Will Labor Make Solidarity with Wisconsin Unions Into a Democracy Movement?

It has been great to see the outpouring of support for the unionized public sector workers of Wisconsin over the past couple of weeks. Really great. The Republican governor of that state, Scott Walker, has made it his mission to wipe out the only wing of the labor movement that has something like the power that unions once did in general when large numbers of private sector workers were unionized in the 1940s through the 1960s. And when unions could and did wield tremendous political and economic power relative to their current position. Of course, unions in this country never had nearly as much power as the various titans of industry did. But compared to the unions of today - weakened by 30 years of constant defeats and the continuing shrinking of their membership base to not much more than ten percent of the workforce - they walked tall. Despite the many contradictions of their existence as "handmaidens of capital."

Photos by Jason Pramas

So as I have observed the fightback by union workers in Wisconsin, I have felt heartened. And as I have seen - in one case in person - two of the largest labor demonstrations in years happen back to back outside the Massachusetts State House in solidarity with the Wisconsin workers, I've been positively thrilled. Pretty much all of the union leadership in the Commonwealth as well as many of the leaders of our several labor-community coalitions have called their members and staff to turn out to the two Boston solidarity rallies, and the similar rally in Springfield. Which is wonderful to see.

Meanwhile in Madison, as the Wisconsin Assembly has gone ahead and voted to eviserate the rights of public sector union workers, two words are starting to be bandied about among local leadership of the American Federation of Labor - Congress of Industrial Organizations that haven't been heard in this country in decades ... general strike.

Which is a pretty powerful expression to throw around in public. Sure, it wouldn't exactly be every public and private sector union stopping work and engaging in direct class struggle against the billionaire-backed right wingers in those parts. That would be in clear violation of existing federal labor laws. But even pulling a good chunk of those union workers off the job in concert across the spectrum of different and sometimes bickering unions would be a tremendous step forward for American labor from my perspective. Should it happen, in however limited a fashion, it raises an interesting and terrifying spectre in the hearts of the public and private sector bosses. "If they're willing to go this far, what happens in the future if they decide to ignore federal labor law and go all the way with a full-blown general strike call."

Wisconsin is a more heavily unionized state than Massachusetts has ever been. That kind of militant action would completely shut down the Badger State until the workers won, or Walker managed to sic the National Guard on the strikers, or the feds stepped in for good or (more likely) ill.

With other states facing similar right wing legislative assualts against unions, this kind of tough-minded strategy would probably spread quickly - if history is any guide.

In fact, if the unions play this situation right they could preside over a huge new movement of working people for democracy and social justice that would likely sweep conservative movements like the Tea Party, the Minutemen and others into the proverbial "dustbin of history" where they belong.

Problem is, I don't exactly think the unions are playing this situation exactly right. I think they need to get their messaging straight. That is to say they need to stop making this fight about this abstraction of American labor law called "collective bargaining rights" and push for broader and more popular reforms like "democracy in the workplace." Or just democracy.

If the unions used the Wisconsin fight, and the fights that are starting to emerge from it elsewhere in the country, to say "American workers - the American people - are getting screwed by giant corporations and banks in the same way that workers in other countries have been getting screwed for generations, and now is the time to join together and take back our government and our democracy from the rich and powerful" millions of people would flock to labor's standard.

I recognize that some union voices are saying this kind of thing already - and good on them - but the top leadership of major unions, the AFL-CIO and labor-community coalitions like Jobs with Justice are still more or less pushing the "collective bargaining" trope. With some local variation.

I think that's too limiting a slogan to allow the labor movement to take the best advantage of this huge and growing fight. So I'd like the join a still relatively minor chorus of voices in and around the labor movement to say "c'mon folks, it's time to take a page from the history of some of the popular movements in other countries that American unions have backed from time to time, and from our own history, and play the democracy card."

It's the right thing to do. And it will work precisely because it the right thing to do. The intuitive thing to do.

The necessary thing to do.

As ever, holler back in the comments section below if you have anything to say about this editorial.

Jason Pramas is Editor/Publisher of Open Media Boston