All across the United States, workers are rising up against attacks on their unions, wages and benefits. Wisconsin has been the epicenter of these rebellions as tens of thousands of workers have demonstrated in the state capital against attacks on their collective bargaining rights.
The union leaders and their political allies have tried to keep the struggle focused on recalling Republican senators, electing Democrats and within the bosses’ laws. Talks of strikes and even a general strike by rank and file workers have been dismissed by the union leadership.
The leadership sees the rallies as blowing off steam by the workers, while they make deals with the bosses, rather than as part of a workers movement to intensify the class struggle against the capitalists. If we are going to move forward in a period like this, a new leadership has to come forth that is willing to take on the bosses and sharpen the class struggle. This means breaking through the constraints the bosses have placed on us to wage successful strikes. The three main constraints are the ability of the courts to declare strikes illegal and order the strikers back to work, the outlawing of support strikes by other workers, and the prohibition of mass picketing to prevent scabs from taking the jobs of striking workers.
At Metro, the union leadership looks at the no strike law as the Eleventh Commandant rather than a rule to keep the workers down. They will spend millions of dollars supporting politicians who promise us everything and deliver nothing, rather than organize us to fight back. This does not work because politicians support the system of capitalism which is based on making profits off workers’ labor. If a politician cannot prevent a successful strike, they are of no use to the capitalists and they will soon be gotten rid of.
Ever since contract negotiations began nearly four years ago, it has been clear that the politicians would not support us. It also has been clear that Metro was determined to ram a lousy contract down our throats. The union leadership made no plans to deal with these conditions. When the arbitration award came out in November 2009, the leadership pretended it was a great deal when in fact it was terrible, particularly with the elimination of retiree health insurance for new employees and a one year wage freeze. When Metro challenged our pay raises, the union went so far as to tell the court it was okay to raise our health insurance costs and freeze our wages for one year.
The attack on us is intensifying as the DC government plans a major expansion of The Circulator over the next few years. We must fight to have the Circulator made a part of the Metrobus system and operated by Local 689 members not First Transit.
The attacks on the union movement across the country and in DC have had the effect of strengthening the movement. Thousands of workers in DC have rallied for the fight. As a movement we are stronger and more united than we have been in years. As we await the outcome of the Court’s ruling on our contract, we should continue to rally, support the struggles of other workers who are fighting back, particularly the Ride-On drivers, and seek the support of the riding public. On May 1, thousands of workers will gather in New York City to celebrate Mayday, the international working class holiday. They will be marching to fight the attacks on workers, to fight racism and attacks on immigrant workers and to end war. We should join them.
