Union Leader Says Democratic Party Can't Cut Its Corporate Ties

[Itsthetruth]

The Debate Continues:
A Revitalized Labor Movement Needs a New Vision of Politics
by Mark Dudzic
Labor Party National Organizer
March 5, 2005


Over the past 25 years, as the forces of globalization and deregulation gathered strength, a resurgent employer class went on the political offensive and labor was politically helpless to defend its interests. This is where labor's political demobilization proved decisive. Even as labor placed more and more effort into electing Democrats, the candidates it supported did less and less to advance labor's agenda.

This employer offensive, buttressed by a well thought out ideological assault, succeeded in setting the terms of political debate. The architects of this assault had a plan and a strategy to repeal the New Deal and dismantle the collective bargaining regime. They moved systematically toward this goal, taking advantage of every legislative, administrative and judicial opportunity without compromising their ultimate goal.

Today, they are very close to victory. Worse, they have crafted a message that couples pro-corporate economic policies with a populist social conservatism. They have turned the class anger of millions of mostly white workers into anger against liberal elites. And, to be sure, ‘union bosses' occupy a prominent place within this elite demonology.

Unable to transcend its own corporate ties, the Democratic Party proved incapable of opposing these developments. It has allowed the right wing to dictate the terms of the debate. It has consistently responded to these attacks by moving farther to the right and away from its relationships to labor and the other social movements that had constituted its popular base. And, lest we forget in these dark days of the second Bush administration, it squandered its moment in power in the 1990s by showing the corporate world its willingness to be stewards of their interests. Clintonism produced failed health care reform, NAFTA and the elimination of whole swathes of the social safety net. A renewed Clintonism will do nothing to advance the revitalization of the labor movement.

http://www.thelaborparty.org/a_debate.html

Mark Dudzic served as President of Local 8-149 OCAW (now Local 1-149 PACE) for over 18 years. He was President of the OCAW District 8 Council—the largest District in the OCAW—throughout the 1990's until its dissolution shortly after the PACE merger in 1999. He held a number of elected and appointed positions within OCAW and PACE including District 8 representative to the OCAW Chemical Bargaining Committee and Trustee of the PACE Region 2 Council. As a labor activist in New Jersey he served the labor movement in a number of capacities. He was a Trustee of the Bergen County (New Jersey) Central Labor Council and a Vice President of the New Jersey Industrial Union Council.

[w4rma]

1. Not another Nader. (nt)

[Radical Activist]

5. I don't believe the article calls for that

if you read it.

[w4rma]

6. I do. He's telling people that there is no hope for Democrats and give up

on the party. He's shilling for his dead end "Labor Party".

[MadHound]

2. Thanks for the great article

This guy is spot on with his analysis. Corporate cash has rotted the Democratic party until they are now the pitiful shell we see before us. And if the party doesn't do something new and innovative soon, they'll be DOA withing a couple of decades.

[Mojambo]

3. I share his doubts n/t

[Radical Activist]

4. He makes some good observations

I think his best point is this one:

"3. Seek out opportunities to run pilot programs and electoral campaigns at a local or regional level. Every two years, nearly 90 percent of all Congressional races are not seriously contested. Politicians who betray or ignore labor are seldom called to task. Once we move out from the swing states, opportunities abound for independent political initiatives that don't involve playing the political spoiler."

If Labor stops giving money to almost all Democrats unconditionally and defeats a few Congressional Democrats with independent pro-labor candidates, then I think the Democratic Party would be forced to turn around and change its agenda pretty quickly. They can't survive for long without the money and muscle of organized labor. They should target a few major DINO's in Democratic areas and give the Democrats a "come to Jesus" moment in '06.

[Itsthetruth]

7. Labor Could Leave The Democratic Party

Without the support of organized labor the Democratic Party would be irrelevant and a marginal political organization at best. If labor did leave the Democratic party all other progressive organizations and groups would quickly follow.

And if the Democratic Party under the threat of a labor walkout did not cut its corporate ties and funding, a new political party led by labor would certainly emerge and soon become a major political party. The Democratic Party would disappear from the political scene.

That scenario is very possible if the Democratic Party fails to act like an opposition party.

[Itsthetruth]

8. Read More

That was just an excerpt from a long statement. Please read his full article at the link.

[applegrove]

9. Social movements have to adapt to a changing world. We have to

let the poorest people trade. Wages will go down. How will labour leaders adapt to help the working class deal with all sorts of changes. Can Credit Unions become international and supply good investment advice, group insurance, etc.?

It is a very different world. We have to all be a part of it. What ideas does labour have?

[Trillo]

10. "Wages will go down"

Will the CEOs of the world accept exponential decreases to their own grossly inflated compensation? Or is just the poor working stiff gonna be the only casualty?

[applegrove]

11. That has been going on for 20 years. The CEO gets paid for

making the 'tough' decision. I am just saying that we may as well be way out there and looking down the pipes at what is coming. Because it will not be incredible growth for the mature West's economies. It will all be in the emerging economies.

And if the price of food or basic needs go down a bit - that will help those of us whose wages are not keeping up with the CEOs. Just that we pay attention to how this happens and do not let vomit get away with pushing the envelope too much. And they are not getting away with it. The norm is to try and stop them (please tell me that is almost the norm). Okay - perhaps it is an occasional event.

As Unions we have to applaud the companies that do not overpay their ceo, try and not destroy their suppliers, workers or government. We have to applaud and make 'good corporate citizenship pay'.

It will be a different world. And I for one would like to see some really cool thinking from unions as to what they will morph into. We will all be changing. Weather the soulless wonders win out or the empathetic humans depends on how hard we work and learn and teach and adapt and think and dig deep. IMHO