[Marxism] Labor -- and Dixie [Good questions and my response]

["Hunter Gray" <hunterbadbear@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

From:
To: hunterbadbear@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Thursday, January 06, 2005 4:24 PM
Subject: the south


Hunter, I saw your column on organizing in the south. I think you raise some
very important points.  It would be useful to know what you think the
potential for organizing in the south amounts to - are there substantial
numbers of workers there whom the AFL is ignoring that they are not ignoring
in the north?  I am not trying to be argumentative only wondering how much
potential there really is with this approach.  For example, perhaps there
are large pockets of plants there that have not been organized that could be
but has the AFL really ignored this and behaved differently in the south
than elsewhere?
S.

Response by Hunter Bear:

Thanks very much for your note.  The South and all of the various Souths
hold a great deal of potential for labor unionism and much else.  In
addition to its old time industrial and related units and new homegrown
stuff, there is the ever flowing myriad of run-aways from the North.
AFL-CI0 has never been willing to invest substantial funds in organizing in
Dixie -- there are some older precedents for the funding of direct
organizing by the Federation in other parts of the country.  Most of the
individual internationals are afraid of really investing in Southern
organizing campaigns -- I mean, investing what it takes -- especially when
it comes to the generally recalcitrant [and sometimes violent] smaller
cities, towns, the rural areas.  Missing generally in union approaches in
the Southern context are affirmative and outgoing thrusts by the union
organizers.  If an invitation comes, say, to the organizer's international
or to the organizer himself/herself, an organizer might go forth -- but not
necessarily with the wherewithal really needed to win.  In my opinion, good
organizing means [among other things] "hustling" -- going out and stirring
up business --wrangling an invitation.  Again, the potential in the South
for unionism is genuinely great.

An old and good friend of mine, the late radical poet John Beecher
[originally from Alabama], once taught at Santa Clara.  His wife,
Barbara [now in western North Carolina], called us a few days ago and we had
a very long visit.

In Solidarity - Hunter


HUNTER GRAY  [HUNTER BEAR]   Micmac /St. Francis Abenaki/St. Regis Mohawk
www.hunterbear.org
Protected by Na´shdo´i´ba´i´
and Ohkwari'

In our Gray Hole, the ghosts often dance in the junipers and sage, on the
game trails, in the tributary canyons with the thick red maples, and on the
high windy ridges -- and they dance from within the very essence of our own
inner being. They do this especially when the bright night moon shines down
on the clean white snow that covers the valley and its surroundings.  Then
it is as bright as day -- but in an always soft and mysterious and
remembering way. [Hunter Bear]















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