Bernie Sanders, the “democratic socialist” senator from Vermont, issued a declaration of “solidarity” with workers on his X/Twitter account.

This “support” is the kiss of death. The Democrats joined Republicans in banning a national rail strike in 2022 and helped to promote a sellout national auto contract in 2023 that has led to thousands of layoffs. Their intent is to give the union bureaucracy, whom Biden last year called his “domestic NATO,” time and space to shut down the strike.

The IAM bureaucrats throughout the strike have appealed to Trump to “intervene,” which can only mean calling for the government to shut the strike down. But, dealing with a restive rank and file whose semi-rebellion against the corrupt bureaucrats forced the strike in the first place, they are doing what they can to sabotage this anger, soften workers up on the picket lines and prepare a sellout.

Two weeks ago, the union held a sham “pre-ratification” vote on a deal which did not exist because Boeing had not agreed to it. This is aimed at striking a “militant” posture while shutting down the strike the instant a new deal is reached, on the grounds that workers have “pre-ratified” it. Earlier contract votes were overwhelmingly rejected, forcing the strike to continue.