new book by paul buhle

[Michael Yates]

Freinds,

I am now reading a most interesting book by Paul Buhle, "Taking Care of
Business: Samuel Gompers, George Meany, Lane Kirkland and the Tragedy of
American Labor," published by Monthly Review Press and available from
them for $18.00. 

This book outlines the sorry history of the AFL (and later the
AFL-CIO)by examining in detail the lives of three AFL presidents:
Gompers, Meany, and Kirkland.  What is most interesting about the book
is the steadfast rejection, from the very beginning in the 1880s, by the
AFL of any attempt to build a multiracial and radical labor movement of
both men and women, even when such a movement was a possibility.  In
fact, these three "leaders" of labor did everything in their power,
including  (sometimes murderous)collaboration with U.S. intelligence
agencies as well as with employers, to prevent such a movement from
developing and to crush any movement which arose.  In the process they
built a "movement" shot through with corruption, racketeering, and utter
lack of democracy (and one which pandered to and actively promoted the
grossest racism, sexism, and homophobia), all the while feathering their
own nests and those of labor bureaucrats, and, to a certain extent,
craft workers in the construction trades. No price was too great to pay
to keep themselves in power.

There have been millions of words written about the U.S. labor
movement's "exceptionalism," its lack of radical beginnings, no
labor-based politics, etc.  Normally the focus is on structural factors
(or in the case of conservatives, "exceptionalism" is praised as
best-suited to U.S. workers' interests) such as the lack of a feudal
heritage, the restrictions of labor law, the incredible diversity of the
labor force, the extraordinary persecution by the state, the tremendous
growth of the economy (as Werner Sombart put it, socialism in the U.S.
perished on the shoals of roast beef!), etc.  This book shows, however,
that whatever role played by these factors,whenever the AFL or most of
the CIO for that matter was faced with a choice, either to move in a
more radical or a more reactionary direction, labor leaders always chose
the latter.  Always.

I will be writing a review of this book and I will post further thoughts
on it.  But two things seem clear so far.  First, it is very foolish for
leftists to ally themselves too closely with the current AFL-CIO
leadership (though not foolish to support any progressive initiatives
and policies), because it arose through the ranks of a most
unprogressive (and virulently anti-leftist)organization.  Second, the
importance of rank-and-file struggles for union democracy can not be
understated.  It is in such movements, in alliance with many other
grassroots movements, that the only real hope for a revitalization of
the labor movement (and a radical trajectory in the larger society)
lies.

I am not in this short note doing Paul's book justice.  I urge you to
get a copy and read it soon!

Michael Yates