Business vs. Revolutionary Unionism
“When the working class unites, there will be a lot of jobless labor leaders.” –Eugene Debs, 1905 speech
Unions are a modern concept, a product of industrial society. The idea is a simple, but important one — namely that the weak majority must organize collectively to battle the powerful minority — the capitalist, whose will is backed by the power of the State. The individual worker is almost powerless in a non-union workplace, with the choice of obeying the boss or quitting their job for another one.
Unions upset this blissful state of affairs, when these weak, individual workers banded together against the boss, they had considerable strength indeed. Note that this right to collectively bargain was hard-won by workers — much worker blood was spilled by capitalists (through their lap-dog, the State), in order to protect their privilege, power, and profits, which depended on a disorganized, and above all, weak workforce.
Make no mistake: unionism was a powerful, effective social force, and it has always been reviled by capitalists and management, because it cuts into their absolute workplace authority, which they seem to feel is theirs by right, in the style of kings of times past. Continue reading ‘Business Unionism’
