[Marxism] MTA threatens to eliminate check-off

[dwalters@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

Marvin asks:
I agree, and have often wondered how and where they get their resources. I
think the ratio of union members to paid full-timers is less than North
America, largely becauser the French system of labour courts and sectoral
bargaining lowers the cost of negotiating and administering their ageements
and, of course, there is the more militant tradition in Europe which makes
it easier to conduct strikes, demonstations, and other forms of mass action.
But I'd like to know more, including how important a demand the closed shop
was or is."

No, I think French unions are far more over staffed than US unions are. I think
this is because even though unions represent only a 20% *membership* of French
workers, they actually "represent" all workers. One can't confuse membership in
the US with membership there, it is quite different. This has to do with the
strong syndicalist history of the French workers movement. Workers who are not
members of the big three French unions (CGT, CFDT and CGT-FO and then scads of
little ones) are just as 'unionist' as their brothers and sisters who are
'formal' members of the union.

In some sectors, union staff/bureaucracy wages are paid for directly by the
enterprise/employer, and based on how many votes (carried out by all workers)
they received.

Actions are often called by all-worker assemblies, not particular unions (as was
the case in the winter 1995 strike wave).

David



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