NYC Teachers Hit Back... At Long Friggin' LAST.

[socialist_n_TN]

23. Sorry it's been a while on this reply, but I've been busy.......

However difficult it would be to support other workers, especially other city workers, even city workers that are nominally employed by subcontractors in actions, it's going to be the only way to win. This is a contest for power, it's not over mundane things like wages and benefits. In a contest of power, there's only win or lose, so you might as well go for the win. You're all facing the prospect of your unions being broken (or worse IMO, being left toothless when it comes to biting back at the bosses), so you've got to use the tools that work in a contest for power. And that's solidarity strikes. It's my understanding that at least three unions in NYC are already working without a contract, which SHOULD mean that you all could strike at any time FOR a new contract. Why shouldn't you all strike TOGETHER to make your points more clearly?.

Of course the laws are against you and they might even be more draconian in NYC than they are in other places, but that doesn't change the fact that NONE of you will win these battles without concurrent actions. ALL of the rules of capitalism are set up against workers taking action in their interests, so that means you will probably HAVE to break some laws if you expect to win. But you CERTAINLY won't win working within the bosses' rules. That's the way it's ALWAYS been. I would go farther and say that not only concurrent actions by the unions currently working without a contract, but also sympathy actions by other unions that do have a contract, including private sector unions will be required. And massive street demonstrations by supporters in community orgs, alternative labor groups, and social orgs (like the remnants of Occupy Wall Street) would also be required to win.

Actually though, I think that this type of thing is a good start, but it's only a start. This caucus should lead to liaison committees being set up from the rank-and-file of ALL the unions that are working without a contract. These liaison committees should NOT be official bodies which would relieve the officials of the unions from culpability in the event of a wildcat walkout. These committees should also include members from the other groups mentioned above, (community orgs, OWS, alternative labor groupings), plus sympathetic members of the alternative media. And of course some legal advisors to let you know what the potential legal ramifications of any actions would be and what legal defenses could be prepared for. Once this basic organization is in place, then you decide what collective action should be taken.

Anyway, that's my outsider take on what it will take. It's going to take militant action just like it took in the early part of the last century when organized labor was first getting started. And militant action is the ONLY THING THAT'S GOING TO WORK! Bloomberg is going to bust you all if you don't act together.