Why we Need Combative Unions

The last forty years have been a relentless attack on the working class after the rebellions of the 1960s and the incredible gains made from the labor movement in the 1930s. It seems that many have forgotten most of the important lessons to be gleaned from these movements as the trade union numbers fall into single digits. In this blog I will attempt to deconstruct some of the myths in the traditional trade union.

Myth #1: Unions need money 

This first myth has hampered many successful movements in the labor arena for a long time. Union representatives, often divorced from rank and file workers, argue that dues are required of all workers without explaining the necessity of dues. Many workers simply pay their dues without any understanding of how their union functions or the purpose of a union. Bureaucratic unions are often irresponsible to their members and spend more of their time analyzing corporate trends than internal education. How often do we see trade unions go on solidarity strikes which aim to benefit the entirety of the union? In the US, m
any unions were opposed to fighting for a higher wage because then "people wouldn't need the unions."

While movements do require funds and resources, most importantly movements require people. Considering that the 1% controls 42% of the wealth in the US (and an even greater share globally), the idea that we can beat them in the economic realm is shear fantasy. The power of the working class does not derive from our ability to pay dues but to stop the capitalist machine. Strikes and direct actions have been the main tactics of militant labor movements, anti-racist movement, feminist movements and environmental movements for the sole reason that the working class has actual power here. An uncompromising strike is more likely to lead to a victory for the working class than polite negotiations with bosses. As rank and file workers, we need to remember our fighting history and bring back rank and file militancy.

Myth #2: Unions should fight for their members

One of the biggest problems with contemporary unions is that they solely represent their membership. Collective bargaining does not bargain for the unemployed, underpaid or exploited. Workers that do not have work or work for a different company are excluded from participating in union activity. Sometimes, mainstream unions even cross picket lines of other unions. This needs to stop! We need to remember the old adage, an injury to one is an injury to all. When we breach solidarity with other sectors of the working class we are undermining our own power to fight back.