The capitalist media is very happy with the vote. They called it a victory for ''common sense'' and the US economy, as the management use extortion to win. Pro-capitalist newspapers and networks like Fox News, say the workers of Boeing who voted against the deal, are ''harming'' the economy of the State of Washington. Their cruel logic dictates that when a major capitalist enterprises threatens to move production away, you capitulate before their demands. This we saw in Europa, were trade unions and social democratic parties capitulated before the demands of the capitalists. Lowering wages, freezing pensions and privatizations of public owned enterprises. This is what the owners of the world economy demanded after the collapse of the USSR!
Using extortion methods and threatening to move jobs to China, many politicians and trade union leaders agreed to their demands. Workers in Europe soon saw how the capitalists were making billions of profits. Seeing the wealth of the ruling class increase with 400% between 1990 and 2010. Since the economic crisis began in 2008, the ruling class have start to use extortion against workers and the trade unions. Many trade unionist leaders were so afraid of losing jobs, that they capitulated before most demands of the ruling class. Although many workers were eager to fight, their trade unions were not!
This is why relative few workers are members of trade unions. Today less then 6% of the American working class is unionized. Another reason maybe is because union leaders have a elitist way of life. Earning nice money and salaries up to 100.000 dollars a year. Even in hard times such as today, many union leaders are still living on a salary that is much higher then that of a average paid worker. Revolutionary socialists demand therefore that trade union leaders are paid, an average salary. If a workers salary is 40.000 dollars, then a leader of the workers should not get a salary above this income. This is also why we say that politicians should be paid a workers salary. Members of the US Congress are paid 175.000 dollars a year. No wonder many are right-wing and pro-capitalist. They don't feel the effects of their politics.
Forced into accepting this deal with Boeing, the workers must now watch how their pensions are frozen. Wage increase will be moderate and strikes banned until 2024, all because of fear. Fear of losing jobs, this is why capitalism is evil and cruel. This system of greed is keeping us in a tight grip. Therefore we revolutionary socialists call for the nationalization of major enterprises, so their profits can be used for society and not for the needs of shareholders. Boeing workers are not the only ones who are affected by corporate extortion methods. More capitalists will use this method if they see it is very effective in fighting strikes!
More on the website of Popular Resistance
Thanks to extortion methods, fear among workers
and weak trade union leadership; Boeing won this
battle!
