Re: [Marxism] lost in the shuffle

[andrew pollack <acpollack2@xxxxxxxx>]

UNITE-HERE members in Atlantic City casinos appear this week to have
scored a victory, preserving fully paid health care and ending
subcontracting (they lost their demand for a contract timed to expire
with other cities, which was a big demand, but they could always strike
at that time under a militant leadership).

Colorado grocery workers are voting on a strike to start November 11th,
same issues as in other grocery negotiations.
Meanwhile airline, steel, mining and other workers are fighting to
preserve their jobs, health benefits and pensions against companies
declaring bankruptcy -- and this is happening throughout the "red" [sic]
states.
Winning victories in these struggles won't by itself solve the problem of
false consciousness among either working class Bush or Kerry voters.  Nor
does it directly address the need to reverse the loss just suffered on
gay rights, the coming attacks on civil rights, civil liberties,
abortion, on and on. But the more action on these fronts, the more it's
tied up with the MWM, Labor Party, USLAW, etc., the more we've got a base
from which to try to integrate these issues in a working-class based
movement.  Even defeats in these struggles, if they lead to a broadening
left-wing in the labor movement (which P-9 or Decatur, for instance,
didn't), can broaden the base for resistance to both parties.
To paraphrase DRUM, one striking worker is worth a thousand hand-wringing
liberals!
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