Building the majority through solidarity

Abstract

FOCUS □ COLLECTIVEBARGAINING Building the majority through solidarity Some inthe US unionmovement don'tsupport organisingin right-to-work states because the law means theycan't be recognised for collective bargaining FERNANDO GAPASIN, (above) isan activist, educator, author, and former professor of Industrial Relations and Chicana/o Studies. JIM BRANSON isaveteran rank and file activist and organiser in the US labour movement In Fernando assert Solidarity the Gapasin importance Divided and , a of book Bill unions Fletcher co-authored working Jr.,we for by FernandoGapasin and Bill Fletcher Jr.,we assertthe importance of unionsworking for theinterests oftheentire working classas wellas representing thesingular interests oftheir membership . We also sharedtheviewthatthereare timeswhen the perceivedinterests of a union couldbe at odds withtherestofworking class. Working class solidarity is strategic to reversing theslideofUS unionsto obscurity. Nowhereis thismore apparentthanin the 'right-to-work' states, mostly intheSouth,whereafter theTaftHartley Act amended the National Labor Relations Actin 1947twenty-two statesbanned theunionshop.Thus,creating a situation where theinstitutional integrity ofa unioncouldbe brokendailybyworkers choosingto forsake unity. Ithas longbeen thehope oftheUS Chamber of Commerceand its union-busting allies thatby creating a legalmechanism tobreakunionson a dailybasistheycouldeventually destroy theculturesof solidarity and resistance thatconstitute thecoreofworking classhope intheUS. The relationship thatmostworkershave to unionsis largelydetermined by the cultureof theirlocal union and theirlocal communities. The existenceof 'cultures of solidarity' in the community and thelocallabourmovement is an essential determinant forbuilding thelabourand unionmovements. Cultures ofsolidarity manifest themselves whendifferent groupsofpeople ina community are willing to coalesce and be mobilised against injustice and forsocialjustice. Creatingcommunity culturesof solidarity is related to thedevelopment oflabourmovements thatembracethe88 percent ofworkers who are notinunions andcreate aninclusive labour movement that fights for theinterests ofallworkers, not justthe12percent thatareinunions.The potential forgrowing'cultures of solidarity' requires porous boundariesbetween union movement organisations and socialmovement organisations. Overcominginstitutional barriersand creating opportunities for inclusion becomesa goalfor the unionand labourmovements. Iftheinstitutional obstaclesare too formidable alternative forms of inclusive organisations havetobe created toform thebase fora new progressive movement. One formof organisation does notfitall. Thereare leadersin theUS unionmovement who believe thatfora workers organisation to be a unionit requires a collective bargainingagreement. Similarly, theUSChamber ofCommerce andother 'Right-to-Work' advocatesbelieve thattheycan bustunionsby passinglegislation thatprevents unionshopsandbarscollective bargaining. The culture-changingagenda ofthe right Ideologically, neoconservative cultural strategies createa formidable obstacleto cultures of solidarity . Manipulation ofmassmediais an importantpartoftheneoconservative agenda.Federal laws that distinguished news reporting from entertainment, requiredbalancedreporting and prevented the corporate monopolisation of the mediahavebeen disabledor destroyed byconservativelegislators .Neoconservative cultural strategies haveplayeda majorroleinthereshapingofthecultural terrain oftheUSworking class. Consumerism, personalenrichment, privatisation and thediminishing social role of government, deteriorating publicinfrastructure, deregulation, increasedpoverty, deteriorating healthcare and education,immigrant-bashing racism,endless wars plus no alternative to capitalism breeds hopelessness.Nationaland local conservative community cultures have diminished thescope ofcivicresponsibility alongwithnotions ofclass solidarity. The building oflocal 'cultures ofsolidarity ', thusexpanding thescopeofcivicresponsibility becomesan essentialbuilding blockfor making possiblean alternative worldview. Ata recent rally supporting a unionknownfor its consistent supportforinternational workers struggles and its stronganti-war posturethere were workerssportingbumper stickerswith mixedmessageslike,'Ifyou can readthissign thank a teacher andifyouarereading itinENGLISHthank a soldier'. A largenumber ofsupportershadbeenmobilised bythelocalchapter ofthe US wide community/labour coalitionknownas JobswithJustice. ManyoftheJobswithJustice activists whosupported workers onthat daywere Spanish-speakingimmigrants and immigrant rights supporters who wore buttons thatread, 'Trabajoscon Justicia' (JobswithJustice). Some supporters interpreted thesticker tobe supportive oftheracism oftheEnglish Onlycampaigns and supportiveof the endless wars and the US empire-building thatis coveredby notionsof patriotism. Sincethe sticker was placed prominently on thebumperofthetruck thatactedas thestagefor thedemonstration I askedtheowner ofthetruck whatthesticker meant. He saiditrepresented hissupport for American workers. Nowhere does thisconfusion, a mixture offear, frustration, anger,desperation, patriotism, religion and racism, manifest moreclearly thanin thecorporate-backed Tea Party movement. It is anchoredon thenotionthattheyare the 'true American Patriots', who are 'a community committed tostanding together, shoulder toshoulder, toprotect ourcountry andtheConstitution upon whichwe werefounded'. One ofthefirst tasks of thenewconservative congressional majority isto changetheConstitution so thatstatescan eliminatelawsthat they disagree withlikehealth care and civilrights. InTexasTea Party advocatesare INTERNATIONAL union rights Page 10Volume 17Issue 4201 0 attempting to make it illegal to implement 'Obamacare'. TheTexas experience Texas is a Right-to-Work statewhichprimarily affects workers intheprivate sector.Publicsectorworkers , with theexception offire andpolice workers haveno right tocollective bargaining or collective agreements (knownas 'contracts' inthe US). Forstate workers, itis specifically illegalfor thestatetobargain witha unionfora contract. Texasis a laboratory fortheTea Party agenda. Itisa funnel forallofthenoxiousideaspromoted by theTea Party movement. The right-wing Republicans holdallofthestate-wide offices, the Senateand a supermajority in theHouse. They areable...