What's wrong with labor unions?

[Nitroadict]

@John Ess

@Nitroadict

@John Ess

Some of the stuff the late Murray Bookchin wrote about unions was interesting. Especially since he was actually in them and experienced it first hand. Unlike the academics who called him petit-bourgeois and threatened to line him up on the wall to shoot him. There was a thought that unions would have “revolutionary” potential. But he realized that it just led to a “lifestyle” and that unions tend to be antithetical to the goals of even anarcho-syndicalism. They are anti-individualist (which Bookchin thought these movements were until finding out the opposite was true), they don’t really work to create new or “improved” systems but to agitate the status quo for their own short term gain, they don’t have much interest in ending violence or statism, and they don’t unite all workers but necessarily limit the supply.

+1

Methinks this little slice of history provides an excellent rebuttal against both knee-jerk rejections of labor unions, as well as blind acceptance, when Boochin himself found problems in the concept.

I also found Boockin’s ideas on Libertarian Municipalities interesting as well, despite heavily disagreeing with Boockin’s “peeve” with individualism.

Woops. I meant to say he thought they were individualist (or for individual liberty) and they were not. Sorry for the misunderstanding. He was an ‘individualist socialist.’ Yeah, I don’t understand that either!

These are two good links that the youtube user ‘darganot’ has put up:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RY1l5KcoleE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWNOusS8Hsk

D’oh! Now I’m confused…

Despite the mix-up, Bookchin’s analysis based on experience is still pretty valuable to derive counter-points to both those for & against unions.