CHICAGO, February 17 — It was hard not to be moved when you first entered the Plumbers Union Hall at the rally to pass the Labor Free Choice Act (union certification based on a majority of signed union cards, not on a vote). Thousands of workers stood shoulder to shoulder wearing T-shirts, hats, sweatshirts and carrying signs reading, “Strength in Unity,” and “UNITE for Power.” Men and women, young and old of all colors, speaking all languages, greeted friends and introduced themselves to strangers.

The energy and enthusiasm was electric. It was easy to see how unions seduce workers. On one level, parts of their message is somewhat similar to ours. But as the rally proceeded, it became clear that the similarities are barely skin deep.

The AFL-CIO fat cats got the crowd “in the mood” with a black youth gospel choir singing “God Bless America” and “America the Beautiful.” Every time a misleader said it was “time for action,” and “the City runs on our backs,” workers cheered and exchanged high fives.

But enthusiasm waned as speaker after speaker praised Barack Obama and told the workers to call their Congresspeople and tell them to vote for the Free Choice Act. Soon, the room emptied; the remaining speakers spoke to less than half the original crowd. Momentarily, teachers and machinists, auto, transit, healthcare and buildings trades workers and more were united in one place, ready for action, waiting for direction on how to express their power. It seemed almost everyone but the “leadership” felt the potential in that room, and that “calling your Congressperson” fell way short. The very life of the city sat within those walls.

One was both inspired and outraged, and couldn’t help but wonder what a difference if our message linking capitalist crisis and imperialist war, fighting racist terror and cutbacks, and organizing a general strike and moving on the banks and centers of power for communist revolution were blaring from the stage. I could imagine the cheers becoming a roar as workers greeted the truth finally ringing from the stage.

AFL-CIO President Sweeney told everyone to “call and vote.” I told a worker beside me, “imagine if he had said, ‘STRIKE!’” (Which, of course, he never would.) The worker looked around the room, smiled and said, “We’d run the city.” Exactly!

As the economy spirals into a deeper crisis, workers are growing increasingly weary and frustrated with a system that bails out billionaire bankers and closes factories and health clinics. Some already realize Obama is not the “change” we need.

Capitalism will do what it will; fall into crisis, reinvent itself, and fall into crisis again. We must resolve more firmly than ever to take advantage of every opportunity to bring our revolutionary communist politics to the masses, organize workers and develop new communist organizers for PLP.

The 75 CHALLENGES distributed at the rally was good, but only a drop in the bucket. Without new soldiers in this battle, the bosses will dig themselves out of this mess by burying the workers even deeper into oppressive pits. Now is the time to act. We’ve been exploited long enough. The world runs on our backs. It’s time workers ran the world. Win workers to the only solution — communist revolution!