Re: Re: [Marxism] Camejo and Shawki/ISO and so it goes...

[Josh Saxe <joshsaxe@xxxxxxxxx>]

"RE the ISO's work in Defense of the Charleston 5. Are you saying,
helping to build a campaign to defend 5 rank and file workers, who
were facing felony charges and possible prison sentences up to 5 years
is "drooling over left AFL-CIO leaders?""

No I am not saying that.  It is solidarity work.  Let me reiterate my
point, but also I want to make it clear that I respect the ISO and
consider it one of the most important revolutionary groups and
whatever criticisms I have hopefully will be received as humble and
respectful.
I think the most important thing for the left right now vis-a-vis the
American workers is to build revolutionary groups in the key
industries so that when the opportunity for struggle arises we will be
able to have say and even initiative in determining how it unfolds,
and in the medium-run we will be able to really challenge the retreat
of the American workers since the 1970's.  Let's take the Southern
California UFCW strike this year -- it was a very important fight
because it had a big impact amongst the whole working class in this
area.  The strike was run by the UFCW leadership in such a disgusting
and bureaucratic way that everyone I know who was involved became
disillusioned with the union leadership.  But out of 70,000 workers,
not one group of revolutionaries (including my own) had a group of
militant workers inside the grocery stores who had won the trust and
confidence of a substantial group of workers.  This would have been a
requirement to challenge the union leadership and lead the strike in a
totally different direction, which could have produced a victory,
momentum in the labor movement, and, more importantly, changed the
mood amongst many social layers in Los Angeles considerably.  Until
the left finds a way into the working class, to the degree that we
have a _say_ as to the tactics used in big, decisive struggles, there
are going to be more big struggles that end in defeat and betrayal
because for workers no one has a way out of social crisis but the
revolutionary left.  (Look at the role the rev. left played in 1934,
turning around the retreat of 1919-1934, and the incompetency of the
AFL leaders in addressing this retreat).
There is no substitute for that small group of militant workers,
which, when the union leadership calls a mass meeting and recommends
voting for a sell-out contract, challenges the bureaucrats and calls
for militant action.  The ISO doesn't disagree with me here, but it is
a question of where work, energy and resources are directed, it's a
question of priorities.  Solidarity work is great, and we have an
obligation to do it, and I'm sure the ISO did a great job with the
Charleston 5, but it is not a substitute for that main task, which I
haven't seen the ISO really take on, but I would be happy to be proven
wrong.  But what's worse than not really engaging this work is
inviting the labor leadership up onto the platform with
anti-globalization activists and socialists and calling that "getting
labor involved" when those leaders don't invest a penny for mobilizing
workers for those rallies and sell their members out all the time -
unfortunately, I have seen the ISO do this.  I think this just comes
out of the ISO not really having a sense of how much most
rank-and-file union members hate those union leaders they fete on the
protest platform.
Josh

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