Eugene Scalia Is a Foe of the Working Class
Eugene Scalia has spent his career as a corporate lawyer fighting for the interests of capital. Now that he's in line to run the Labor Department, Marx's quip about the capitalist state as the executive committee of the bourgeoisie has never looked more accurate.
The exterior of the US Department of Labor is seen August 15, 2006 in Washington, DC.Alex Wong / Getty
The first secretary of labor in American history was William Bauchop Wilson, who assumed the position in 1913. Wilson was born in Blantyre, Scotland, the son of a coal miner who was blacklisted for striking when Wilson was four years old.
The family immigrated to Pennsylvania, where Wilson began working in the mines at the age of nine. By age fourteen, Wilson was secretary of a local workers’ organization. He went on to lead strikes alongside labor firebrands like Mother Jones, and was later named secretary-treasurer of the United Mine Workers of America. His appointment was a sop to the American Federation of Labor (AFL), which had supported Wilson’s bid for the presidency.
From a socialist perspective, Wilson’s record as US secretary of labor was mixed. He represented the right wing of the labor movement. His radicalism had been tempered by a stint in Congress as a member of the Democratic Party, and he sought labor peace and compromise at the same time that he pushed for pro-worker reforms.
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