Educational Meeting

Socialists and Unions

In a crisis economy, with foreclosures at record numbers, and real unemployment figures reaching depression-decade levels, it is more important than ever for workers to organize.

In some ways, the prospects look good. Obama has promised to walk picket lines with workers and pass the Employee Free Choice Act--which would allow workers to form unions with a majority of workers signing union cards. Here in Rochester, workers are organizing at RIT and our ISO members are helping to build a solidarity campaign of students, faculty and community members.

There is a hidden history of radicalism in the United States where socialists have played a crucial role in the labor movement and building unions. This comes from socialist politics, specifically Marxism.

Join us for a talk and discussion on the socialist analysis of the labor movement, how socialists approach building unions, and how we can put Marxism into practice today.

Required Readings:
1. "Mobilizing the Power of the Rank and File" by Paul D'Amato: http://socialistworker.org/2008/01/25/rank-and-file ,
2. "Marxism and the Trade Union Struggle" by Cliff and Gluckstein: http://www.internationalsocialist.org/pdfs/Marxism_TradeUnions.pdf , and
3. "The Labor Movement, State of Emergency, Signs of Renewal" by Lee Sustar: http://isreview.org/issues/34/stateofemergency.shtml

Thursday, April 2nd, 7:30pm
RIT Library "Idea Factory"