The WIL

[RedLenin]

I think we can all see that it is very necessary to have a solid Marxist party in the US. The IMT has had a lot of success in other countries, most notably Venezuela and Pakistan. Yet what about the US? The US section of the IMT is the Workers International League. I have some questions about the US section.
About how big is the WIL?
Tactically, what does the WIL do? Is it active in the trade unions?
What exactly is the YFIS? Is it just a website and the members of this forum? Is it a tool for youth recruitment?
How does the WIL expect to grow? What methods are used to build the organization?
Is the demand to build a US workers party an actual demand or an empty slogan?
If it is an actual demand, what does the WIL think about a united front with other leftist groups to build such a party?
Is it foreseeable that the WIL will become any kind of serious force in American politics?

The WIL, like the IMT in general, has the correct theoretical line. But that in and of itself is not enough. The United States desperately needs a serious revolutionary Marxist organization. Can the WIL become such an organization? What is being done to make this a reality? It seems that the WIL is very weak at the moment, and that is something we really need to change. Any answers/comments would be greatly appreciated, especially from members of the WIL. I really think the masses are moving world wide without a solid leadership. The IMT is growing and becoming more effective, but are we going to be able to provide that necessary leadership?

[caesarscook]

That's a lot of questions to address in one post, but I will do my best.  ;)

About how big is the WIL?

Sadly, I am not sure it is always the best idea to discuss details of membership in a public forum.  I will say that we are not big, but we only formed in 2002.  We don't have much of the sectarian baggage and infighting of some of the other so-called Trotskyist groups in the US and have been relatively free to start anew on a fresh and healthy basis.  But to answer your question in brief, without being too specific, we are not big.

Tactically, what does the WIL do? Is it active in the trade unions?

Yes...heh, it was tempting to just leave the answer there just to be funny, but given the necessary crappiness of my last answer, I'll be quite a bit more detailed with this one.  We have comrades active in the Teamsters and actually conducted a campaign to try to challenge the Hoffa bureaucracy recently, backing the Leedham campaign.  Of course, Hoffa was re-elected, but Leedham put up a surprising challenge within such a bureaucratic union.  Details on that campaign can be read here:  http://www.socialistappeal.org/content/view/339/71/  It is quite good and detailed, written by one of the comrades in the Teamsters that headed up the campaign.  We are also pretty active in the recent rank-and-file efforts to challenge the leadership of the UAW.  One of the comrades locally here in St. Louis is a longtime Chrysler worker, elected offical on the floor and he has quite the periphery on the floor that aren't too happy about the shelling of a few thousand jobs at the plant (They call his group on the floor the "red-shirts"!).  The recent international solidarity campaign the IMT just did for the Spanish Delphi workers, he virtually the whole of his shift to sign the petition, which is an expression of the influence and respect he has won for our ideas on the floor.  Their article about the situation can be read here: http://www.socialistappeal.org/content/view/324/71/  Of course, all comrades are encouraged to be active in their unions and to carry on a struggle there for our ideas with the workers on the floor or in the office.  I could keep going but I will leave it at that for now.

What exactly is the YFIS? Is it just a website and the members of this forum? Is it a tool for youth recruitment?

That is actually a pretty good question.  In the US, YFIS is not exceptionally active as we focus most of our efforts on building the WIL.  That said, it is basically the youth wing of the organization and it is active in certain places.  For example, some of the comrades here in St. Louis are in the process of establishing a chapter at their local university as a student organization.  But I can see how the website could give it a slightly amorphus vibe.  There actually is a new and improved website for YFIS on the way, and in the coming period, YFIS is probably going to take on a more concrete existense on the ground.  I hope that answered that question.

How does the WIL expect to grow? What methods are used to build the organization?

By presenting our ideas to the working class.  I know it sounds incredibly simple, but over the past few years Bush has virtually been doing our recruiting for us.  We attend demonstrations, hold meetings, forums, and movie showings, sell the paper in public, defend the ideas in our union locals, discuss, debate, participate in issue campaigns, etc.  This list could really go on forever.  On this front, we're not being incredibly novel, although I would say that the IMT generally has made better use of the internet than some other groups.  Other than that though, basic stuff, just staying active and being bold with the presentation of the ideas is the key.  Audacity, audacity, and audacity.  Oh and of course, solidarity and united front campaigns, of course there are a lot of those.

