Take the question of worker solidarity . The NALC leaders talk about it, but don't practice it . What happens when a letter carrier tells the union about some management abuse . Almost always they keep things confined to filing a grievance . Months or years go by .
Management keeps right on abusing the worker .
Not only are the workers' coworkers kept passive, so is the worker himself . Even when the grievance is won, there's no punishment for management so the abuse continues . Of course the real problem is union bureaucracy is set up to insure that the workers don't take collective action but fight only as individuals . . In contrast, independent organization means collective action against management . It means finding the ways and means to mobilize one's coworkers .