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| DSA is estimated to have 70,000 members by 2020 |
FFWP Admin
It is important for socialists and all who want to transform society, to read the serious journals of US and world capitalism; the Wall Street Journal, the Economist, Business Week, Foreign Affairs and so on. It is crucial for activists to do this because it is in these journals that they are more truthful and we learn what our enemies are doing, what they are discussing and thinking about with regards to society and how to govern it. We get valuable information from them.
The US ruling class knows that for the most part working class people do not read these journals and besides, they employ lots of other means to keep us distracted. Sports, gossip about celebrities sex lives, alcohol and drugs, the fear of foreigners, immigrants and anyone else that we are warned will destroy our way of life. And of course, there is just the struggle to keep one’s head above water and pay the rent/mortgage.
We can use this information as we struggle to build a movement against the attacks on our living standards and material wellbeing. When we write about organized labor, Facts For Working People makes a point of clearly distinguishing between the “union,” which includes millions of rank and file dues paying members, and the leadership that directs policy and practices. We are openly critical of the present trade union leadership as class collaborators and as a force that holds back any movement from below that threatens this relationship. We argue that it is primarily their world-view that causes this, and the obscene salaries and other perks many of them receive are secondary factors.
It is important for socialists and all who want to transform society, to read the serious journals of US and world capitalism; the Wall Street Journal, the Economist, Business Week, Foreign Affairs and so on. It is crucial for activists to do this because it is in these journals that they are more truthful and we learn what our enemies are doing, what they are discussing and thinking about with regards to society and how to govern it. We get valuable information from them.
The US ruling class knows that for the most part working class people do not read these journals and besides, they employ lots of other means to keep us distracted. Sports, gossip about celebrities sex lives, alcohol and drugs, the fear of foreigners, immigrants and anyone else that we are warned will destroy our way of life. And of course, there is just the struggle to keep one’s head above water and pay the rent/mortgage.
We can use this information as we struggle to build a movement against the attacks on our living standards and material wellbeing. When we write about organized labor, Facts For Working People makes a point of clearly distinguishing between the “union,” which includes millions of rank and file dues paying members, and the leadership that directs policy and practices. We are openly critical of the present trade union leadership as class collaborators and as a force that holds back any movement from below that threatens this relationship. We argue that it is primarily their world-view that causes this, and the obscene salaries and other perks many of them receive are secondary factors.
There is presently a powerful
desire for change in US society that should be tapped in to. The Democratic
Socialists of America, now with 50,000 plus members, two members in the US
Congress and 6 councilors on the Chicago City Council has an opportunity to tap
in to this mood, in particular the mood among the rank and file of the unions
for an end to decades of concessions and defeats; what the leadership has at
times described as a “controlled
retreat”. The recent teachers/educators strikes and protests are confirmation
that we are in a new phase, and that a new movement has begun.
This new trade union movement
and the existing trade union movement is a crucial area of work for the DSA.
Facts For Working People has been addressing this question for some time
including with DSA and have met some hostility from some DSA activists. This
hostility arises because Facts For Working People believes that it’s essential
to differentiate between the members and the leadership and to discuss in a
serious way, the policies and role the leadership plays at it affects all
members and the working class as a whole.
Facts For Working People
argues that the union leadership’s concessionary polices are a product of their
view that there is no alternative to capitalism and the market. Their policies
flow from the “Team Concept” which is
the false idea that the interests of workers and the employers are the same. This
means when the rank and file comes in to conflict with the employers, the trade
union leaders seek to convince the membership to accept concessions and if the
membership refuse, they seek to undermine their resistance and if necessary
crush it. The recent UPS, Teamster contract was rejected by a democratic vote
of the membership, but the leadership refused to accept this decision. This is
another example of the negative role they play.
One of the co-founders of
Facts For Working People had an opportunity to raise this issue at a DSA
meeting aimed at building solidarity for the recent Oakland Teachers strike.
What he said is in this short video below. Needless to say, although many of
the young DSA members clearly appreciated his remarks, he was met with
considerable hostility from a leading figure in the DSA Labor Caucus. Our
experience leads us to explain this hostility as a result of the question of
the role of the trade union leadership being made a point of discussion.