Is the demand to build a US workers party an actual demand or an empty slogan?
If it is an actual demand, what does the WIL think about a united front with other leftist groups to build such a party?

It is a transitional demand in the sense that Trotsky uses the phrase in his The Transitional Program for Socialist Revolution, which funny enough we just discussed yesterday at our branch meeting.  So, I feel slightly more prepared for this question than I would normally.  The formation of a mass party of labor would most likely coincide with a huge uptick in the class struggle and probably a pre-revolutionary period, which inevitably will put a bit more than the need for a mass party of labor on the table of possibilities/necessities.  That said, I personally don't think that it is inconceivable that under certain circumstances, a mass party of labor could develop without necessarily precipitating an immediate socialist revolution. In fact, given the right correlation of forces, this becomes the most likely development.  So, yes, it is an actual demand in the sense that it is necessary for the working class to actually break with the two party (one party) system and form their own party.  There are a million ways that this can develop, but we can say this for certain, the WIL will not be the mass party of labor.  As to a united front with other leftist groups, we would of course join a mass party of labor were there one in existence, as would every other leftist with half a brain, whether they were in a group or not.  That said, the task of the formation of a mass party of the working class, this must be the task of the mass of workers themselves, and cannot be done artificially by a few leftist groups.  The Labor Party congress in the 1990s had this kind of potential, which many other leftist groups supported, and had we been in existence at the time, we would have as well.  It had the support of some of the most important unions in the country, including the mineworkers, the steelworkers, the longshoremen, etc., but this potential was squandered by the vacillations of their leadership in their decision to not run candidates.  They have recently taken action to reverse this policy in South Carolina and have the support of the state's AFL-CIO and most trade unionists in the state.  This we support and this needs to spread throughout the country.  Locally there is a member of another Trotskyist group that we have worked with in the past with a group run by a guy who struggled in the 90s to form some nurse's union locals.  The group is called Workers for a Labor Party.  It's activities have been pretty dead lately as many people are taking a wait-and-see attitude towards the Dems after the last election.  Were there a convention to be called by leftist groups for the formation of a party, there are quite a few contextual factors that would go into our decision to support or not support such an action, what will be the relation of this potential party to the trade unions?  who called the convention, i.e. were workers consulted at all, are any union internationals signed on?, etc. etc.  Sorry for the rather long answer, but I hope I have addressed your point.

Is it foreseeable that the WIL will become any kind of serious force in American politics?

In the long-term, yes, just as the Militant became a force in Britain in the 1980s after coming from similar beginnings in the 1940s as the WIL has experienced.  In the short term, we are still developing, but international comrades who have vistited and observed our methods of work seem to think that we are on the right track, which is rather comforting since they know what they're talking about.  We are rather young, both in terms of the age of our section of the international and in terms of the age of our membership, but we are training the revolutionaries for the coming period.  There are huge convulsions occuring nationally and internationally and we are playing an active role in them, nationally and internationally.  We are doing the best we can with our numbers, which are growing, but we need more forces.

The WIL, like the IMT in general, has the correct theoretical line. But that in and of itself is not enough. The United States desperately needs a serious revolutionary Marxist organization.

I like the way you're thinking.  I agree on all three points...heh.

Can the WIL become such an organization? What is being done to make this a reality?

Yes, see above.

It seems that the WIL is very weak at the moment, and that is something we really need to change.

Agreed again, see above...heh.

Any answers/comments would be greatly appreciated, especially from members of the WIL. I really think the masses are moving world wide without a solid leadership.

I tried my best.  And I definitely agree!  And punishment in this game for bad leadership is barbarism, war, reaction, and ultimately death!

The IMT is growing and becoming more effective, but are we going to be able to provide that necessary leadership?

