occupy oakland. GET HERE NOW!!!! 20 minute warning for raid.
*Please bring trucks to save our tents and supplies! ASAP!
*New camp at 19th and Tele raided. Campers now setting up at OG plaza.
*Tents and other equipment salvaged from 19th are now at Snow Park.
*Emegency GA tonight at 6pm to talk about next steps
Now I am retired with some time on my hands that workers still on the job don’t have and even I could not keep up with this frenetic pace? I also don’t agree with playing this game of tag with the cops running from one area of the city to another. Most workers simply cannot do this. And we can’t reach out to workers if we’re doing it.
Not only that, the Occupy Oakland movement has really made no serious attempt to reach out to working class communities and draw them in to the struggle. When I say them, I mean the 30,000 or 40,000 people that came down for the general strike on November 2nd. I don’t mean to be too hard on people here but its almost like the folks who are designing and maintaining what I believe is a failed strategy expect that we can all come running to defend it when the state moves in. But this strategy will isolate the movement from workers more and more. The support that exists presently will begin to be broken down as the movement does not engage with the mass of the working class and offers little in terms of concrete demands.
Now I am retired with some time on my hands that workers still on the job don’t have and even I could not keep up with this frenetic pace? I also don’t agree with playing this game of tag with the cops running from one area of the city to another. Most workers simply cannot do this. And we can’t reach out to workers if we’re doing it.
Not only that, the Occupy Oakland movement has really made no serious attempt to reach out to working class communities and draw them in to the struggle. When I say them, I mean the 30,000 or 40,000 people that came down for the general strike on November 2nd. I don’t mean to be too hard on people here but its almost like the folks who are designing and maintaining what I believe is a failed strategy expect that we can all come running to defend it when the state moves in. But this strategy will isolate the movement from workers more and more. The support that exists presently will begin to be broken down as the movement does not engage with the mass of the working class and offers little in terms of concrete demands.
Rather than simply occupying a park or square, all occupations should be related to some issue affecting the mass of the working class population---foreclosed homes, schools, libraries, workplaces etc. Every time we occupy a bank we should have fliers and placards with demands for the workers there, unionization, wages, health care, vacations, sick leave and other benefits. Nationalizing the banks is OK but we have to appeal to workers in the immediate as well. The movement can occupy the welfare office if a recipient isn’t getting their check or the housing authority if a section 8 is being abused or assist tenants facing eviction by slumlords. In this way the OWS movement will be seen and become a broad national movement against all the victims of capitalism and workers will come to see it as our movement enter it and enrich it.
With this strategy as the movement grows then independent political candidates rooted in the movement can challenge the monopoly that the two Wall Street Parties have over political life in the US. We cannot vote capitalism out but we can use the political process to help change consciousness build an independent working class movement that can transform society.
With this strategy as the movement grows then independent political candidates rooted in the movement can challenge the monopoly that the two Wall Street Parties have over political life in the US. We cannot vote capitalism out but we can use the political process to help change consciousness build an independent working class movement that can transform society.
One last point: the flier announcing the march in Oakland yesterday claimed it was “called for” by Occupy Oakland and “Bay Area Labor”. But this is not the case; it was called by Occupy Oakland and the Labor hierarchy. The leaders of organized Labor and the 12 million or so members are two very different things. The heads of organized Labor have a plan. They support concessions and cutbacks and that their own members must tighten their belts in order to help US capitalism remain competitive in its struggle with its rivals for global market dominance. The 200 or so bases, endless wars and bribing of its flunkies costs money and the war at home is to ensure the working class coughs up. The Labor leadership supports in theory and practice, the Team Concept or what is also called, Labor/Management cooperation, the view that workers and bosses have the same interests. If you check out the earlier post about the UFCW workers you’ll see that the local UFCW bureaucracy chose as their person of the year in 2009, the Chairman and chief shareholder of the supermarket chain Save-Mart.
When rank and file members move to fight back against concessions and violate this pact the Labor hierarchy has with the employers the leadership throws every obstacle in their path and eventually drives them in to submission. It was a mistake to enter in to a bargain with the Labor hierarchy over Saturday’s rally and March and inaccurate to portray it as the Occupy Oakland and Bay Area Labor March. The Labor leadership are not complete fools, they enter in to this partnership with a clear goal in mind, no criticism of their polices, no rank and file voices that share the incredible anger that the vast majority of Union members feel towards the heads of organized Labor.
The Labor officialdom is intent on getting Obama elected in 2012. Their partnership with Occupy Oakland in the organizing of yesterday’s March is part of this plan that they are implementing with supporters of the liberal wing of the Democratic Party like Oakland mayor and former Maoist, Jean Quan. The heavy police security was there with the Labor hierarchy’s support you can be sure. This is different than our movement having its own security for implementing a strategy to deal with police violence as well as preventing the minority in our movement who have the view that smashing a few windows and other acts of vandalism is a revolutionary act. This strategy drives workers from the movement and helps to isolate us from where our power lies. Workers and our families are not drawn to it.
I was talking to a young activist friend who I have high regard for and he agreed with me that the bureaucracy was using Occupy Oakland and had no intention of organizing the rank and file of the Unions and bringing them in to the movement. But he said, we revolutionaries can take the opportunity to talk to some rank and file workers they do bring. I have heard this argument a million times and it is a mistake. The vast majority of people there yesterday would have been that milieu that are employed or are supporters of the officialdom and some of their left hangers on. This does not mean that one or two fresh workers may have been there but entering in to a pact with the officialdom comes at a price. They could easily use their money and staff and resources to go to every workplace union or not and organize workers around a fighting program but they will not do this for fear the anger of their own members will be unlashed and threaten the relationship they have built with the bosses based on Labor peace. They are also concerned about losing what are very comfortable jobs.
The most damaging aspect of this unholy alliance with the Labor hierarchy is that it undermines what we should be doing which is, apart from occupations related to workers’ issues, going directly to the working class in to workplaces, jobsites, office buildings and leafleting Union halls (most workers won’t be there of course). The issue of the collaboration of top officials with bosses has to be openly dealt with and explained that it is not so much due to corruption as most workers think (their officials being bribed for example) but that their officials are ideologically corrupt---they support capitalism and the market. They have the same world-view as the boss.
The OWS movement has deviated from the passive ineffective methods used so far and has reintroduced the methods that won us our rights and our Unions in the first place, mass defiance of the law, occupations and strikes. But we have to take this message and methods in to the working class and we must also help rank and file workers build genuine fighting opposition caucuses that can rid ourselves of a leadership that has completely capitulated to the bosses’ offensive and build a Labor movement that will unite with our communities in an offensive of our own.
If the OWS movement fails to do this there is a serious possibility it will be isolated from the working class and driven back.
If the OWS movement fails to do this there is a serious possibility it will be isolated from the working class and driven back.
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