There are three phases of a general strike and unions must plan for one.
Those three phases are:
1. general strike in an industry
2. general strike in a community
3. general national strike
We need to move away from being on the defensive and move toward a good offensive.
The American Federal of Labor (AFL) could not have held a general strike if it wanted to because they had thousands of different contracts that expired at different times of the year. This was done deliberately so that there is no consolidation of power for a general strike. Also, nowadays, there is no law agency that will support labor, except the National Labor Relations Board (NLBR), which has been under attack and in decline for years.
This leaves the burden of change up to unions, and unless unions work together, little will change. We essentially have a combination of job trusts, which are not as strong as contracts, and the courts can break easily because the NLBR will be further weakened and essentially eliminated under the new political administration.
Starting this year, labor must look at all contracts and start trying to get all to expire as close together as possible on or near the same day at midnight. This is what the United Auto Workers is trying to do at this very time.
The biggest problem to overcome is how long can the members last without essentials like food, which can be fixed if we start planning now.
The Sheet Metal union members in my local had, what we called, a Christmas fund where each member put money into this fund in the event of a strike and food banks for members and members who volunteer to train in and participate in the big strike. We could have drills and local emergency training for volunteers.
It will make our unions stronger by starting local and then going statewide, which will give unions experience in striking, providing experience in striking. All this will make unions stronger by working together.
Yes, it is feasible for unions to win a big national strike and obtain a four-day work week with full pay, all forms of healthcare, free education, no tax on Social Security or retirement pay, no property tax on retirees homes so they can stay in their homes. Think these are wishful thinking, check out other countries that provide these and other benefits for its retirees (which, unfortunately are under attack by greedy corporations now).
Labor Leaders of the Month:
Shawn Fain, AUW
Jimmy Williams Jr, IUPAT
Yes, they are coming for us. Workers need to have one another’s backs because no one else will. Neither the broader labor movement nor the Democratic party are prepared to meet the urgency of this moment. So it’s going to fall upon the rest of us to mount a real resistance against Trump’s authoritarian takeover. We’re going to have to get our hands dirty. I don’t care if you have a good, well-paying union job and you are in the middle class now—if you see a worker being dragged out of his workplace regardless of how skilled the job and potentially taken to another country, you should be ready to be there for that worker. When I.C.E. shows up, gather around and shame them into leaving. It has worked in other places. America is sleep walking into authoritarianism, and if there’s anyone out there who is a member of a labor union that is safe—at this point— and doesn’t think this applies to them. Understand that they just haven’t gotten to you yet. They’re coming for all of us. There are ...
Comments
Post a Comment