Unions

[Lech]

I haven't found any defintive source for this so I'll ask here. What is the general communist opinion towards unions?

[P.O.U.M]

To the communist, the union is a good thing. It protects workers rights, serves as a way to organize workers, to teach and so forth. It's beneficial for communists to actively work with and within the unions. Though they do have their setbacks. As it creates a new place for bureaucracy and labor aristocracy to rise and suckle at the tit of the capitalist at the expense of the rank-and-file members. Though unions do create a forum for communists to get their ideas out there and fight against the bureaucrats and capitalism.

Here's a description of unions, from an individual, class, and historical standpoint.

http://marxists.org/glossary/terms/u/n.htm#union

There's also various kinds of socialism that focus on the union as the main revolutionary force for the transformation of society. DeLeonism (industrial unionism) and anarcho-syndicalism (the Spanish union's CNT-FAI being the leading force of the revolution in the Civil War.)

And this link has a good amount of differen't articles on Trade Unions by prominent communist's.

http://marxists.org/subject/workers/index.htm

[marxy_jax]

It's hard to say, Left-Communists tend to think that Unions have become somwhat of a tool used by the bourgeoisie. In other words, they have become reformist and only function to establish relationships with the bourgeoisie. Of course, Leninists have a different idea. They still see the unions as a means of effective worker struggles. Of course this is all a general overview though.

[Lech]

I've gotta say, POUM, those articles are a good read. And thanks to marxy_jax for the cross-tendency answer.

[P.O.U.M]

Always my pleasure Lech.

Marxy_jax, how do left communists look at unions now? Hope you can elaborate on making relations with the bourgeoisie.

[JJM 777]

Trade unions are both a good thing and a bad thing.

The good Socialist side of trade unions is that workers unite to form a big negotiating and lobby unit, which cannot be so easily abused with arbitrary salaries and working conditions than a lone worker would.

The bad Capitalist side of trade unions is that they seek maximum possible benefits to the workers of their own trade only, unrelated to what benefits the other trade unions get. The goal of a trade union is to maximize the benefits of its own members only, not to maximize the benefits of workers generally. This feels more like Capitalism than Socialism, I think. So we have trade unions of medical doctors striking to raise their already massive salaries, and trade unions of cleaning workers who receive not much more than minimum salary. There is no equality whatsoever between trade unions, they compete on the free market in Capitalist style.

[Lech]

Speaking of unions, did anyone notice that the AFL-CIO has a new president? Apparently he was elected last month but I didn't know until a few days ago.