Newcastle's Socialist Surge

The provided article from the World Socialist Web Site focuses on the United Auto Workers (UAW) bureaucracy's role in perpetuating the decline of manufacturing jobs in the US, specifically impacting working-class communities and a recent union election. It argues that the UAW, under the guise of collaboration with corporations, has facilitated plant closures, wage cuts, and the erosion of benefits, leading to immense social hardship in regions historically dependent on the auto industry. The article criticizes the UAW's "partnership" with management, alleging it prioritizes corporate profits over worker interests. The piece highlights the impact of these policies on communities, describing the rise of poverty, drug addiction, and social disintegration as direct consequences of job losses and economic insecurity. The article uses an area reliant on manufacturing as an example of how the promises of well-paying jobs have been replaced with precarity and lower wages. Furthermore, the article connects the UAW's actions to a broader trend of capitalist exploitation and the betrayal of the working class by established unions. It calls for a rank-and-file rebellion against the union bureaucracy, advocating for independent worker organization and a socialist program to defend jobs, wages, and living standards. find the original article here: https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2025/05/03/usbb-m03.html