For a Unifi­ed Efling, Lead by Wor­kers

I have wanted to participate in a union ever since I began working in my home country, the USA. As a worker in the USA, I had to negotiate contracts by myself, and watch as salaries, benefits, and free time declined due to right-wing and neoliberal governments and the unchecked power of capital. I longed for the collective bargaining power of the pre-McCarthy era.

I first met Sólveig Anna Jónsdóttir in 2020 when I showed up with other Efling members at Iðnó to make a sign and march into City Hall on strike. It was invigorating, like living a history book. Not only was inspiring, it also brought meaningful concrete results. In the negotiations with Reykjavík City, Efling members gained a far better contract due to strong leadership and member unity than would otherwise have been obtained.

In the last weeks, there has been one breathless hit piece after the other in the media from the perspective of the opponents of the B-list. Curiously, these are largely the staff of Efling and other unions – if they are not nameless, that is. But what I haven’t seen is an interview with a member of the union itself, a dues-paying working class person. I’ve also seen in these articles an implied condescension, removing the agency of the working class members that endorse Sólveig Anna repeatedly.

Unfortunately, we live in a class based society. Workers need a leadership that understands the nature of class division, that can pull in more people to participate, and who understands how to make bold demands and then achieve them. Sólveig Anna is not the only person on earth with these skills, but she is the only one running for chair of Efling.

I have seen with my own eyes what can be achieved with capable and passionate leadership with unified mass backing. The Battle List, which I am proud to be part of, wants to continue to build our union in this direction: firm leadership closely followed by active rank-and-file members.

I stand with Sólveig Anna, her agenda, and I’m proud to be part of the Battle List!

Sæþór Benjamín Randalsson is an Efling member and is running for the Battle List (the B-list) along with Sólveig Anna Jónsdóttir.