Organize Our Way Out of This Crisis
In today’s political climate, a multiple Union organizing push would overlap with, and strongly influence, other movements, like those against racism, for universal health care, for women’s/LGBTQ rights, and for retiree security.
By Bruce Bostick
COLUMBUS, OH — Never in my entire life have I seen and heard so many good solid people, unionists, progressives of various stripes, activists and fighters verbalizing feelings of extreme frustration, inadequacy and complete powerlessness. Between COVID, complete legislative gridlock, a Supreme Court packed with conservatives, Trump’s continuing influence over large sections of white people influenced by racism, it seems as though the corporate ruling class has done a tremendous job of blocking any way forward. Wide sections of our people are fighting depression growing out of feelings of hopelessness.
It is damn sure a tough time, one that can beat down positive, hopeful feelings by even the most optimistic.
However, as the great John Lewis liked to say; “It’s darkest just before the dawn! We cannot give up hope!”
In previous periods, progressive government economic programs which put money into workers’ pockets, combined with Union organizing campaigns, have turned these situations around, funneling funds to workers, and helping the entire economy.
OBSTACLES TO PROGRESS ARE FORMIDABLE
We cannot afford to tolerate the negative influence of cynicism! It is self-centered, defeatist, isolating and literally paralyzing if we allow it to capture us. Not only that, it is politically misdirecting, not allowing us to see the real progressive possibilities in front of us.
While our way forward continues to be blocked in the Senate by two corporate democrats, (Manchin-W.Va, Sinema-Ariz.), who’ve allied themselves, at least for now, with Senate Republicans blocking moves to eliminate the Senate filibuster, the Biden administration’s ‘Build Back Better’ proposal remains blocked. The reactionary Supreme Court, now with a 6–3 right-wing majority, also stands in the way. The danger of fascism is greater than any time previously, as the GOP works closely with right wing racist and fascist elements, who only a year ago attempted an armed fascist coup.
OPPORTUNITY AND RESPONSIBILITY ARE IN FRONT OF US
While many areas of our economy are doing better, the wealth gap, that gap between working people and the super wealthy, remains where it had been, with literally ALL growth in the economy coming at the top, among the nation’s most wealthy. Working people have gained nothing over the past 40 years. Even here, any movement was at the very top, with top 1% gaining the more than the top 5%, and the tiny group of top 0.1% gaining more than the rest of the population combined.
Correspondingly, the working class gained nothing at all, remaining completely stagnant in wealth and income while only the wealthiest gained from this period of “recovery.”
A study recently published by Carter Price and Kathryn Edwards of the RAND Corporation, showed that the wealthy top 1%, due to structural shifts pushed by GOP, was able to “take $50 TRILLION from the bottom 90% of our economy.”
Along with this, Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that another 241,000 workers dropped off Union rolls this year, continuing organized labor’s decline. This represents around 10% of U.S. workforce (6% of all manufacturing workers), 14 million (down from 20 million or 11% in 1983). The decline is worse, down from 35% after WWII.
These numbers are DEVASTATING, especially a year into the Biden regime! Make no mistake! Unless reversed, they spell total annihilation of organized labor, a truly massive/unprecedented setback to the entire people’s movement.
Biden fired all of Trump’s anti-Union appointees within the Labor Department, and brought in pro-Union replacements. Biden promised to be “our nation’s most pro-Union president,” stating he plans to “rebuild our nation’s Labor Movement.” What we haven’t seen, as yet, is any really coordinated organizing drive coming from labor itself.
HISTORIC BACKGROUND/OUTLOOK
It has been 87 years since President Franklin D. Roosevelt helped pass the Wagner Act, opening an entire new structure that opened legal doors to workers wanting to join Unions. That was a key part of Roosevelt’s historic New Deal reform package designed to ease burdens on working folks hard-hit by the Great Depression of the 1930s. Then, as now, organized labor was small and corporations had enriched themselves at the workers’ expense. The economy was mired in a deep depression where, also similar to the present, almost all wealth was going to the wealthy. It resulted in millions organizing into Unions, demanding a wide sweep of progressive reforms, and forming new militant activist movements that improved people’s lives.
In today’s political climate, a multiple Union organizing push would overlap with, and strongly influence, other movements, like those against racism, for universal health care, for women’s/LGBTQ rights, and for retiree security.
It is here that Union organizing could have its biggest influence. This militancy/strength would isolate divisive or splitting forces, and greatly strengthen progressive forces across the board.
In my personal experience as activist/officer at the 8,000 worker United Steel Workers Local 1104, we saw what it was like when workers were organized. Besides our local, we had an active left, a strong Communist Party club and an organized Rank & File Movement. Lorain County, Ohio, had two United Auto Worker (UAW) locals with over 2,000 workers each. A huge unionized shipyard was located there and public workers in the region joined the steelworkers.
It meant most workers had job security, pensions, and health care, and weren’t dropping into poverty with any setback. Unions got together for Labor Day, held events with over 40,000 at local parks. When one union had an issue, all of us answered, like when the local blood bank decided to go non-union. We all stood united, boycotted them and a month later the corporate officials backed off. Every day, workers and our families were stronger, and carried ourselves with confidence. In politics, we were educated and informed, and we elected folks who were with us.
All that ended, replaced by insecurity, fear, poverty and corporate rats feeding working people ignorance, hatred and fear! Voting numbers reflected this, as areas previously voting overwhelmingly Democratic, switched overwhelmingly to the right. This model repeated across the entire area that had been “solid D,” switching up immediately to its exact opposite. Instead of our Unions’ unifying presence, we now see corporate racist influence, ignorance, hopelessness.
THE WAY FORWARD
In today’s labor movement, anyone wanting to help out can find a place to fit in. If not in a union, you can join, or help build, a pro-union coalition and pitch in. Polls are showing workers as more pro-Union than any time since polling on the question began.
We can:
- Pass local union, or labor federation, resolutions calling for setting up organizations to set up multi-union organizing committees.
- Write articles pushing need for Union organizing
- Put out info flyer on “how to” organize unions
- Ask labor fed to organize classes on organizing
- Work with local groups to help anyone wanting to
We can and we must organize our way out of this crisis.