Originally published in Labor Today
On Wednesday, February 28, the Executive Committee of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 3000 which represents 50,000 employees in the State of Washington unanimously voted to endorse an “uncommitted” vote in the March 12 Democratic Primary in Washington State.
This decision comes from concerns that there will be set-backs from the Democrat Establishment with regards to labor’s right to organize and labor protections. These concerns stem from the 2022 Railway Fiasco where Democratic Party leaders like President Biden and then Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi rallied to force an agreement on railway workers. This forced agreement favored the railway executives over workers who voted near unanimously to strike for their demands of work safety protections and better time-off policies.
The “uncommitted” vote of the UFCW Local 3000 echoes the concerns the American people have towards the status quo in the country. There is rising unemployment rates and higher cost of living, US involvement in wars in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip, and decaying infrastructure, but politicians ignore the demands of the masses to address these issues.
The questions we have to ask ourselves, is it time organized labor breaks away from the two-party system which is controlled by the bosses? Is it time that organized labor and unions start organizing for labor parties independent of the Democrats and Republicans? Can we reasonably expect our economies and livelihoods to be sustainable when we are led by leaders who fight to give tax cuts and deregulation policies to the bosses while letting American workers worry about their housing, medical, and food securities?
There are already initiatives in localities across the country for independent parties for the working class such as the Democratic Workers Party and the United Front Committee for a Labor Party in South California, Workers Party of Massachusetts, and other local organizations. The time is now for class-oriented trade unionists nationwide to lead and unite the various movements together to build a national political party of the working class and all progressive forces.
