Date: Sun, 7 Dec 1997 11:36:45 -0500 (EST)
From: Justin Schwartz <jschwart-AT-freenet.columbus.oh.us>
Subject: Re: M-I: Unions & the crisis of "tri-party rule"



Thank you, Louis. But a clarification is in order. My comrades in
Solidarity and a handful of other revolutionary socialists
were indeed the backbone of the TDU in the early, pre-Carey days. But it
would certainly be misleading to say that the TDU isn an association of
10,000 revolutionary socialists. Most TDUers are militant rank and file
unionists who, however, share the antisocialist prejudices of most
Americans workers. The Reds in the TDU feel that they have to keep their
politics quiet, rightly or not I do not know. 

The TDU could not have defeated the old guard by themselves. It was
crucial that Justice too the Teamsters into receivership. That, plus the
militant organizing efforts of the TDO, opened a space for the defeat of
the hoods. Basically what happened is, Justice took the union away from
the hoods, and the TDU was well placed to press for democratic electons
rather than direct government control. 

How strong the TDU is now we will have to see. It may be that like the
pro-choice forces after Roe they allowed themselves to become demobiolized
and disorganized. _Labor Notes_ suggests not, but maybe they're being
overoptimistic. We'll see in the upcoming elections.

--Justin

On Sun, 7 Dec 1997, Louis Proyect wrote:

> Louis Godena:
> >
> >There are, essentially, three organizational paradigms for "workers' power"
> >in America: those of the Justice Department, Central Intelligence, and -- in
> >one form or another -- organized crime.  
> >
> 
> What garbage. The Teamsters for a Democratic Union has 10,000 members. It
> was the TDU that defeated Hoffa, not the US government, the CIA or
> organized crime. Louis Godena has no analysis of the TDU. He simply waves a
> wand and makes it disappear.
> 
> The people who initiated TDU were revolutionary socialists. They were
> around long before Carey became president and will be around long after.
> Louis Godena should drag his Nietzschean, labor-hating ass to a Boston
> bookstore and pick up a copy of Dan Labotz's book "Rank and File
> Rebellion". God, what profound ignorance from a Communist Party member.
> Bring back Scott Marshall.
> 
> Louis Proyect
> 
> 
> 
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