Transportation Strike Imminent

The press is now reporting that the railroads may soon shut down. As they phrased it, ”On the eve of the holiday season, workers at the heart of the supply chain are once again threatening to strike”. They report that if no deal is reached by December 8, or even as early as December 5, ”the railroads could lock workers out, or the workers could go on strike”.

There are a number of unions involved, but if even one of them goes on strike, none of the other unions will cross the picket lines. This would immediately bring to a halt the freight that is moved by rail in the country, roughly thirty percent of the total. It would also effect some Amtrak and commuter rail systems, as they operate on tracks that are owned by the freight railroads.

It is clear that the press is biased towards the owners of the railroads, as their main concern is with the ”disastrous 2 billion dollar a day hit to our economy”. With that in mind, they quite cheerfully report that, ”Should there be a strike, Congress would likely intervene within hours. The Railway Labour Act allows Congress to take any number of measures to get trains running again – including imposing some version of the contract or extending the status quo, kicking any decision to the next Congress”.

In this, the journalists are supremely optimistic. Just because Congress has the authority to act, does not mean that they are prepared to do so. It is far more likely that Congress will do that which it does best, which is ”pass the buck”, or as the press reports, ”kicking any decision to the next Congress”, which convenes on January 3. Or at least, they may try! Even if Congress ”legislates the railroad workers” back to work, that does not mean that the workers will return to work!

Some of the most highly respected politicians, from both mainstream Parties, Republican and Democratic, are predicting ”widespread chaos” in both Houses of Congress. That is perhaps the kindest forecast. The more cynical ones are comparing it to ”the lunatics taking over the asylum”. No one can deny that both Parties are deeply divided. Many within the Democratic Party want to git rid of President Biden, while many Republicans want to get rid of Trump. Yet neither leader is prepared to ”relinquish the reins of power”, and each has a sizeable following within his Party.

The Democrats have a ”razor thin” majority in the Senate, with a couple Senators considered to be ”loose cannons”. This is to say that they have a rather annoying habit of ”thinking for themselves”, not always voting along Party lines.

By contrast, it is the Republicans who have a ”razor thin” majority in the House, but they too have Members who are also considered to be unreliable. The point is that neither Party has any great confidence of passing, or blocking, any piece of legislation.

It is clear that the working class, including the members of Unions, are completely fed up. Apparently the railroad workers have been trying to negotiate a contract for three years. It was only after President Biden ”intervened” and appointed an ”Emergency Board”, that the Union leaders were able to sit down with the railroad owners, and a ”Framework” agreement was reached. This contract was rejected by the Union members, the rank and file. The proposed raise in wages barely covers the cost of living increase. As well, the main ”sticking point” is the ”quality of life” issues, which were not resolved.

Yet the journalists, although biased, were correct in stating the fact that ”other workers are making their voices heard”. These workers include the nurses, mental health workers, warehouse workers who are trying to form unions, and others. Although the journalists did not mention the ”others” by name, the fact is that they include the truckers!

In fact, it was the truckers who took part in the Freedom Convoy! It was the truckers who occupied downtown Ottawa! It was the truckers who shut down the Ambassador Bridge! It was the truckers who closed various other border crossings! It was the truckers who were joined by numerous farmers! It was the truckers protest, including the Freedom Convoy, that – temporarily! – became side tracked.

The issues the truckers protested against, have not been resolved! On the contrary, they have intensified! The truckers have not lost interest! It is quite possible – even likely!- that any railroad strike will be joined by those who haul the other seventy percent of the freight in the country! The truckers!

The history of previous Revolutions have shown that such uprisings usually start in the transportation industry. This is to say that it is usually the railroad workers that first go on strike. After the trains quit running, the workers in other industries join them. With industry shut down, workers take to the streets, frequently storm the prisons and release the inmates, and attack the houses and businesses of their class enemies, in our case the capitalists. Given the proper leadership, they also overthrow the government, smash the existing state apparatus, and set up a new workers government, under the new state apparatus, called the Dictatorship of the Proletariat.

At least, that is precisely the thing that happened in October of 1917, in Russia. It has since gone down in history as the Great October Socialist Revolution. It was successful because, at that time, the country was blessed with a true Communist Party, led by Lenin.

