Fraudulent Or Genuine?

Fraudulent or Genuine? by Nathan Karp Price 25 cents UNI ~ ONISM F-raudulent or Genuine? By Nathan Karp What is the mission of union ism? Is it to reconcile the workers with exploitation, to preserve capitalism, to serve the exploiters as merchan disers of the workers' labor power? Or is it to defend the workers in the class struggle, to organize the economic power needed to back up the political demand for Socialism, and to provide the governmental structure to succeed capitalism's coercive State? The questions are analyzed and answered in this pamphlet in a fundamental discussion of the dif ference between fraudulent and gen uine unionism. An appendix consisting of basic editorials by Daniel De Leon on un ionism makes this work an exhaus tive study of a subject that is of prime importance to all workers. 64 pages Price 25 cents postpaid The New York Labor News Co., publishing agency of the Socialist Labor P a rty, publishes equally sound lit erature on other aspects of the union question, and on capitalism and Socialism in general. Send for a free catalogue. NEW YORK LABOR NEWS CO. 61 Cliff Street, New York 38, N.Y. UNIONISM: Fraudulent or Genuine? By . N~~THAN J(ARP New Sub Rates One year $3; 6 IVIonths $1.50 t..J e'~ Address 116 Nassau St., ~rooklyn, N. Y. 11201 1962 NEW YORK LABOR NEWS CO., 61 Cliff St., New York 38, N.Y. First printing, 1958 Second printing, 1962 (Printed in the United States of America.) Contents 1. The Union Question Still Burns . 1 2. Fraudulent Unions and the Class Struggle. 4 3. Labor Lieutenants of the Capitalist Class. 9 4. Labor Divided. 17 5. Unions As Big Business. 20 6. Genuine Unionism .... ·-· ......................... 25 APPENDIX Explanatory Note, by Eric Hass .................... 35 By Daniel De Leon: Industrial Unionism. 37 Industrial Union Structure. 41 Strikes and the "Public". 49 Socialist Labor Party Resolution on Strikes. 53 By cowardly g1vmg way in their everyday conflict with capital, they [the workers] would certainly dis qualify themselves for the initiating of any larger move ment. At the same time, and quite apart from the general servitude involved in the wage system, the working class ought not to exaggerate to themselves the ultimate work ing of these everyday struggles. They ought not to for get that they are fighting with effects, but not with the causes of those effects; that they are retarding the down· ward movement, but not changing its direction; that they are applying palliatives, not curing the malady. They ought, therefore, not to be exclusively absorbed in these unavoidable guerrilla fights incessantly springing up from the never-ceasing encroachments of capital or changes of the market. They ought to understand that, with all the miseries it imposes upon them, the present system simultaneously engenders the MATERIAL CONDITIONS and the SOCIAL FORMS necessary for an economic re construction of society. Instead of the CONSERVATIVE motto, "A FAIR DAY'S WAGE FOR A FAIR DAY'S WORK!" they ought to inscribe on their banner the REVOLUTIONARY watchword, "ABOLITION OF THE WAGE SYSTEM!" - KARL MARX 1. The Union Question Still Burns That the trade-union question is a burning one is obvious from the space it :fills in the public mind, the acrimony of thE' discussion and the wide divergence of opinion on the subject. Obvious also is the conclu sion that a subject that can draw upon itself so much attention. that can produce so much acrimony, and on which opinion takes so many shades-running from extreme and unqualified support through all manner of gradations across the gamut, to extreme and unqualified opposition-cannot choose but be a vital one, and certainly must have a latent something about it that will not down. Finally, it is obvious that stlch a question deserves attention - close, serious aad sober-and that the solution must be grappled with and found.-Daniel De Leon, in "Burning Ques tion of Trades Unionism." As IJaniel De Leon, America's foremost Ma·rx ist, :~mphasized over 53 years ago, trade unionism is indeed a vital subject-particularly to the workers of America. Recent events have once again brought it to the forefront of public attention. And, as usual, the discussions on this important subject have produced much more heat and acrimony than fact and logic, there by emphasizing- the need to give the union question ''close, serious and sober" consideration once again. In fact, it is of the utmost importance that this be done, since the future welfare of the workers of America ( anC., in the final analysis, of the world) depends di rectly upon a proper and correct evaluation of the na ture and character of the unions in existence today, a proper understanding of the historic mission of union ism