A leading member of the Teamsters has called for more activism among members of the labor movement and criticized today's current crop of labor leaders for not sharing the pulse of the working class because they have not risen through the ranks.
"Workers today need to build a real rank-and-file global fight-back movement. The labor movement must embrace grassroots rank-and-file formations like the Million Worker March Movement to unite Black, Brown, Yellow, Red and White workers into a militant force for progress on behalf of the working class," said Chris Silvera, chair of the Teamsters National Black Caucus and secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local 808, during a recent speech.
Silvera said the current leaders of the labor movement "are more comfortable with the bosses and politicians than they are with the rank and file" because they "did not rise up from the shop floor (and) are products of Ivy League and other nationally recognized universities." He said other labor leaders rose to their position because of "extreme nepotism" and as a result of the "legacy system."
He lamented the loss of leaders from the McCarthy era who were tough, militant and analytic, "movement-oriented leaders (who) were replaced by the businessman union leader."
Silvera said black workers should take the lead and serve as "the catalyst for worker solidarity on a global scale." He urged them to be more "relevant to their communities" by enlisting the support of unorganized workers into the labor movement. He urged the labor movement to play are more vital role in their communities and related organizations, particularly through actions that would benefit the working class.
"Like the immigrant struggle, workers in the United States must hit the streets and demand full protection for defined-benefit pension plans, full health coverage from the cradle to the grave, protection and improvement of Social Security, and full employment for all eligible workers,: said Silvera.
He also criticized capitalists in the United States for establishing a system based on checks and balances rather than a system of cooperation and collaboration.
"Certainly, there can be no partnership when pension plans are laid to waste, workers' wages are out of step with the cost of living, and with the continued assault against the foundation of organized labor, the destruction of defined-benefit pension plans, the continued increase in health-care cost sharing, and increased privatization and outsourcing. These cannot be the basis for equal partnership," Silvera said.