I stress this because it is so important. It is quite possible, if not likely, that the Revolution will break out very soon. I say this because the fact of the matter is that Soviets, or Councils, first appeared during the Russian Revolution of 1905. They were then crushed at the time the Revolution was crushed, in 1907. Yet they spontaneously reappeared in the build up to the February Revolution of 1917. The point is that Soviets appear during, or immediately before, a Revolution. In fact, Soviets have already appeared in America! It means that the American Revolution is very close!

Yet as Lenin pointed out, in What Is To Be Done?, ”Without a Revolutionary theory, there can be no Revolutionary movement”.

As for those who doubt that previous statement, bear in mind that at the beginning of the twentieth century, there were no less than three Revolutions in Russia. The first two were completely spontaneous, as all the Marxists at that time, those who were first referred to as Social Democrats and later as Bolsheviks, had been thrown in jail and were either killed or exiled. Lenin had been exiled.

The first Revolution, that of 1905, raged for two years, and was then crushed. Although it failed to achieve its stated goals, it managed to dispel any illusions the common people had, concerning the Czar and the government. It also succeeded in training a great many workers and peasants, in preparation for the second Russian Revolution of the twentieth century, that of February, 1917. That second Russian Revolution succeeded in overthrowing the Czar, so that a democratic republic was established.

That was as far as the working people could go! They could go no farther! Without the proper leaders, socialism was out of the question!

Under that democratic republic, the slaughter of the First World War continued. The common people were cold and hungry. Inflation sky rocketed, so that basic necessities were out of reach. Crime was out of control, so that people dared not step out of their homes. Sound familiar?

The Russian Revolution is so important, as it so closely resembles our own. The situation is so similar. The people who took part in the Occupy Movement, of twenty year ago, also had their illusions dispelled. They learned that the government does not represent them. They also learned some valuable lessons in the class struggle. They are now veterans, just as those who took part in the earlier anti war movement, are also veterans.

As is well known, Lenin was able to return to Russia in April of 1917. Of course the capitalists had to be overthrown, and with that in mind, he wrote State and Revolution. It may help to think of that as a ”road map”, a ”detailed guide” to overthrowing the capitalists and establishing a socialist society, as that is precisely the case. An understanding of that Revolutionary book is essential to conducting a successful socialist Revolution.

That book is required reading for all Revolutionaries. Lenin makes the point that the existing state apparatus, which has been set up by the capitalists, in our case the billionaires, the bourgeoisie, with the express purpose of crushing the working people, the proletariat, must be smashed! It must in turn be replaced by a new state apparatus, in the form of the Dictatorship of the Proletariat.

The reason for this is that after the Revolution, the capitalists will be determined to regain their ”paradise lost”! They will stoop to any level, any bit of deception, to achieve this goal. Hence the need to crush their resistance. That Dictatorship of the Proletariat will be administered through the Soviets. In English, these Soviets are referred to as Councils.

The importance of smashing the existing state apparatus must be stressed. Otherwise the social chauvinists, those who are merely socialists in words, chauvinists in deeds, will attempt to take over this apparatus, at the time of the Revolution, and use it for their own purposes. This is to say that they will set themselves up as the new rulers. That is the last thing we need!

There is a sense of urgency in this matter, that of preparing for the approaching Revolution. The situation is certainly Revolutionary. Lenin goes into this, in detail, in Left Wing Communism, An Infantile Disorder. As he put it, ”It is only when the ‘lower classes’ do not want to live in the old way and the ‘upper classes’ cannot carry on in the old way that the Revolution can triumph”. (italics by Lenin)

That is precisely the situation we have now. Among the ”lower classes”, we have the wage labourers, those who are paid by the hour, the proletariat. As well, there are the family farmers, those who are referred to as peasants, in most parts of the world. Then there are the small business owners, the lower strata of the middle class, the petty bourgeois. These include those who own machines, such as trucks, and work for themselves. Collectively, these are the ”lower classes” of people who refuse to continue to live in the ”old way”.

As for the ”upper classes”, which is to say the monopoly capitalists, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie, it is clear that they ”cannot carry on in the old way”. They are squabbling among themselves. In fact, it is safe to say that ”they are at each others throats”!

