Teamsters local 570

What Happened to the Labor Party?

Updated On: Oct 12, 2015

Oct. 12, 2015 | LABOR HISTORY | jacobinmagt.com In 1996, thousands of trade unionists and activists decided to build an independent party. The initiative was the brainchild of Tony Mazzocchi, the passionate leader of the Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers International Union (which, after two mergers, is today part of the United Steelworkers). Mazzocchi held true to the dream of an independent political party rooted in the labor movement over which working people would have ownership. He was fond of saying: "The bosses have two parties. We need one of our own." Why did the effort fail? Continued...