The Labor Party (LP) was a

social democratic Social democracy is a Social philosophy, social, Economic ideology, economic, and political philosophy within socialism that supports Democracy, political and economic democracy and a gradualist, reformist, and democratic approach toward achi ...

political party in the United States of America. LP formed at a national convention of unions and labor activists in 1996. The LP collapsed after its founder, Tony Mazzocchi, died in 2002. The party became defunct in 2007, except for the branch in

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

, which became the South Carolina Workers Party.

History

Origins

In 1989, members of Socialist Alternative in AFSCME created the Campaign for a Labor Party (CLP). CLP meetings persuaded Mazzochi that enough support existed in unions for a labor party, and he created Labor Party Advocates in 1990. The Labor Party was officially formed in 1996 by the Oil, Chemical, and Atomic Workers International Union, United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America,

United Mine Workers The United Mine Workers of America (UMW or UMWA) is a North American Labor history of the United States, labor union best known for representing coal miners. Today, the Union also represents health care workers, truck drivers, manufacturing work ...

, International Longshore and Warehouse Union, American Federation of Government Employees,

Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes The Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes (BMWE; later the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, BMWED) is a national union representing the workers who build and maintain the tr ...

, California Nurses Association, Farm Labor Organizing Committee and hundreds of other local

labor union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

s. Delegates to the founding convention adopted a 16-point program called "A Call for Economic Justice."

Fissures

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.

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.

South Carolina

Despite national decline, the

chapter remained active. It has run several third-party candidates, in contrast to the national Labor Party. In 2023, members of the SC branch called a convention, ended their affiliation with the (defunct) Labor Party, and renamed to the South Carolina Workers Party.

Election results

In 2001 the Labor Party endorsed labor-sponsored independent candidates in San Francisco and Ohio local elections.

National conventions

References

External links

Official site
{{Authority control 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 Socialism in South Carolina