Labor Party Press - Conversation with David Walters

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January, 1999 Labor Party Press

Conversation with
David Walters

David Walters of the Labor Party’s Golden Gate Chapter is a member of the IBEW and a delegate to the San Francisco Labor Council. Since the founding convention, he has volunteered his time to create the Labor Party web page.

I think the convention was a great step forward, in quality if not quantity. I believe the amended electoral proposal is exactly what was needed, even if nothing comes of it until 2000. I think there is a slight paranoia by the Interim National Council that the electoral process of the Labor Party could get out of hand. I think they are wrong, but the criteria actually, is fair. Hell, if we can’t get "...significant union support" or "a base in the community," then what’s the point of posing an electoral challenge to the Democrats and Republicans? It wouldn’t be taken seriously by anyone. We have to be serious and the challenge now is for all sectors of the Labor Party to figure out if there are opportunities for such electoral action in their areas.

I think the convention was in some ways less democratic than the last one. At the founding convention, delegates could lobby the resolutions and constitutional committees. This time, no one knew until the day of the convention who was on those committees. There was less time for debate and, of course, there was the overwhelming vote of the internationals that could, as a bloc, make the convention go any way they wanted. Nevertheless, I’ve been to several different union conventions, and they were all less democratic than this convention. So despite its detractors, it was democratic.

I agreed with the way the votes went on the issue of fusion [or cross-endorsing candidates from another party]. I think the arguments against it were a political highpoint of the convention. I wish we could have continued the debate on government intervention in unions — I think it’s a very important issue.

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