Re: trade unions and the left

["Robert Perrone" <perrone1@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Robert:

Excuse me for entering this thread at such a late date. I cannot
usually read my mail on a daily basis.

Louis stated, in part,"The workers' movement will have to be
overhauled from top to bottom." What does this mean concretely? He
continues, "This will, in all probability, come from outside the
union movement...."
   While I am not certain from where Louis believes those outside forces will 
come,
it doesn't matter, I disagree. Despite the fact that the current
leadership of the trade unions in the U.S are still dominated by
labor bureaucrats who remain wedded to the Democratic Party and show
no inclination to adopt policies and tactics which would release the
energy and creativity of rank and file union members, I believe that
the changing demographics of union members bodes well for the future
of the union movement. With the rise of such unions as the SEIU, a
union whose recent growth has been among immigrant workers, women and
people of color; with the emphasis of other unions such as the ILGWU
(now UNITE), the UAW on organizing among sectors of workers not traditionally
in their jurisdiction, the union movement, I believe, will see an
increase in energy from rank and file members, who will demand
increaed internal democracy and influence over organizations that
purport to represent them.
   I believe that it would be a setback for the workers movement to
have any reform movement come from outside.

Robert Perrone


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