From: "Doug Henwood" One of the many delights of belonging to the National Writers Union, aka UAW Local 1981, is that you get the UAW's thrilling magazine, Solidarity. This month's issue has a report on the union's finances as of 12/31/99 (nothing like timely disclosure!). The UAW's net worth as of a year ago was $1.023 billion, up $40.1 million from 1998; the union took in $272.3 million in receipts, and spent $232.1 million - the surplus being the $40.1 million that was added to net worth). The union's "Organization, Education, and Communication Fund" took in $27.0 million and spent just half that, $13.6 million. It spent a net of $37.5 million buying securities. To me, that looks like the union spent almost three times as much buying stocks and bonds as it did agitating, educating, and organizing. Am I missing something? Does anyone understand the UAW's finances?
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CB: I understand that the above is consistent with their basic class theory which is class partnership or collaborationism, Reutherism specifically. Why shouldn't they participate in all that, given their basic premises on the most basic questions for labor ? It is pragmatic , i.e. collaborationist, for immediate self-interest, immediate in two senses. The fact that it may be directing the overall union toward oblivion will not impact the pragmatic careers of the top union leaders. They will get their's and retire.
There is no third way. It is "which side are you on ? "