Please read the short essay, or just click the answers to these simple questions. You may need to *enable popups.
1. Which of these quotes might have come from Marxist leader V. I. Lenin? (click on the icon of your choice)
"The
trade union struggle is one of the constant forms of the whole workers' movement,
one always needed under capitalism and essential at all times."
"Let every worker who understands the need to unite for the struggle against the
employers and the government join the trade unions. The very aim of the trade
unions would be impossible of achievement if they did not unite all who have
attained at least this elementary degree or understanding, if they were not
very broad organizations."
"The
experience of all capitalist countries shows that the most advisable form of
organization of the working class for the economic struggle is that of broad
trade unions..."
"The
trade unions were a tremendous step forward for the working class in the early
days of capitalist development, inasmuch as they marked a transition from the
workers' disunity and helplessness to the rudiments of class organization...
the development of the proletariat did not, and could not, proceed anywhere
in the world otherwise than through the trade unions, through reciprocal action
between them and the party of the working class."
All
of them
2. Why are employers solidly and everlastingly opposed to unions?
Union
members tend to stay with the same employer longer than non-union workers
Union
members can get better wages
Union
members try to buy the products they produce
Union
members are not as ethical as non-union members
3. Why do we say that unions are not revolutionary organizations?
They
oppose the bosses on wage and job benefit issues
Unions
must favor their own members, not the working class in general
Union
workers tend to be more productive than non-union workers
Union
workers get so much money that they join the bosses' side
4. Which of these is a great value to our side in the class struggle?
Union
fights train workers for future struggles
Union
members tend to buy the products they produce
Union
members are always loyal to America
Union
members are more productive than non-union
 |
Unions Are Good for Working People |
" I love this union cause."
-William Silvis, Pioneer American trade union leader
In previous lesson modules, we have already emphasized the central role of the working class in opposing capitalism. As Marx and Engels put it, "Of all the classes that stand face to face with the bourgeoisie [capitalists] today, the proletariat [working class] alone is a really revolutionary class."
Study It, Join It
Real Marxists emphasize the tremendous importance of the union movement, even if some so-called 'radicals' seek to discredit it. Marxists join the union in their workplace, if there is one. Interested activists who cannot join a union can still become part of the union movement through the AFL-CIO's Working America. No Marxist ever scabs. In the most recent great union upsurge in America (1935-1947) American communists played an outstanding role.
Unions are the largest, strongest, and most thoroughly working-class of all the progressive organizations in industrialized society. They oppose the central goal of capitalism by their very nature. While many progressive organizations draw their leadership from the middle-class intelligentsia, there are very few union leaders who did not emerge from the rank-and-file.
A really easy way to recognize the importance of unions is to evaluate the money and resources that capitalists devote against them!
Historically, unions have often taken broad anti-capitalist positions that were not immediately related to their own immediate interests. Since 1995, American unions have taken a noticeably progressive turn toward broader political action on behalf of the entire working class. In 1997, the AFL-CIO leadership voluntarily removed the "anti-communist" clause from their constitution. Although it is an overstatement, many union leaders claim that their every action is in the interest of all workers, not just their own membership.
Definitely Progressive, but Not Revolutionary
Marxists realize that unions are not revolutionary organizations. Rather, they concentrate primarily on defending their members from the excesses of capitalism. In the unusual circumstance when the interests of their own dues-paying membership collides with the overall interests of the working class, they necessarily choose their members. While Communists recognize the limitations of trade unions, we help them whenever possible. Trade union consciousness is not far short of true working class consciousness, and even narrow union struggles constantly train workers for the broader struggles ahead.
"Unions are good for working people." -- Pope John Paul II
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