The socialist case against unionism does not apply to DSA

You can't bracket DSA out of the economy it's embedded in.

The Democratic Socialists of America are currently in the throes of a budget controversy that is forcing the organization to make tradeoffs between payroll and other operational expenses. It’s a problem that every firm in the history of capitalism has always faced, and it’s playing out the exact same way it always does. On one hand, we are told making budget cuts to non-payroll expenses could endanger the firm’s very mission and survival; on the other hand, we are enjoined to defend workers from the potential costs of paycuts and layoffs. Since DSA has a union the fight is also playing out as a typical labor dispute, with DSA leadership cast in the role of management.

Despite what big tent socialists might tell you, this really is one of those problems that does have only one objectively correct solution — but to get there, I’d like to begin by looking at a different argument.