PHILADELPHIA, PA, September 24 — Today Local 1199C members marched around Jefferson Hospital and then several blocks to the headquarters of Aramark, a subcontractor famous for low wages. A few years ago Aramark took over management of Jefferson’s environmental services, dietary and transportation departments. The march protested the attacks on jobs, wages and working conditions by Aramark and Jefferson itself. A protest letter written by a Jefferson worker was delivered to the Aramark bosses.
One strength of the march was that it was organized by a group of rank-and-file union delegates and that almost two hundred workers responded despite some organizational problems. The workers were angry and enthusiastic. Energy was high as we marched around the hospital and even more electric as we marched into the lobby of Aramark’s headquarters.
However, this energy is limited and undermined by how most of us view this struggle. Almost all the union members expect the union leaders to lead it and see the fight itself mainly as an effort to defend what was won by earlier generations of union members. This view cripples us.Workers storm into Amarak Headquarters, while dumbfounded security guards and administrators watch.
Unions were organized to get workers a bigger piece of the pie under capitalism. While there’s no denying the benefits of past union struggles, the problem is that they never had the ultimate goal of overthrowing capitalism itself. Even if unions are victorious, the bosses still make their profits and keep state power, that is, they run the government. And since our labor creates all wealth, any profit the bosses make is theft from us. No matter what wage and benefit increases we win, under the profit system the bosses still profit and the working class never gets the wealth we create. Only communism can do that.
Yes, we must fight tooth-and-nail to protect our hard-won union benefits and wages. But we can’t forget that unions and union leaders accept and defend capitalism. Unions accept that the capitalists have a “right” to profit from our labor and that the capitalists have a “right” to make laws to restrict workers’ struggles. And when the inevitable crises of capitalism drive the bosses to fascism and crushing of the unions, the union leaders cannot provide the leadership we need.
For example, the day before the march the union leaders attempted to convince the delegates to call off the march. The Jefferson union delegates refused, but many union members were amazed and felt betrayed. We need to remember this lesson.
Trying to stop the Jefferson workers’ march was the union leaders actually doing what they’re supposed to do under capitalism: protect their positions as class collaborators, prevent us from seriously fighting the bosses’ attacks, and blind us to the need for communist revolution. Our older brothers and sisters fought hard, sometimes giving their lives, for the wages and benefits the bosses now take back. Let’s get off this damned merry-go-round!
We’re not just in a fight against Jefferson and Aramark, we’re in a fight against fascist attacks on the working class that are worldwide and connected. Our fight to protect the union at Jefferson must have the ultimate goal of building a movement to overthrow the capitalist system that always takes back whatever victories we might win.
Only communist revolution can give us a system run by workers, for workers. We urge more Philadelphia hospital workers to read and distribute CHALLENGE and to join PLP study groups. (Call 267-319-3515 for more info.)