> I wasn't aware that Post-Leftist Anarchists had an official position on
> unions. I think Brian is making a big assumption about LBO list members
> when mentions post-left anarchism.
I never said post-leftists had an official position on unions. Indeed post-leftism is so vacuous it's hard to discern much of a solid p osition on anything in it, except a disavowal (in words at least) of the traditional left. (But then again you were responding to someone else and not me) And what assumption am I making about LBO list members, pray tell?
> I have a few ideas about what these alternatives might be, but I wouldn't
> rule out some radical, new form of unionism. Perhaps this could be called
> "post-unionism?"
Shouldn't we have aome sort of concept on hand before coming we come up with a name ("Post-unionism"?)? And what would these "few ideas" - alluded to often, yet never explained - be? Consensus based affinity groups?
It's not "big union vs. small union" - it's the organizational structure of the union. Some unions are clearly class collaborationist, i.e. the UAW entering into "joint partnership" agreements with Ford to make SUVs, and lending their union bug to the commercials that announce this partnership with pride. That is clearly not revolutionary - it's not even reformist. I agree with you here. However, there is also early CIO-style and IWW-style industrial unionism, which you haven't mentioned, preferring instead "networks of disruption" and other methods that *sound* radical, but have yet to be elaborated upon. I'm all ears.
I agree there are far more empowering and, in the long run, effective ways of organizing than the business unionism that predominates in the AFL-CIO. But that doesn't mean that once the best alternative strategy is found, it will all just sort of happen for us. It would still depend upon the very real and hard work of *actual organizing* - that is, actually getting out and interacting with people to convince them of the merit of the idea. Even the best of theories, if not coupled with on-the-ground, hard organizational efforts, stay unrealized.
Networks of disruption, more wildcat strikes ... sounds exciting. Depends upon organization, of the organization of workers into some sorts of bodies of collective action. Traditionally these were called "unions" - if you want to call these groups "post-unions," well, good luck. It seems sort of absurd to me. A more anti-authoritarian structure of workplace organization is possible, as history and even current events tell us. The challenge is making it reality.
Brian Oliver Sheppard