Re: Why is the left not internationalist anymore?

I appreciate Steve's amplification of my short comments. As I indicated,
some on the "traditional left" (including many rank and file labor
unionists) are beginning to take more seriously the matter of genuine
grassroots unity between "so called white" workers on the one hand and
African-American and immigrant workers on the other. It is not completely
new, of course, since there has been some important labor union
participation in the civil rights struggles over the past forty years.  Of
course there is also the history of some labor union groups defending racial
discrimination as well....

My point was that this is inadequate in the U.S., but my main point actually
was that it is especially important for the "left" in Europe to take a
stronger, more focused approach towards building this unity....

Alan Spector

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----- Original Message ----- 
From: <Threehegemons@aol.com>
To: <spectors@netnitco.net>; <wsn@csf.colorado.edu>
Sent: Sunday, November 02, 2003 11:31 AM
Subject: Re: Why is the left not internationalist anymore?



 My sense is that in the US the contrast is not so much between a
traditional left and immigrants, but between traditionally strong unions
(composed of largely white male workers in heavy industry) and a 'new',
largely unorganized working class (service sector, often female, 'of color',
whether native to the US or not).  The 'new' workers typically have less
deep allegiance to US patriotism/racism.  As the traditionally powerful
sector has declined