GM strike

[Doug Henwood]

[This message from Doyle Saylor bounced because of a technical glitch in
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Date: Wed, 01 Jul 1998 07:53:39 -0800
From: Doyle Saylor <djsaylor at netcom.com>
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Subject: Re: GM strike
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Hello everyone,
	Dennis R. Redmond (July 1/98) made some comments to Justin Schwartz
which I like in a larger scope of the points that Doug originally made
about the GM strike.  I.e. the wages of GM workers in relation to other
workers in this country.  A lot of the writing in response to Doug went
straight to defense of the wage level at GM, but a lot of working people
in this country aren't unionized.  They don't have any protection, and
the UAW ain't organizing the un-organized.  I know there are organizing
projects, but the percentages of union workers is pitiful in this
country and either stagnant or declining.
	Dennis' comments seem to me to make two points, one that workers ought
to have the freedom to criticize what they see.  Second, the policies of
GM lead straight to out sourcing, and there is precious little the UAW
is doing to confront this in this country.
	You know Justin I'm a worker.  My whole life has been in the lowest
sections of the working class.  When I hear someone tell me they paid
their dues so they have a right to complain about their union, and I
don't then I get kinda mad (because you think people on the lbo don't
have a right to speak their mind).  The UAW ain't doing enough, and like
Dennis says if we had an independent movement that was large enough then
the talk by UAW defenders about paying your dues before you speak would
get short shrift in a big fight to get rid of the problems besetting the
working class in this country.  We need a working class movement, not an
industrial union that is losing the fight for the working class.  The
unions in this country have enough resources to start a national voice
and a national party, but I don't see them doing it.  They could do it,
but they don't.  When are the unions going to stop blocking a labor
movement in this country?  Go to hell demos.
Doyle Saylor