Wisconsin Uprising: Labor Fights Back

What about the general strike? The resolution to educate about a general strike passed by the South Central Federation of Labor was perhaps the most electrifying development that came out of Wisconsin. In spite of this it receives little attention here. Jane Slaughter and Mark Brenner provide the most sustained discussion, suggesting as a tactic a one-day general strike of public workers. But they dismiss the idea of an openended strike as "beyond the capacities of Wisconsin unions" and unwinnable. (141) Elsewhere, one author argues that a general strike was impossible because "the consciousness, sense of solidarity, organization, and will to risk a fight were not there." (94) Others note that general strikes in Europe have mostly failed to prevent austerity. (57) They are thus by no means a cure-all. But the issue deserves a wider hearing, because lasting labour renewal will come from below or it will not come at all. It is not an issue of better leaders or "consciousness-raising." This cursory discussion of the general strike, then, suggests an approach that emphasizes slow and patient organizing at the expense of any conversation about the unpredictable breaks with the status quo necessary to establish a new reality. The second section discusses some of the lessons of Wisconsin, attempting to summarize and point the way forward for the labour movement as a whole. In probably the collection's most optimistic essay, Rand Wilson and Steve Early review the efforts of non-majority unions in North Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas to argue that, far from a setback, [Scott Walker]'s Budget Repair Bill may signal a renewal of working- class militancy in Wisconsin. Implicit is the conservative role many unions play in social struggles today. The new reality in Wisconsin may bring about a return to direct action tactics on the job. It has also caused workers to re-think the relationship between themselves and unions. In the current climate, where unions must be recertified annually and dues checkoffs are no guarantee, rank-and-file workers can now openly discuss the purpose of unions and demand more militancy, or at least less willingness to accept concessions. This in turn challenges the legitimacy of concession bargaining itself. In this sense, Wisconsin may indeed herald the beginning of a much-needed renewal in the US labour movement.