Both Houses of Congress are practically dead locked, or soon will be. The country is about to ”hit the debt ceiling” on December 15, and could shut down, unless the Congress takes action, once again raising the debt ceiling. As the capitalists are fighting among themselves, this is unlikely. The whole country could be facing bankruptcy. The trains could quit running as early as December 5, and the truckers could join them. Other unions could also join them. In fact, the whole country could shut down! That is the very definition of Revolution!

Yet without the leaders who are aware of the Revolutionary theories of Marx and Lenin, and prepared to put those theories into action, nothing of substance will change! We will remain under capitalism! No scientific socialism!

There is a difference between modern day America – and not just America! – and Russia, in 1917. At that time, in Russia, a Communist Party was in place. The members of the Party were able to explain to people the basic tenets of Marxism. Such is no longer the case! The Communist Party no longer exists in America.

The members of the Russian Communist Party led the Revolution to victory. We do not have an American Communist Party, so in a sense, our task is more difficult. Yet as no Revolution is ”made to order”, it will happen when it happens. As that is the case, we are going to have to prepare for the Revolution, and at the same time form a true Communist Party, one which calls for Soviet Power and the Dictatorship of the Proletariat. There is no other way!

Then again, this may not be quite as difficult as it appears, on first glance. Most common people are literate, own computers and know how to use them. Those who are more advanced can be expected to download Revolutionary literature. As well, Revolutionary books by Marx and Lenin can be ordered, through the Internet. A careful reading of those key works can go a long way towards raising their level of awareness, to that of true Revolutionaries.

It is also a fact that as the Revolution gains strength, we can expect ever more people to become swept up into the whirlwind of Revolution. It is reasonable to expect that those who were ”hitherto apathetic”, even among the intellectual members of the middle class, will become politically active. Many of these people are well aware of the Revolutionary theories of Marx and Lenin. We can expect those people to help create a proper Communist Parry.

There are also the veterans of the Occupy Movement of the previous generation. They can testify to the fact that without a Revolutionary theory, there can be no Revolutionary movement. They speak from experience! Bitter experience! They tried! They made a supreme effort! The result was nil! No doubt they have been tempered in the struggle. Now they are veterans! The same is true of the older generation, those who have the experience of the anti war movement.

The people who took part in the Womens’ March, of recent memory, can also be expected to rise up, once again. That was supremely well organized! We can use such people in our movement! Ladies, feel free to broaden your horizons! Become more ambitious! No need to be shy! Place no restrictions on yourself! Experience has proven to you that there is no point in fighting for paltry reforms! Half measures get you nowhere! Revolution! Overthrow the capitalists! Show the world how to ”fight like a girl”! Scientific socialism! Soviet Power and Dictatorship of the Proletariat!

Currently the common people, by whom I mean the working class, the proletariat, as well as the lower strata of the middle class, the petty bourgeois, are doing their best. As they read the most essential Revolutionary works, that of Marx and Lenin, their level of awareness will rise. Yet they could use the help of middle class intellectuals.

It is in the best interest of intellectuals to play a vital role in the Revolution. After the Revolution, their services will be in demand, and they can expect to be rewarded, paid quite handsomely. Besides, those who are taking part in the Revolution, will have no fear of becoming a target of that Revolution. The same cannot be said of the intellectuals who oppose the Revolution!

Perhaps a word of caution is in order: Be discreet! Do not make it easy for the various governmental police agencies! There is no need to meet in person! Use the Internet! Make it clear that Soviet Power, and the Dictatorship of the Proletariat, is at the heart of the program of the Party! Those of us who support those two fundamental goals, can put aside any other differences we may have, and work together. Those who are opposed to either one, are not eligible for membership.

Be active in Soviets, or Councils, if that is the name you prefer. As I have documented in other writings, that is the best way to prepare for the Revolution, and especially the Insurrection. There is no need to repeat it here.

Bear in mind that the Soviets appeared spontaneously, in Russia, at the time of the Revolution. Within a short time, they were so powerful, they rivalled the power of the Provisional Government. These Soviets are not to be underestimated! They have recently made an appearance in America. Do not be surprised if they soon challenge the authority of the government! The Second American Revolution is imminent!

We will know that the Revolution is going to be successful, that the capitalists, the billionaires, are about to be overthrown, when the protesters carry signs and posters which proclaim:

Soviet Power!

Dictatorship of the Proletariat!

Workers of the World, Unite!

World Socialist Republic!