Author laments the absense of Reds in the labor movement.

I found this interview very interesting although I don't care for Alternet as a source of information. But, what I find most interesting is that neither the person doing the interview nor the author bring forward what is probably the most important question to ask given the author's comment:

"McAlevey sat down with AlterNet to talk about organizing in so-called “right-to-work” states, the too-close relationship between unions and Democrats who leave them high and dry, the brutality of fighting the boss, and why the worst thing to happen to labor in the U.S. might just have been purging the Communists from the movement."

A comment which begs the question:

If we are going to strengthen the labor movement, organize working class communities and organize the un-organized; don't we need to re-build the Communist Party U.S.A. along the class struggle, anti-imperialist line suggested by one of the greatest union organizers of all time--- William Z. Foster?

Phil Raymond (a leader of the Communist Party who is widely recognized as the founder of the UAW told me the way he and Nadia Barkan (who headed up the Young Communist League in Michigan) built up the organization that led to organizing the United Auto Workers was by first building Communist Party Clubs in each plant and each community the auto plants were in.

The same thing was done on the Iron Range in Minnesota according to John Bernard who became the primary organizer for the socialist Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party and who was eventually elected to Congress.

For all practical purposes the success of labor today hinges on the working class having a strong Communist Party--- after all, without a Communist Party we never would have had these Communist union organizers in the steel, auto, electrical, chemical, transportation, forestry, mining and communication industries that Jane McAlevey who wrote this book is talking about.

Even Jimmy Hoffa acknowledged that the historic breakthrough in organizing the Teamster's Union could not have taken place had Gus Hall and Minneapolis' Communists not laid the groundwork for organizing the historic Minneapolis Teamster Strike.

At one time in this country almost every single CIO labor council was headed up by Communists.

I haven't read this book yet; but, the insinuation here that few seem prepared to discuss is that we need to re-build a strong Communist Party U.S.A. because strengthening and organizing unions is what we need and it is Communists who can get this work done.

http://www.alternet.org/labor/how-organizing-change-very-different-winning-elections?akid=9719.52132.nPDb7W&rd=1&src=newsletter749897&t=2&paging=off

How Organizing for Change Is Very Different Than Winning Elections

www.alternet.org

Jane McAlevey talks about her new book "Raising Expectations (and Raising Hell)," how to organize the right way, and big