From Theory to Action: Joining a Working Class Organization
Mark Shepherd
12/22/2024
Having begun the study of working class and labor history, each working person should explore options for getting organized with a working class organization. In last week’s article, the Brigade outlined the importance of organizing workplaces and getting involved in organized labor. Unions represent the most prominent and central working class organizations, as they stand in defiance against the owning class in the workplace, fighting for the interests of each and every worker. But for those unable to currently unionize their workplace or for those interested in getting involved in the Movement beyond the confines of their workplace, this article serves as an introduction to other ways to get involved and get organized.
There are a plethora of working class organizations that a working person can get involved in, with labor unions and workers’ associations just being two types. They also include working class political parties that actually serve the interests of our class and are not shackled to the power and wealth of the owning class. Other working class organizations that one can find are mutual aid networks, prisoner/student/renter/homeless unions, and groups dedicated to a working class cause, such as liberation struggles (e.g., Black, Women, Queer, etc.), prison abolition, harm reduction, universal healthcare, etc. The defining element of each of these working class organizations is their freedom from the corruptive, poisonous control and influence of the owning class. Since the owning class stands in firm, combative opposition to the Movement, they will seek to co-opt working class ideas and forces, transforming them from centers of resistance to dens of complacency. This is the ultimate result of the control and influence of the owning class—a reinforcement of the status quo, the rule of the owning class and the domination of working and oppressed people. This is what working class organizations struggle tirelessly to be free from, translating into an organization unapologetically adherent to, led by, and funded by working and oppressed people. These organizations do not waste their precious time and energy courting the favor, leadership, or consultation of the owning class. From top to bottom, these organizations stand unequivocally in opposition to the owning class and their horrid system that perpetuates the subjugation, exploitation, and brutalization of working and oppressed people.
If you find a working class organization that resonates with you, reach out and see how you can get involved. It’s important to remember that there is no one way to be an active participant in the Movement. You could be volunteering to man the organization’s table at an event, assisting in building the organization's social media, speaking at rallies, etc., etc. It is only through practice and self-reflection that you can find where you’re best suited to organize and contribute to the Movement.
Like many of you, I had a drive for action; I wanted to make a difference in the world. This is why I joined the Movement, read theory, and participated in a variety of organizing efforts. I eventually would organize with The Louisville Workers Brigade, allowing me to continue to provide valuable contributions to our Movement. Unfortunately, being physically distant from the Brigade and because my health now stops me from being able to participate in most physical actions, I’m incredibly grateful that The Class Struggle Chronicle provides me an avenue to continue my organizing and helping build up our Movement. By contributing to The Class Struggle Chronicle, I can do my part to reach working people. Every little bit we do, even if it is just building rapport with fellow workers and educating them in the class struggle, propels our Movement further and further. This is why it's important for you to understand that you don’t need to be a theoretician to join the Movement, nor should you get bogged down worrying about how you can meaningfully contribute. It is easy for us to get into our own heads and feel like we can’t offer anything of substance, but this thinking only serves to keep you and your valuable contributions from our Movement, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy. There are many ways to get involved; all you have to do is take the first step and see where your organizing takes you.
Working class organizations are at the frontlines of the class struggle, braving all manner of attacks by the owning class so that they can lead the struggle against the exploitation and oppression of working people. They are our primary forces in this unrelenting struggle. In an ideal world, our working class organizations and the struggles they wage would be led by a working class political party, uniting these into a cohesive force and serving as a vehicle for the revolutionary imperative to replace our current economic system with one of, by, and for working people. In the absence of a working class political party, each working class organization is given the great responsibility to intensify their efforts and to aid in the liberation of working and oppressed people. Nonetheless, the need for a working class political party is of utmost importance in our Movement. In the meantime, working class organizations can and will serve as tools that will aid in the development of a working class political party. As centers of working class unity and power, working class organizations build class consciousness, strengthen solidarity, and empower working people—all essential ingredients to forming a working class political party. This makes each and every working class organization a crucial component in building power for our class toward our collective liberation.
As a working class organization, The Louisville Workers Brigade warmly invites you to join in our work. In the Brigade, you will be instrumental in educating the working people of the Louisville community in working class and labor history, supporting the working people of the Louisville community in their myriad of struggles against the owning class, and uniting the working people of the Louisville community with each other and the rest of the working and oppressed masses toward a better world—a world for working and oppressed people. The time to read theory and to get involved is now; we have nothing to lose but our chains and a whole world and the future to win. We look forward to meeting and organizing with you for the liberation of all working and oppressed people!