and a knowledge of the correct principles of union I organization. It is the purpose of this pamphlet to deal '\'ith these fundamentals. WRONG PRINCIPLES SIRE CORRUPTION Before oealing with these matters specifically, how ever, it may be well to point out briefly that the revela tions made by the special Senate Rackets Committee investigating corrupt practices by various union lea.d ers, etc., were hardly startling to anyone even super ficially informed on the nature of the existing unions. Nor are future revelations likely to be any more startling. {Jnfortunately, however, more than any thing else these revelations have created the illusion that there is nothing \\Tong with today's unions that the ren1oval of a few corrupt leaders would not rectify. .Actually, the truth is that corruption among union officials is a result of, not the cause of, what is -.~rrong with these unions, as lve shall soon see. It should also he noted at this point that the AFL CIO "merger" has created no basic or fundamental change in what passes for the American union move ment. It has not hrotl"ght unity to the. lahor movement. A.ll the evils that existed separately in the AFL and the cro before the Hffierger'~ Still remain. Jurisdic tional differences, the emphasis on "job control" and the -autocra6c control of each union by entrenched bu reaucrats still continue. In some instances, the jurisdic~ tional ciispntes ha\7 e become more bitter than ever. ·rhou!!.h the national hodies of the AFL and the CIO h~nr~ "'merp:ed,'' n1ost state and local AFL and CIO units found that they had jurisdictional and bureau cratic differences that interfered with state- and local level "mergers." As Stanley Levey expressed it in the New York Times (in discussing the failure of the New York State units of the AFL and CIO to "merge") : "The main obstacle to merger is a basic dis agreement over organic structure-meaning jobs 2 ..1 and power.... "- New York Times, Feb. ro, 1957· 1'he Socialist Labor Party is, of course, directly concerned vvith all aspects of the union question. For the Socialist Labor Party is the strongest advocate of proper working-c1ass unionism in America,· and al Yvays has been during the 67 years of its existence. But the Sociali~t Lahor Party charges that the present unions-all of then1--are not working-class unions. ·rhey an::, instead, organizations dedicated to princi ples contrary to the best' interests of the workers. As a result, thev are in fact definite obstructions to the workers' efforts to free th~mselves · from the horrors of wage slavc.ry and exploitation. And; as V\~e shall see, the Socialist Lahar Party has sound and, logical reasons for this unyielding position. 'fhe union question is, of course, a large one with n1any Important ramifications. r~,or obviOUS reasons, onlv. the most e$S.entiaL£acts and principles can be dealt with in this parop]1l~t -;" Briefly they may be divided into the follo\ving "four major points: ' I. 'rhe purpose and m~ssion - of unionism. · 2. The goal that a v~'orking-class 't1pion must aim for. y ... \•· " 3· The sti·ucture and · objectives of the present unions. (Including the rol\ of the labor leader.) : 4· The union organizatipn the workers must es tablish in order to pt:otect ,,th~~li ( interests and achieve their complete emancipati:on ·from wage slavery and exploitation. 1!· 3 2. Fraudulent Unions And the Class Struggle The first question that must be answered is: \Vhat is the rnission of unionism in a fully developed capital ist society? It would be 'veil if we could explain in detail all the basic problems and contradictions that exist in a fully developed capitalist society such as we have in the United States. But this would be a major work in itself, far beyond the scope of this pam phlet. For our purpose here, however, it is necessary that we emphasize the all-important fact that capi talism is a class-divided society. One class, composed of a small minority, owns and controls all the so cially required means of production and distribution. This class is the capitalist class. The other class, com posed of the vast majority, is completely deprived of ownership and control of the tools of production and the instruments of distribution. This class is the work ing class. In order to live, it must sell its labor power, its ahility to work, mentally and manually, to the capitalist class. The working class produces all so cial wealth and performs all necessary social services. In return it receives in the form of 'vages but a small fraction of the w·ea1th it alone produces. The capitalist dass: hy virtue of its ownership of the tools, appropri ates the •balance (by far the Ia rger portion) of this wealth.

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