Unions vs. workers struggles

[neil <74742.1651@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Dear zodiac,

Re: Unions vs. the working class struggle

Study the union question dialectically (using your worn out  faker-led-union
defense canards, mostly out of historical context  against marxist  critics will
not suffice!).
Unions arose at  a certain ascendent stage of capitalist developement about
150-160 years ago. at first they were illegalized and persecuted. As capital
grew and expanded , the workers combinations and resistance to capital led
eventually to unions legality as reform institutions, esp. in the more advanced
capitals.
These unions eventually thru financial , political, cultural and economic ties
were eventually integrated into the capitalist state by the WW1 period. A great
proof of this is their avid chauvinism and nationalist support for both WW1 and
WW2, Korea, Vietnam, etc. There are no  better  recruiting sergeants for
capitalist wars than the trades union apparatuses in the major powers.
 Especially since the imperialist period, the period of decadent capitalism
,Unions ability to win "reforms' has been geared to the ability of capital to be
forced to grant them, and to gain needed  "loyalty' of workers" to the state.
The rising class struggles of workers at different times and places are
controlled by the unions who then negotiate "fair' (to capital and the hacks)
wage and benefit  (paltry increases usually-today massive pay cuts and sackings
are negotiated as a rule as capital is not accumulating as fast overall ) and
are able to to keep their legality and hacks perks as long as they play ball
with the rich and the state.
Wage and benefit rises are then hacked away at and obiterated by rounds of
bosses attacks  when the struggles die out and state policy of inflation (and
political repression of radicals-communists -supported by the unions usually) to
favor the ruling class.

In the USA today ,with Canada  not too far behind  (no pun intended), Unions are
so integrated into the state that they work not only with state security
(Presser of the Teamsters in the 80s with the FBI ,and Meany , Kirkalnd,
Sweeney, Bierne, Chaiken, etc of the AFL-CIO "International Dept." works with
the CIA and US multinationals to set up "operations" to derail and destroy
workers movement in other lands and this is now common knowlege to serious
militants but  not  junior cheesehounds sniffing about for a union staff job.
(Phil Agee "inside the Company-CIA Diary, Penguin 1975).

Here at home the onrush of the brutal bosses offesive continues. When workers
rise to fight they fing the unions there   not to spread the fight but to cut it
off at the pass until the bosses power and/or the state can wear the workers
down to defeat after defeat.

Uh, Mr. Zodiac, ever ask yourself why the national trade unions never challenge
the wages system and why today they cant even demand and strike together for a
25% Pay RAISE, Family Health benefits fo ALL , Housing for ALL.. NO layoffs and
a 25% cut in the work week hours  with 40 hours paid  to help the
unemployed/homeless millions?
Ask yourself why these" workers" organizations spend more time bashing
immigrants, pushing flag waving, agreeing to huge wage and benefit  CUTS, 2 tier
wage systems, massive job combos, etc., working with the  cap. state security
and intelligence services and raising workers dues monies for capitalist
political circuses.
 If you deal from the top of the deck with these issues, t hen I think you will
be able to correctly point out who are the real  'hidden "agents of the
bourgeois in the labor movement. Until you adress these questions honestly and
deal with the actual track record of thse union institutions. Your cop-baiting
only shows the degree of your political bankruptcy. A degree which, by the way,
is almost on par with the leaders of the US and Canadian trade union hacks.

NC





     --- from list marxism@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ---