[lbo-talk] Boycotting the Unorganized?

Carrol Cox cbcox at ilstu.edu
Sun Jan 23 11:14:05 PST 2005


Eubulides wrote:
>
>
> This whole discussion concedes too much to the business unionism model we
> all abhor and the fallacy of simple location in a world being
> de-re-territorialized at the click of a mouse..........

I think it possible to merge (to some extent) the simple response with the more complex matters.

1. The kneejerk action when coming upon a picket should be _not_ to cross it.

2. Usually that is the best personal response _even_ when there is a lot wrong with the picket.

3. Business Unionism (perhaps, in fact, the entire AFL-CIO) has to go, but we don't have the foggiest idea _yet_ just how or when that will happen and under what circumstances. In the meantime we better have a fucking good reason for refusing to honor any picket line we come across.

4. The debate here is not unlike the debate going on concurrently over how to look back on the Soviet Union and Communist China. The AFL-CIO is as much a bureaucratic organization as was the Soviet Union, but like the Soviet Union it achieved some damn important things. And just as Chuck0's response to the FSU is detestable, so any kneejerk rejection of the AFL-CIO is detestable.

5. Nevertheless, we ought to have a fucking good reason before we cross any picket line. But there are some picket lines which (after investigation) we ought to cross even now, under present conditions.

Carrol



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