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this post was submitted on 14 Dec 2023
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Is it good to have 1 union?
(Unions in general are definitely good and obviously it makes more impact with more workers at once. I just had the thought of ’monopolies == bad' and wondered how/if that applies to unions)
Unions are a form of government. Their leadership is voted in by its members. It'd be weird to say governments are monopolies. Yes there's only one government, but the representatives are democratically elected. Individuals still have a voice.
I think the more pro-capitalist view of unions would say that "one big union" is definitely a bad idea. The socialist or anarcho-syndicalist would likely see the one big union as a way to collectively fight the bosses, specifically in the context of class struggle. The communist or Marxist-Leninist would maybe say the union is a barrier to revolution by sustaining the class structure.
The biggest "one big union" org was/is the IWW or "wobblies" as they were known and it was their primary mission to unionize all workers under the IWW banner.
I can chime in as an anarcho-syndicalist! Personally, vanguard unions seem like a bad idea to me for the same reason as a vanguard party. I think unions should stick to their industry, and coordinate production between industries, i.e. the union representing a factory making zippers coordinates with the union representing a factory making pants to make sure all pants have zippers.
I'm not strictly opposed to a vanguard union because I don't think it would have the same potential for harm, however. Hell, I'm a member of the IWW. I just generally feel like production would be far less wasteful if the workers can project their voice through their union without meeting internal resistance from members outside their industry.
That makes a lot of sense I always found it interesting how anarcho-syndicalists supported the idea of one entity although it makes a damn good slogan and is a strong ideological point. They've also gone against the idea of competing unions in one industry which is always good.
What sort of things is the IWW up to now? I believe they sponsor union drives and offer resources, I'd almost consider joining as a way to donate to that since I'm already in a union its just that the AFL-CIO seems to legislatively own unions now. Bought some stuff from the IWW web store though which is amazingly well stocked. Utah Phillips and some of that music was in my house a lot growing up, definitely Seeger as well since my mother was a Christian Socialist.
They had a card drive event in my city not too long ago to get new members, and I know a couple sandwich shops near me were organizing with the support of the IWW. They also have an excellent organizer training course, and naturally they still do the Industrial Worker.
That's the point of a union.
You do have a good point there and I agree with you
Workers should have the choice of what union they want to join and not he forced into the choice of join this one union in the automotive industry or not being in a union
Yes, involvement in certain sectors should absolutely not be discretionary, particularly where safety-sensitive industries although this really shouldn't be limited to individual industries.
There needs to be one unified union or else their bargaining power is greatly reduced. The cooperations will only hire from the union that benefits them most. Remember a union is not a private corporation. A union is a representative negotiating body. Every member of a union votes on and has a say in how the union acts.
The employer would just hire scabs in that arrangement like the main idea of a union is to have that single collective power.