Yes, we damn well better!  :D

[caesarscook]

I can't believe I forgot this.  In my defense, the article just went up.  This is just an addendum on union activity that the WIL is involved in.  It's by one of our comrades in the California Faculty Association:  http://www.socialistappeal.org/content/view/360/73/

And in terms of the WIL's public presense, this also just went up.  It is the transcript of the speech given by one of the comrades at the Pittsburgh anti-war demo a couple weeks ago:  http://www.socialistappeal.org/content/view/357/86/

[Volkov]

I think we can all see that it is very necessary to have a solid Marxist party in the US. The IMT has had a lot of success in other countries, most notably Venezuela and Pakistan. Yet what about the US? The US section of the IMT is the Workers International League. I have some questions about the US section.

About how big is the WIL?

I am not going to state specifics on that topic on a public forum.  Although the overall size is small, it is the correct orientation to the working class, ideas, tactics, principles, etc. that will give us growth and authority amongst the working class.  The Bolsheviks had started out small, and were a minority for quite some time, but in the heat of class struggle and worsening conditions, their connection with the masses grew immensely in a very short period of time, allowing them, with the support of the majority of the Russian population, to overthrow the capitalists and seize power.  Raw numbers don't mean anything, really.  I believe I have seen you at revelft, and there are all kinds of ultra-lefts over there.  Those ultra-left types, on a worldwide scale, probably outnumber us by the millions.  Yet, what have they accomplished?  Absolutely nothing.  The comrades from other sections, as comrade Josh has pointed out, believe that we are on the right track, and these comrades have become a major force in Pakistan. 

All organizations start out on a small scale.  The WIL has been around in the US since when...2001 or 2002?  I joined in August of 2005.  I was initially invited to join Socialist Alternative (CWI), but after researching and the like, I went over to the WIL (IMT), given that the IMT is actually accomplishing things, is not sectarian, and does not make up lies about its opponents.

Tactically, what does the WIL do? Is it active in the trade unions?

I think that Josh covered this pretty well.

What exactly is the YFIS? Is it just a website and the members of this forum? Is it a tool for youth recruitment?

It does not seem too active in the US for the most part, given the small size and the need to get cadres into the WIL.  I feel that when we gain more authority, YFIS will get bigger in the US.

How does the WIL expect to grow? What methods are used to build the organization?

We expect to grow by going out to the masses (something that ultra-left sectarians don't do.).  We base ourselves on the tried-and-true methods of Bolshevism.  There is a lot to learn from the history of the Bolshevik Party, Lenin's works, etc.  These methods, tactics, etc. are what enabled the Bolsheviks to gain the support of the masses to seize power.  The bourgeoisie are terrifed of these tactics, methods, principles, etc. and they have made an entire industry of lie books intended to scare people away from Bolshevism.  There are many opponents of Bolshevism within the left movement itself (just take a vast majority of the ultra-left sectarians at revelft for example!).   

Is the demand to build a US workers party an actual demand or an empty slogan?

I think that comrade Josh has covered this pretty well.  I can't think of a better way to describe it myself.

If it is an actual demand, what does the WIL think about a united front with other leftist groups to build such a party?

See above.

Is it foreseeable that the WIL will become any kind of serious force in American politics?

I think so.  We have tested the tactics, methods, etc. of Bolshevism, and they are still true to this very day.  We are applying them, and although we are small, we are growing, and other left groups in some areas are actually afraid of our growth, as it threatens to undermine their authority and the like.  The crisis of global capitaism is mainfesting itself, and we are intervening wherever we can.  With the correct ideas, method, etc., we can grow.  The Pakistani section of the IMT is becoming a major force in that area.  We are a lot younger than that section, and the US does have a history of illusions of capitalism due to historical circumstances, i.e. postwar boom.  However, this epoch of war, revolution, and counter-revolution is causing many to question the world they live in.  An entire generation's outlook has been forged in this era of imperialist decay, this generation questioning the world around them, some questioning captialism itself.   

The WIL, like the IMT in general, has the correct theoretical line. But that in and of itself is not enough. The United States desperately needs a serious revolutionary Marxist organization. Can the WIL become such an organization?

