RE: AUT: Caffentzis article

["Karl howeth" <vaneigem25@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I work at a steel plant in Oklahoma, and I would definitely say that I don't
see myself in there and I doubt my fellow workers would either. I haven't
read the article, but as far as discussions at my workplace go, none of us
feel any job security ( and we're a union shop ), we make the pipes for the
oil lines, buisness IS booming but layoffs and firings within the trucking
companies we are in contact with ( I work in the yard as a Railcar and truck
loader ) are higher than ever. We are told in so many ways everyday that we
are replacable and that if they get a chance to bust the union up and
permanently replace us, they will take it. One guy in my department, a
vietnam vet, and if you ask me a little bit on the nutty, crazy side, had
even surprised the rest of us by making a comment about Bush being a
criminal, this from the guy we would most suspect of ultra patriotism. But
generally, there are no flag wavers in my workplace ( although, it might be
because it is about80% Mexican immigrants) the only flag worshippers I know
here is the union executive board and Management.

Karl Howeth


>From: "Nate Holdren" <nateholdren@xxxxxxxxxxx>
>Reply-To: aut-op-sy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>To: aut-op-sy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>Subject: AUT: Caffentzis article
>Date: Tue, 30 Mar 2004 13:18:43 -0500
>
>Hi everyone-
>
>Two quotes from and some questions on this Caffentzis article:
>
>"the use of this term ['war on terrorism'] is not simply an expression of
>some personal fear of actual terrorist attacks but is increasingly become a
>code term for the new form of military Keynesianism which promises jobs and
>a little job security to US citizen workers fearful of the international
>competition. In other words, the war on terrorism is less and less about
>images of the collapsing Twin Towers and more and more about billions of
>dollars of government contracts and millions of jobs that are going along
>with them."
>
>"[US working people] are terrorified of being made jobless and homeless by
>the power of capital to move beyond US borders and use foreign workers
>against them. That is why the "helping hand" from capital that the Bush
>Administration is offering white or citizen workers through the "war on
>terrorism" is so attractive. It holds out the possiblity to them that they
>can escape the international competition for jobs in a globalized labor
>market through their status as "loyal" citizens which will make them
>"irreplacable.""
>
>Do folks onlist living in or with friends in the US think this accurate?
>Almost all of my friends are young people and either leftists, bitter
>cynics with decent jobs or fuck ups who can't hold a normal life together
>and have trouble getting by (or some combination of these categories). As
>such, I don't really see folks I know in the above quotes. Can others
>comment on this? Particularly on the attraction of the war on terror?
>Caffentzis gets a lot of mileage from a small handful of poll data and I'm
>not totally convinced. Do white workers in the US really see flags waving
>and listen to diatribes against the browner skin toned and think "hmm, this
>could mean a decent job for me...". Fear is definitely ever-present in this
>country, but I'm with Chris that in my experience it's less an externally
>directed fear and more a fear of loss of wages and ensuing financial ruin.
>(The corollary to this though is that with credit many US workers are
>living beyond their means of income, which could mean some real ugliness if
>the bottom drops out, whether left leaning or right leaning is another
>question.)
>
>One other question - I'd like to know what the more ultraleft - actually
>make that Left Communist (sorry Jens, I forget that 'ultraleft' is
>perjorative to some) - folks on list make of this article, particularly the
>stuff on unions and ... well, institutions I guess, for lack of a better
>term. Caffentzis puts a lot of emphasis on unions and union busting and
>talks about the immigrant freedom rides and so forth in rather unambivalent
>terms. I was at some of the freedom ride activities and it seemed to me to
>be not solely about immigrants rights but also about partitioning immigrant
>populations into good and bad - the upstanding hardworking job hunting
>immigrant who just wants a fair day's wages was the trumpeted figure. There
>was a lot of calls to respect "immigrant workers" for the contribution that
>their labor brings to the US economy. Not the most radical of perspectives
>by any means.
>
>Also (and yeah, something of a non sequitur but I just thought of it) some
>of the major organizing unions in the AFL - UNITE (soon to be UNITE-HERE),
>AFSCME, SEIU - are all very big into top down corporate directed organizing
>campaigns involving public pressure and beating up on the popular opinion
>of the company. That's great in that it can win wage and benefit gains for
>large numbers of workers, but at the same time it doesn't create very
>member animated organizations, it lends itself to highly top down unions
>(with often very poor servicing, hence a fair number of decertification
>campaigns run against each of these unions by members) the leadership of
>which are less susceptible to internal pressure by the members.
>
>just some thoughts.
>
>best,
>Nate
>
>\
>We will teach our twisted speech to the young believers.
>-The Clash, "Working For The Clampdown"
>
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>
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http://www.iww.org
Karl

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