Let’s continue the overview of “Class Struggle Unionism” by Joe Burns which I started in the June 2022 Labor Liaison article.
Joe Burns shows that the only answer is a movement grounded in a clear struggle between workers and bosses, which is the essence of class struggle unionism. In order to examine and understand we must look at its main competitor, businesses unionism.
Business unionists have a narrow perspective, seeing problems as individual workers versus bad employers. The focus is on what workers should get paid and what modest limitations should be placed on employers.
Business unionism was challenged in the 1920s and 1930s by progressive unions;it emerged after the World War 2 period as the dominant form of unionism. Today it is the overwhelming form of unionism from conservative to liberal unions.
Next month we will continue to examine Class Struggle Unionism
Here are state budget highlights that help union members:
- Help with rising healthcare costs raised the income eligibility threshold for Medicaid to 250% of the federal poverty level
- Facilitated enrollment child care subsidy, the Nurse-Family Partnership
- Substance Abuse Prevention and Intervention Specialists Program funded fully for a year
- Financial support for the Worker Institute at Cornell, the Domestic Violence Program, Union Leadership Institute, the School of Labor and Urban Studies, and the Consortium for Worker Education.