Because a general strikes takes a lot to plan?
i thought it was primarily because a lot of major renegotiations are scheduled to happen in 2028?
And I bet part of the work towards a general strike is to try to force even more renegotiations in 2028 right?
Despite his bold talk, however, Fain has not yet made an organized attempt to spread the idea.
This is an absolute lie. Shawn Fain promised a general strike after the UAW negotiated their 5 year contract in 2023. The UAW did not have to promise this at all. The UAW also shortened their contract so that they could strike on May 1, 2028. The UAW also said that it was their goal to have unionized 2 or 3 additional car manufacturers by 2028. The UAW is typically known for having unionized the “Big Three” car companies, which is GM, Ford, and Stellantis (fka Fiat-Chrysler). However in April 2024, the UAW unionized the Volkswagen factory in Chattanooga TN. That is evidence that UAW is in fact trying to do their plan. The UAW is also in the process of trying to organize other non-union plants in the US such as Toyota.
Besides that, the article has a naive understanding of the purpose of general strike. The article should ask “Why strike before 2028?”. The purpose of a strike is a bargaining tool. The union already got the best contract that they’ve had in decades, why would they strike before the contract expires? That makes no sense unless you have the brain of a redditor. A strike is supposed to be a threat. Nobody wants to actually go on strike to have their demands met. Firstly it costs a lot money to go on strike, which is why unions need to save up strike funds prior to the strike. Secondly, everyone hopes that the capitalist concede to the demands of the union before a strike happens. The ideal scenario is that the capitalists concede and then the workers don’t have to strike.
The strike is planned for 2028 because that is when the contract ends. The UAW offered to strike with other unions in 2028 so that all unions involved in the general strike would have greater collective bargaining power. Let’s say hypothetically the Teamsters agree to the proposed general strike arrangement with the UAW. What would that mean? That would mean that the UAW and Teamsters negotiate contracts at the same time, with the threat that if the companies don’t concede to their demands, then both unions would go on strike. The hope is that this greater pressure will make the companies more likely to concede so that a strike won’t actually happen, but the worker’s demands will be met.
Stupid article. The article is written by Trotskyists, as you might expect. The website is owned by “Revolutionary Communist Party of America” (RCA), which on their website says they support “genuine Marxism, represented by Marx, Engels, Lenin, and Trotsky.” This leads me to believe that they don’t support Stalin, Mao, and so on.
That’s the compromise. Biden lets UAW have a small win but they have to promise not to disturb his second term of presidency.
Anyone who thinks you have to “wait” 5 years because there is already a contract in place doesn’t understand the history of labor movement, doesn’t understand how general strike works at all. This is just giving the bourgeosie all the time they needed to crush the next wave of labor strikes.
