Labor Party (United States, 1996)
Labor Party | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Founded | 1996 |
Dissolved | 2007 |
Succeeded by | South Carolina Workers Party |
Ideology | |
Political position | Center-left to left-wing |
Website | |
thelaborparty | |
The Labor Party was an American social democratic political party advocating workers' interests[1] and
History
Origins
In the 1990s, a Committee to
The party was formed in 1996 by the Oil, Chemical, and Atomic Workers International Union, United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America, United Mine Workers, International Longshore and Warehouse Union, American Federation of Government Employees, Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes, California Nurses Association, Farm Labor Organizing Committee and hundreds of other local labor unions. Delegates to the founding convention adopted a 16-point program called "A Call for Economic Justice."
From the beginning a dispute over the Party's running of candidates arose with many of the official unions totally opposed to running candidates that might cause the defeat of their normal Democratic allies. Smaller locals and left union activists on the other had pushed for a clean break with the Democratic Party. This issue was debated internally for years until 1999 when the Party's leadership agreed to some endorsements of Labor Party members running.[citation needed]
In 2001 the Labor Party endorsed labor sponsored independent candidates in San Francisco and Ohio local elections.[citation needed]
Demise
After the 2000 elections, even symbolic support dripped away. In 2002, founding national organizer Tony Mazzocchi died. Mark Dudzic confirmed that the national party had suspended operations in 2007.[2]
South Carolina
Despite national decline, the South Carolina chapter remained active.[3]
In December 2005, the South Carolina Labor Party announced that it would seek ballot status in South Carolina and run a candidate in the 2006 legislative elections. Labor Party News quoted Leonard Riley, President of the Charleston International Longshoremen's Association Local 1422 as saying, "Given the results of the past few elections, I think the workers of South Carolina would jump at the opportunity to consider a Labor Party which would guarantee an uncompromising voice for working people on their issues."[1] Although South Carolina law permitted electoral fusion, the Labor Party pledged not to endorse candidates of any other party.
Party officials acknowledged that the choice of South Carolina may have seemed unusual due to the fact that the state had the second lowest concentration of union workers in the United States. However, party officials said that the relatively high unemployment rate, the decline in the textile industry, and the indifference of the state Democratic and Republican parties to the interests of working people, African-Americans and women created a political space for the Labor Party.[4] The party submitted 16,500 signatures on July 11, 2006. If 10,000 of the signatures were valid, the party would be qualified for the 2007 and 2008 elections.[5] This effort was apparently unrelated to the concurrent attempt of the Working Families Party to gain ballot access in South Carolina, a state that allows electoral fusion.[6] In July 2007 Ballot Access News reported that the SCLP was attempting to recruit candidates.[7]
In 2010, the South Carolina nominated Brett Bursey for the South Carolina State House, who received 442 votes, or 3.06%.[8]
In the 2020 South Carolina House of Representatives election, Labor Party candidate Willie Legette ran for District 95. Legette won 12.1% of the vote, coming in second place to incumbent Democrat Jerry Govan Jr.'s 86.6% of the vote.
In 2023 members of the SC branch called a convention in which their name was changed to the South Carolina Workers Party, ending their affiliation with the now-defunct Labor Party.
National conventions
Name | Date | Place | Program |
---|---|---|---|
1st Convention | 1996 Program | ||
2nd Convention | Washington, DC | July 25-28, 2002 |
External links
References
- ^ "Certified Political Parties of South Carolina | SCVotes". www.scvotes.gov. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
- ^ "Labor Party Time? Not yet"
- ^ "Certified Political Parties of South Carolina | SCVotes".
- ^ Labor Party Archived 2006-09-06 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ http://www.ballot-access.org/2006/080106.html#16 Labor Party launches petition drive to gain ballot access, South Carolina Times and Democrat, Orangeburg, S.C.
- ^ Ballot Access News » Blog Archive » South Carolina Working Families Party Will Sue to Get on 2006 Ballot
- ^ "South Carolina Labor Party Recruiting Candidates"
- ^ 2010 Convention Party Candidates.[dead link ]
- Defunct progressive parties in the United States
- Defunct social democratic organizations in the United States
- Political parties established in 1996
- Labor Party (United States, 1996) politicians
- Democratic socialist parties in the United States
- Labor parties in the United States
- Left-wing parties in the United States
- Progressive parties in the United States
- Social democratic parties in the United States
- 1996 establishments in the United States
- Political parties disestablished in 2007
- 2007 disestablishments in the United States
- Political parties in South Carolina
- Political parties in the United States