DSA Union Work
Having little union experience themselves, our DSA leadership has contracted out the directing of its union work to other organizations. Prominent among these groups, is Labor Notes, Solidarity, TDU and individuals who have the same approach to union work, many of them members or former members of self styled socialist organizations. In fact many individuals from a left background are on the full time staff of the trade unions. These left organizations support unions and will assist workers in struggles and in joining unions. However, these groups all share the view that the role of the union leadership should not be openly pointed out, criticized or even discussed. This leaves union activists and workers who move in to struggle, unprepared for the opposition that they will face from the trade union leadership.
Facts For Working People’s view is that it is crucial that opposition groups/caucuses be built among the rank and file to launch an offensive against the employers and the official leadership’s refusal to fight them. The level of success of these opposition caucuses and the growth of a generalized movement to fight back will inevitably lead to splits among the labor hierarchy somewhere similar to the rise of John L Lewis and the CIO in the 1930’s but rank and file power in the locals and the workplace is key.
We would hope that such a discussion of the role of the trade union leadership would be comradely and non-sectarian amongst our DSA membership. However, in most instances when this subject is raised it is either ignored or those raising it face hostility as the speaker in the video above did after his comments. This is not healthy for DSA, the trade union rank and file or the working class in general. Support for workers in struggle should not be limited to cheerleading but discussion with a view to helping develop strategy, tactics etc.
This refusal to openly take up the present policies of the leadership of the AFl-CIO is extremely damaging. Facts For Working People has been involved in a campaign to get the AFL-CIO to release the archives on the American Institute For Free Labor Development (AIFLD). The aim of our involvement in this campaign was to reveal the role the AFL-CIO leadership played with the CIA in suppressing any unions abroad that threatened the interests of US capitalism and its corporations. This has been done through AIFLD and at times through the use of violence and the murder of union leaders. We found it extremely difficult to get support for this campaign which was launched by a resolution passed at the Duluth Central Labor Body.
There were a number of reasons for this. Obviously the union leadership does not want this information shared. Also, groups like those we refer to above did not take up this campaign either as it would have brought them in to conflict with the present leadership which is against their general approach. Some union members and activists may have had some skepticism that the AFL-CIO ever collaborated with the CIA.
This simple democratic demand to open up the AFL-CIO archives, was and remains still, a missed opportunity to have a wide-ranging discussion on the role the trade union leadership plays. Introducing the resolution in our unions, could have lead to an important discussion on the leadership’s policies abroad and at home. This is an issue that remains to be addressed and will strengthen the union rank and file and the task of building a fighting democratic opposition within the trade union movement. It is not complete, but there is some more information on the AIFLD campaign here.
Below, Facts For Working People offers what we consider definitive proof that the AFL-CIO worked with CIA. It is widely known that this is the case in Latin America and the quote below clearly shows it was the case in Poland. It’s hard not to draw the conclusion from this quote, that this partnership between the AFL-CIO and the CIA is at least being considered with regard to Iran. AIFLD has been merged in to the American Center for International Labor Solidarity. FFWP believes its role of working along with US capitalism has not changed. It is extremely harmful to the interests of US workers for our organizations to be working alongside the CIA abroad and having some or any of our union dues used for this purpose.
Here is the quote we refer to which is from the Wall Street Journal.
"Trump officials should consider extensive support to Iranian labor unions, including paying more Iranians to go on strike through a covert fund run by the Central Intelligence Agency. The CIA and the AFL-CIO labor federation provided extensive technical and financial support in the 1980s for the Solidarity movement in Poland to great success, though there’s no public evidence they explicitly funded labor strikes." WSJ 4-3-19
From the Wall Street Journal print edition dated 4-3-19 and titled, Build an Iranian Sanctions Wall, by Mark Dubowitz. https://www.wsj.com/articles/build-an-iranian-sanctions-wall-11554246565
Also, further reading on union work: DSA, Labor Notes and the Trade Unions
Also, here in pdf form is a flier we distributed at a DSA meeting at which a panel of “Rank and File activists were billed to present their experiences. Unfortunately there was no discussion allowed at this meeting. This flier has on it a section of work rules from their leadership informing striking workers how to behave on picket lines. Our comments on the flier explain the purpose of its content.
Lastly, here is an article about the strike and the picket lines that the work rules were directed at. Union Leaders' Strike Rules Will Not Stop Bosses' Offensive
We welcome responses to our views.
