Please Brother Dority—No More ‘Successful’ Strikes
How Can We Turn the Class Struggle Around?
UFCW International President Doug Dority said the recently concluded southern California grocery labor dispute was "one of the most successful strikes in history. ... The men and women on the picket lines are genuine heroes."
I’d certainly agree with the second part of his spin statement. While the companies hired, by hook and by crook, several thousand strikebreakers, as well as bringing in management employees from other areas, there were few scabs among the strikers during the nearly five month ordeal of going without paychecks. They are indeed genuine heroes in my book.
And there were some successful components of this fight. The strikers built strong support in their communities and convinced hundreds of thousands to honor the picket line and shop elsewhere. As a result, the companies lost more than two billion dollars in revenue.
But heroism and sympathy alone don’t equal victory. Only a bureaucrat ensconced in an office with a view of the White House, and surrounded by "yes" persons, could look at the terms of the California settlement and characterize it as one of our best strikes ever.
11:55:10 AM 
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