Labor Unions in the United States

[MexAmLeft]

What do you guys think about the labor unions in the US such as the Teamsters and AFL-CIO?Do they have or have they ever had any socialist ideals and have they done anything to improve the lives of the workers here.Basically are they helpful or hurtful to the average american worker?

[Sabocat]

There's not doubt that the unions have improved lives of workers. Union membership generally means higher wages, better conditions, better working hours, pensions etc.

The higher wages of union members also generally translates to higher wages for non union members as well.

Trade Unions (in the U.S.) at any rate, helped bring about the 40 hour work week, overtime pay, ending brutal child labor, etc.

The downside to current union membership (and it's relatively small these days in the U.S....about 8%) is that they have created a labor aristocracy that causes divisions between workers, rather than alliances. Also, generally speaking, unions tend to be pretty nationalistic pitting one nations workers against another nations workers which does nothing but benefit the ruling class.

Currently you are also more apt to see union leadership making concessions to corporations, acting as a middleman for the bosses. For an example, just look at what's going on with Northwest Airlines, or the Detroit Teachers Union, The Auto Industry (UAW) etc, etc.

Only the IWW has held on to it's anti-capitalist class consciousness.

[Tekun]

^Mos definitely


My father belongs to the Teamsters
And on many occasions he has opposed the position of his union superiors
The labor aristocracy in this and other unions is rather substantial and abusive towards those on the bottom
Although unions are organizations that do help and benefit the workers, they have almost no revolutionary or socialist intentions
Their ideals and policies are comformist in the sense that they don't want to change society, but just subsist and endure the conditions that a capitalist society creates

I'd say that they help the common worker live in a capitalist country despite the perpetual abuse and exploitation that is bountiful in such countries
However, as I said b4, unions create comformity amongst the workers
And thus, one can suggest that they also hurt the workers consciousness in the sense that the workers conform to their fate, and have no desire to overthrow the system that exploits them