We can get there.  Other sections are getting there, and they think we are on the right track.  It is our young age and past illusions of the US working class that has been having an impact on our growth vs. that of the other IMT sections.  We are going forward, and given the sharp contradictions in the USA, things can change very rapidly, and we are doing our best to ensure that we are ready for them. 

What is being done to make this a reality?

Reaching out to the masses, educating the cadres, constantly comparing our theory to practice,and changing it if necessary.  We are carrying out the ideas, methods, etc. of Bolshevism.  Every organization starts out small, as a human starts out as a cell.  The numbers are small to start with, but over time, growth happens, very quickly after some time.  For every comrade we get now, history has shown that later on, we can get 100, or even 1000 comrades in the future.   

It seems that the WIL is very weak at the moment, and that is something we really need to change.

So was the Bolshevik Party for some time.  They did what we were doing, and it did change for them.  It can change for us as well.

Any answers/comments would be greatly appreciated, especially from members of the WIL. I really think the masses are moving world wide without a solid leadership. The IMT is growing and becoming more effective, but are we going to be able to provide that necessary leadership?

We are doing what we can to educate the cadres and grow.  The beginning is painstaking work of cadre education and getting the "oines and twoes" from the masses.  On the ideas, methods, etc. of genuine Bolshevism, we can grow from a small group to one that wins the masses and seizes power in a relatively short period of time, historically speaking, just like the Bolsheviks.

Comradely,

Zach, WIL

[RedLenin]

Thanks for the help, I am quite excited about the WIL.

I have been considering joining the WIL for a while now, as I feel that I have a moderately good grasp on Marxist theory and I am still learning. I have a very strong urge to get active and help build a revolutionary Marxist party in this country, and I think the WIL is and can be such a party. But, as I mentioned in another thread, I am isolated right now. I live in Michigan, about 45 minutes from Detroit, where there is a branch. I am only 16 and I do not have a car, so it is very unlikely that I would be able to join that branch. I live in a small town near Flint and there is a complete and total absence of any organized left. I only have one real comrade where I live.

So my question is this. Should I join the WIL right now, despite my circumstances, or should I wait until I can move to Detroit? I fear that, by joining now under my circumstances, I would be unable to do much in the way of activity. I would  be able to pay dues, of course, but I believe I have read on the website that WIL members are required to do a lot more than that. I don't really know. Any suggestions as to what I should do considering my situation?

[Volkov]

Thanks for the help, I am quite excited about the WIL.

I have been considering joining the WIL for a while now, as I feel that I have a moderately good grasp on Marxist theory and I am still learning. I have a very strong urge to get active and help build a revolutionary Marxist party in this country, and I think the WIL is and can be such a party. But, as I mentioned in another thread, I am isolated right now. I live in Michigan, about 45 minutes from Detroit, where there is a branch. I am only 16 and I do not have a car, so it is very unlikely that I would be able to join that branch. I live in a small town near Flint and there is a complete and total absence of any organized left. I only have one real comrade where I live.

So my question is this. Should I join the WIL right now, despite my circumstances, or should I wait until I can move to Detroit? I fear that, by joining now under my circumstances, I would be unable to do much in the way of activity. I would  be able to pay dues, of course, but I believe I have read on the website that WIL members are required to do a lot more than that. I don't really know. Any suggestions as to what I should do considering my situation?

I joined in spite of my current isolation.  With a car I can drive an hour-and-a-half to the Twin Cities for branch meetings and the like (I am going to move there.).  There are exceptions that can be made in certain cases of isolation in regards to what needs to be done.  I have not been able to sell papers and the like where I live, and flyering did not work either, but I was still allowed to join. 

There was some time I was not driving to the Twin Cities and the like.  I was still able to help with dues and contribue theoretical material.  Simply getting reading done can contribute theoretically, as the WIL education subcommittee has not been able to get much done lately due to the hectic pre-congress period, too much work to do, my moving plans, etc.   Plus you will be able to learn from communicating with the comrades and the like. 

Isolation is not the most enjoyable thing (I have been stuck in a small city of 33,000 people for my entire life.), but we must start somewhere, and with time, we can eventually relocate to better areas.