Labor's Power and the Crisis of Leadership

Richard Mellor
Afscme Local 444, retired

Why does the labor hierarchy refuse to fight? Why is it that they won't mobilize the 14 million members in the unions? Why can't we win strikes. It's not because we are weak.

I am sharing my views here based on my experience as a rank and file trade union activist for over 30 years. It's not corruption in the classic sense that they take bribes. It is not so much organized crime or their obscene salaries and perks although all these exist, after all, we live in a corrupt society and a criminal gang runs it, many of them belonging to what they call the US Chamber of Commerce and other capitalist associations. And their representatives are all in Washington and the Pentagon. We can win Strikes. West Virginia and the educator's movement proved it and showed how. We must learn those lessons.

Here are links to short clips I mention in the video that are from a forum here in Oakland that had some of the teachers involved in the huge educators movement earlier this year speak.  There are very important lessons for workers in how they did what they did.

Kentucky Teachers Stress the Need For Union and Community Links   

West Virginia Teacher Describes Events Leading up to the Strike   

Arizona Teacher Talks About Education and the Recent Strike.

Also, here is an article from our blog on the strike in Western Washington state that I refer to:

Union Leaders' Strike Rules Will Not Stop Bosses' Offensive

There is more here: UPS/Teamster Contract: Two Strategies, Labor Notes and FFWP

Here is a link to the Labor Notes/TDU panel on the Teamsters/UPS dispute

I wanted to make a couple of clarifications. The Boeing "strike" I mention in the video I meant to say contract dispute. They voted a concessionary contract down and the international leadership  shut that down. They did not strike. In another comment I mention how hard it is for union rank and file members to fight against their own members. I meant leadership.  

Thanks for watching and feel free to make constructive comments on approaches to struggle in the trade unions and society as a whole.