A Marxist IQ for Labor Day by Norman Markowitz

by: Sunday 1 September 2013

A Marxist IQ for Labor Day, 2013

1.       An  early champion of declaring Labor Day a National Holiday in the late nineteenth century was

a.       President William McKinley

b.      Financier J. P. Morgan

c.       Cigar Makers Union leader Samuel Gompers

d.      Peter MaGuire, socialist leader of the Carpenters Union

 

2.       In the U.S.  conservative “business unionists” in the American Federation of Labor (AFL) supported

a.       Organizing skilled workers only

b.      Accepting  discriminatory policies against minority and women workers

c.       Opposing the formation of an independent labor political party

d.      All of the above

 

3.        From the 1920s on, the Communist party, USA, fought to establish

a.       One big union

b.      Cooperation between business and labor

c.       Inclusive industrial unions open to all workers, regardless of skill, ethnicity or gender

d.      Unions that stay out of politics

 

4.       Communist party, USA activists played a leading role in organizing most of  the  major strike  victories won by the American Labor movement  in the 20th century. Which of these victories  did not have CPUSA activists playing a major role

a.       The San Francisco General Strike of 1934

b.      The Flynt General Motors Strike of 1937

c.       The Ford Motor Company Strike of 1941

d.      The Anthacite Coal Strike of 1903

 

 

5.        Perhaps the most telling  example of  the longterm  effects of the cold war based anti-Communist labor legislation and  purges of Communist and left leadership from unions is

a.       the sharp rise in real wages that American workers have experienced in the last thirty five years 

b.      the greater income equality that has developed over the last thirty five years.

 

c.The decline in the percentage of unionized private sector workers from 35% in 1947 to  less than 10% today

c.       The improvement in pension and health care benefits that  unions have won in the last thirty five years

 

 

Sean Mulligan as usual and  Michael Sweney got all of the answers to the last IQ right.  They were

1.b

2.c

3.c

4.d

d.c

 

 

 

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  • To expand of E.E.W. Clay's remarks below: there is no doubt that the driving engine of labor's struggles in the thirties were organizers from the CUPUSA. People who are now forgotten like Wyndham Mortimer in the UAW, Gilbert Mers in the ILA, Ferdinand Smith in the NMU, and so forth and so on. Before Chavez, Dorothy Healey was working with the California farmworkers, Clinton Jencks with the Mine-Mill people, and so forth and so on. The fact that third parties from the ALP to the FWP to the Progressive Party under the beloved H.A.W (Norman wrote a book on the latter and the People's Century) have not risen to prominence is irrevelant. There is a crying need for a labor party here and like Clay I think there won't be a real workers democracy until we get elect a congress from it.

    Posted by Michael Sweney, 09/11/2013 2:49pm (11 years ago)

  • 1. d
    2. d
    3. c
    4. d
    5. c, first c

    Here, the questions reveal the central role of the CPUSA in progressive labor activity in the U. S.
    This, no doubt is the reason behind the Elizabeth Flynn, Shirley Graham(Du Bois), Henry Winston, Ben Davis Jr., W. E. B. Du Bois and thousands and thousands of others, who through related labor, and even other struggles, were drawn to the CPUSA, and shall be in the future- again, the prophetic Du Bois has written upon joining the CPUSA, that-"The path of the American Communist Party(CPUSA) is clear: It will provide the United States with a real third party and thus restore democracy to this land."
    This prophesy should be remembered on Labor Day.

    Posted by E.E.W. Clay, 09/09/2013 1:31pm (11 years ago)

  • 1. d
    2. d
    3. c
    4. d
    5. c (the first c, not the second:-)

    Posted by Ben, 09/08/2013 12:43pm (11 years ago)

  • 1. d I think...
    2. d
    3. c pre-eminent in this
    4. d we weren't around yet. Read "Forgotten Radicals: Communists in the Anthracite 1919-1950 for an interesting treatment of organizing in the coalfields
    5. c a sad story and the Democrats were in on it from 1947 on..

    Posted by Michael Sweney, 09/04/2013 3:11pm (11 years ago)

  • 1. d

    2. d

    3. c

    4. d

    5. c

    Posted by Sean Mulligan, 09/02/2013 6:20pm (11 years ago)

  • 1c
    2d
    3c
    4d
    5c

    In solidarity.

    Posted by Doug Smiley , 09/01/2013 5:42pm (11 years ago)

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