Having little union experience themselves, our DSA leadership has contracted out the directing of its union work to other organizations. Prominent among these groups, is Labor Notes, Solidarity, TDU and individuals who have the same approach to union work, many of them members or former members of self styled socialist organizations. In fact many individuals from a left background are on the full time staff of the trade unions. These left organizations support unions and will assist workers in struggles and in joining unions. However, these groups all share the view that the role of the union leadership should not be openly pointed out, criticized or even discussed. This leaves union activists and workers who move in to struggle, unprepared for the opposition that they will face from the trade union leadership.
Facts For Working People’s view is that it is crucial that opposition groups/caucuses be built among the rank and file to launch an offensive against the employers and the official leadership’s refusal to fight them. The level of success of these opposition caucuses and the growth of a generalized movement to fight back will inevitably lead to splits among the labor hierarchy somewhere similar to the rise of John L Lewis and the CIO in the 1930’s but rank and file power in the locals and the workplace is key.
We would hope that such a discussion of the role of the trade union leadership would be comradely and non-sectarian amongst our DSA membership. However, in most instances when this subject is raised it is either ignored or those raising it face hostility as the speaker in the video above did after his comments. This is not healthy for DSA, the trade union rank and file or the working class in general. Support for workers in struggle should not be limited to cheerleading but discussion with a view to helping develop strategy, tactics etc.
This refusal to openly take up the present policies of the leadership of the AFl-CIO is extremely damaging. Facts For Working People has been involved in a campaign to get the AFL-CIO to release the archives on the American Institute For Free Labor Development (AIFLD). The aim of our involvement in this campaign was to reveal the role the AFL-CIO leadership played with the CIA in suppressing any unions abroad that threatened the interests of US capitalism and its corporations. This has been done through AIFLD and at times through the use of violence and the murder of union leaders. We found it extremely difficult to get support for this campaign which was launched by a resolution passed at the Duluth Central Labor Body.
There were a number of reasons for this. Obviously the union leadership does not want this information shared. Also, groups like those we refer to above did not take up this campaign either as it would have brought them in to conflict with the present leadership which is against their general approach. Some union members and activists may have had some skepticism that the AFL-CIO ever collaborated with the CIA.
This simple democratic demand to open up the AFL-CIO archives, was and remains still, a missed opportunity to have a wide-ranging discussion on the role the trade union leadership plays. Introducing the resolution in our unions, could have lead to an important discussion on the leadership’s policies abroad and at home. This is an issue that remains to be addressed and will strengthen the union rank and file and the task of building a fighting democratic opposition within the trade union movement. It is not complete, but there is some more information on the AIFLD campaign here.
Below, Facts For Working People offers what we consider definitive proof that the AFL-CIO worked with CIA. It is widely known that this is the case in Latin America and the quote below clearly shows it was the case in Poland. It’s hard not to draw the conclusion from this quote, that this partnership between the AFL-CIO and the CIA is at least being considered with regard to Iran. AIFLD has been merged in to the American Center for International Labor Solidarity. FFWP believes its role of working along with US capitalism has not changed. It is extremely harmful to the interests of US workers for our organizations to be working alongside the CIA abroad and having some or any of our union dues used for this purpose.
Here is the quote we refer to which is from the Wall Street Journal.
"Trump officials should consider extensive support to Iranian labor unions, including paying more Iranians to go on strike through a covert fund run by the Central Intelligence Agency. The CIA and the AFL-CIO labor federation provided extensive technical and financial support in the 1980s for the Solidarity movement in Poland to great success, though there’s no public evidence they explicitly funded labor strikes." WSJ 4-3-19
From the Wall Street Journal print edition dated 4-3-19 and titled, Build an Iranian Sanctions Wall, by Mark Dubowitz. https://www.wsj.com/articles/build-an-iranian-sanctions-wall-11554246565
Also, further reading on union work: DSA, Labor Notes and the Trade Unions
Also, here in pdf form is a flier we distributed at a DSA meeting at which a panel of “Rank and File activists were billed to present their experiences. Unfortunately there was no discussion allowed at this meeting. This flier has on it a section of work rules from their leadership informing striking workers how to behave on picket lines. Our comments on the flier explain the purpose of its content.
Lastly, here is an article about the strike and the picket lines that the work rules were directed at. Union Leaders' Strike Rules Will Not Stop Bosses' Offensive
We welcome responses to our views.
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