Interviewed by Jenny Carson and Duncan MacDonald, 17 April 2025
Sam grew up in the north end of Winnipeg, where socialism was still strong (00:49).
He gives us an analysis of the history of the UAW becoming the CAW and its unique aspects (7:15).
Sam reflects on the drive for independence by Canadian auto workers and why they broke from the international union (18:00, 33:00, 35:00). He analyzes the Days of Action as a labour movement campaign (23:00). He examines both sides of the leadership v. grassroots discussion (28:00, 31:00).
Much of Sam’s response points towards education of workers, such as Port Elgin, and the development of a socialist, class consciousness (40:30, 42:00). But he notes that education must be linked to struggle, or it becomes pointless (44:00, 52:00).
He sees the defeat of the labour movement as happening within unions. “The defeat of the labour movement. The defeat gets
internalized. There’s a sense of things just aren’t possible” (47:45).
For Sam, bureaucratization separates the union from the workers: “’Look, I pay my dues and I want you to do a good job for me.’ Well, that’s a formula for bureaucratization” (1:05:45).
Sam ends with, “Workers’ power is the power to disrupt” (1:07:45)