a brief new history, Part II: independent labor unionism and the threat of a Southern general strike

AS part of the structural decisions made in '07 to allow full freedom of association - steadfastly opposed by the 'harder' Leninists in the party, labor has been allowed to freely organize. Two labor federations comprise 97% of the unionized workforce:

Industrial Fellowship of Socialist Workers - 9,987,406 members Nov '09

Agricultural Workers and Parcelers for RESPECT - 1,186,404 members Oct '09 (estimated)

Store owners and operators, and others who are 'self-employed', with authority from the State, generally do not participate in a labor federation. Just 7,000 of the 300,000 members of the military are unionized, all belonging to the IFSW, with the rest participating in unofficial 'military councils' that meet with and discuss issues of concern with their officers of authority.

The IFSW is the official, state-sponsored federation of workers. Of its nearly ten million members, 9.1 million live in the North, and 7.7 million live in greater USSL City. The federation has thrice-annual conventions, and workers vote directly for leadership and policy planks without interference from the State. The State recognizes the IFSW as the labor extension of the CPUSSL, and directly subsidizes it, but does not set union policy; likewise, the IFSW has only limited direct influence over State policy. The IFSW elects one of the nine members of the Board of Governors, with the other eight members not democratically elected.

The AWPR is an exclusively Southern, non-State labor union that was established in November 2007 and has grown steadily since, comprised mainly of Southern agricultural workers on State-owned and operated factory farms. It has become a political movement, taking advantage of widespread Southern discontent with the Communist government.

The AWPR is a democratic union, with 231 local chapters that vary from six to 60,000 members. Members vote directly to elect local leadership, which in turn meet regularly in NSSR City to decide policy and strategy. No official national leadership exists, but Ronn Joplyn has been recognized as the de facto head of the federation since 2008, and it the representation of Local 231, the unit representing the workers of Plant Pavillion, the largest farm-factory in the South, located six miles North of the Mieske Province.

Joplyn's prominence has consistently risen, and he is seen as the face of the growing Southern resistance movement. The party's platform decries the 'exploitation' of the Southern land and workers by the Communist 'military dictatorship'. It calls for 'removal of the 180,000 military personnel stationed in the civilian Southern lands' and, failing that, 'Southern self-determination independent of the Capitol'.

With the Southern standard of living consistently falling, calls for action have been increasing in volume. Support for an AWPR general strike is estimated to be between 72 and 76% by opinion polling. Leadership of the federation has yet to endorse or officially discuss such an action, but reports suggest calls for a general strike will be the centerpiece of the scheduled April 4th meeting of AWPR local leaders in NSSR City.

Workers assigned to 'full employment' - i.e., 7 hours/day Monday-Thursday, or 5 hours/day Monday-Friday in a state owned and operated factory are granted a 'full ration', which comprises 3000 calories/day of food for the worker, guaranteed housing, social services (health care, dentistry, access to libraries and education), and between $600-$1100/month of discretionary income, varying based on occupation and locale. All children are guaranteed housing, food, education, and social services until age 17 or through completion of education.

If AWPR workers were to go on strike they would lose housing rights within a month, lose food rations, and all social services. Union strategy must account for this, so the AWPR has been vigorously attempting to organize hospitals and trade ports located on the Western Coast, in the port cities of Rutlydge and Lyndon Sanby.

The leadership of the CPUSSL is well aware of the implications of a general strike and is engaged in strategic struggle with the AWPR over the ports and hospitals, attempting to organize. Last month Daniel Netanyahu announced a $2.4 billion per year 'stipend' for members of the IFSW, for the encouragement of 'union action and activity'. The stipend comes with no rules or regulations, however, and essentially is an addition to the discretionary income of IFSW members, which was already an average of $287 higher than AWPR members and $164 higher than nonunion workers. The aim of the initiative likely is to incentivize membership in the IFSW, and, concurrently, loyalty to the State and the Communist Party.

The battle for control of the South is in force. If the AWPR cannot gain control of enough of the ports, medical centers, and farm-factories, it is unlikely a general strike would survive as striking workers would have no source of food, medical care, nor other essentials and services.

a brief new history, Part I

(pre-war map, from 2003.)

IN 2009 the population of USSL Island was estimated to be 30,706,404. 12,304,375 live South of the traditional North/South border; 18,402,029 live to the North. 8,452,607 live in USSL City proper; depending on the definition, between 10.8 - 11.1 million live in the greater USSL City area and 13.4 - 13.6 million live in the USSL City media market.

The revolutions of 1975 and 1977 resulted in a liberal, constitutional democracy that would endure until 2005, when war broke out between loyalist, nationalist, and Marxist-Leninist paramilitary groups. The war would last until February 2007, when nationalist and loyalist groups dissipated and the Marxist-Leninist paramilitary organization, led by Daniel Netanyahu and strongly supported by the Flat Grounds, took power. Netanyahu and his organization, then-called the People's Liberation Front, were able to establish a strong base of power in the dense urban area of USSL City, and used the eastern military base to serve as a resource center for military government of the South, which was always less receptive to the PLF and was a nationalist power base before the movement had to fold.

Once Netanyahu and the PLF gained power, they established a one-party state and formed the Communist Party of USSL Island, but opted to preserve freedom of press and of assembly. However, all major media is state-owned and operated and the internet serves as the lone outlet for independent news.

In March of 2007 Netanyahu ordered the heavy militarization of Mieske Province, located Southernmost on the mainland. The area is rich with agriculture and natural resources, such as silver and diamond. The area also is a well-documented center of drug growth, manufacture, and trade. It has been estimated that between $600 million [all figures USD] and $1.4 billion of drugs are exported from the area monthly, with the main exports being cocaine, heroin, and to a lesser extent, marijuana.

With the militarization of the area came increased drug production. As part of the Initial Decrees of February 2007, Netanyahu announced the legalization of all formerly controlled substances. The only authorized retailer of the 188 regulated substances is the State, which owns and operates 89 drug outlets throughout the Island. The State makes an estimated 400-600% profit on drug sales.

It has been heavily speculated, and some argue proven, that the directive to militarize the Mieske Province came from the Flat Grounds, and that much of the drug profits have been funneled into the Flat Grounds coffers. Because of this the Marxist government has been dubbed a narco-state.

Since the Communist considation of power in 2007, the wealth disparity between North and South, already large, has continued to grow. The South has remained heavily militarized since 2007, and entry to the North from the South has been heavily restricted if not outright prohibited. While the State has announced and broken ground on impressive infrastructure projects in the North, including a system of 33 universities (two of which will open in 2010) and a $9 billion high-speed rail system, the South has been granted no such investment, and the economy has imploded. Estimates of Northern economic growth since Feb 07 are between 18.2 and 20.6%; the median standard of living has grown 25 - 28%; and unemployment is below 2%. The Southern economy has been destroyed, declining between 17 and 30%, with the median standard of living down approximately 25%.