GM Strike: Interview with UAW Member Sean Crawford.

Richard Mellor

Afscme Local 444, retired

We share this interview with Sean Crawford, member of UAW Local 598 - Flint Truck from The Real News. He talks here about the importance of building working class unity throughout industry not just in the US but internationally as well.

The point Sean makes about the temporaries is important. For years, due to the union leadership's capitulation to concessions and the introduction of the tier system, new hires come in at lower wages for the same work and often as temps, so we have workers working alongside other workers but earning much less money and in the case of GM here, as temps for years. This causes animosity and demoralization among the workers and weakens unity. The trade union hierarchy has unfortunately brought us to this point (in numerous industries) by helping the bosses cut costs through the tier system for new hires. New hires not yet having a job, are not able to vote on a concessionary contract that throws them to the wolves. The GM workers are trying in this strike to reverse this disastrous policy.

What with the teachers strikes over the past couple of years there exists an opportunity to really begin to build a powerful working class movement, breaking for the narrow jurisdictional squabbling so common among the heads of organized labor in competing unions. All after revenue in the form of dues money. 

I'll reprint again what John Henning, the former Executive Secretary of the California Labor Federation said:

"There should originate, in the leadership of the AFL-CIO, a call to the unions for the only answer that is noble: global unionism is the answer to global capitalism. ……We were never meant to be beggars at the table of wealth.  We were never meant to be the apostles of labor cannibalism on the world stage.  We were meant for a higher destiny.  We were never meant to be the lieutenants of capitalism.  We were never meant to be the pall bearers of the workers of the world."  Jack Henning, Executive Secretary California State Labor Federation opening address to the 1994 state convention.

Unfortunately, Henning did little or nothing to use his position to make this a reality but that doesn’t take anything away form the statement.  The other important thing is that as long as the present leadership of organized labor or any individual or caucuses claiming to offer an alternative leadership and approach supports the Team Concept, the view that workers  and management, capital and labor have the same interests, normally applied through jointness programs, we cannot succeed in building the solidarity and movement need to drive back this capitalist offensive.

The Team Concept and Jointness Programs must be openly condemned and the class lines drawn. 

Previous articles on the strike:
GM Strike: The Auto Workers Are Up Against Global Capitalism
GM Strike. UAW Leadership's Strategy Another Lost Opportunity for Organized Labor
Day Seven of the UAW/GM Strike. Spread it.