Socialist Action /February 1999
Statement by the Socialist Action Political Committee
Solidarity-a loose association of ex-revolutionary socialists,
ordinary reformists, and other disparate radicals-has gone way out of its
way to defend the capitalist government's attack on Carey and the Teamsters
Union. This group is a far more aggressive and shameless defender of government
intervention in the Teamsters than are the central leaders of the Teamsters
for a Democratic Union (TDU-see article on page 17).
Solidarity spokespersons defended support to the government in their
own publication, Against the Current, and in various "socialist"
and "leftist" publications. It's likely that their zealous defense
of TDU leaders' policy may have been a mite embarrassing to them.
On several occasions, we are very sorry to say, Solidarity's polemics
justifying the government's attack on the Teamsters Union appeared in the
pages of International Viewpoint.
This magazine is the public voice of the Fourth International (FI), which
was founded by Leon Trotsky to advance the cause of world socialism.
(Trotsky along with Lenin were central leaders of the October 1917 Socialist
Revolution in Russia and were advocates, par-excellence, of working-class
independence from the capitalist class, its governments, and its other agencies.)
Socialist Action, the political organization whose views are reflected
in this newspaper, is in principled support of the historic program and
goals of the world party founded by Leon Trotsky.
And since we are fraternally associated with the FI, we are obligated
to make public our strong opposition to International Viewpoint's
de facto political support to Solidarity's shameful defense of the government
takeover of the Teamsters.
Besides repeatedly printing Solidarity's viewpoint on this matter without
a word of criticism, support to Solidarity's viewpoint is further evidenced
by International Viewpoint's failure to publish opposing articles,
written for Socialist Action newspaper by members of Socialist Action,
which defended Carey against the government.
What is the meaning of the word, "solidarity"? Its meaning
is immortalized in the well-known labor anthem "Solidarity Forever,"
and the time-honored labor slogan: "An injury to one is an injury to
all!"
Simply put, working-class solidarity is the workers' strategic
answer to the capitalist strategy of divide and conquer. Because
workers are the great majority and capitalists a tiny minority, it's the
only strategy open to them.
The real immediate target of the government's assault on Ron Carey was
the Teamsters Union. And the longer range target is the entire American
working class and all its class-based economic and political organizations.
Any organization that calls itself "socialist" should know
better than to justify such a government attack.
It doesn't take a master logician to see that if the bosses or their
direct agents, in this case the government, are allowed to enter a union
headquarters unchallenged to arrest, physically remove, or otherwise
do injury to its leaders, then, as history shows, they can do it to anyone
in the workers' movement.
Those who lay claim or aspire to leadership of workers were obliged to
do whatever is necessary and possible to defend the most outstanding militant
trade unionist this country has seen in over half a century from an attack
by the bosses and their government. It's an elementary exercise of the
principle of working-class solidarity!
The political grouping called "Solidarity" failed in its obligation
to act in solidarity with an outstanding workers' leader and in defense
of working-class interests.
All supporters of the Fourth International should join Socialist Action
in repudiating those responsible for the shameful support given to this
act of betrayal in the pages of International Viewpoint, and thereby
staining the banner of the World Party of Socialist Revolution.
Socialist Action /February 1999 |