International Socialist Organization

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The International Socialist Organization was founded in March 1977 by what had been the "Left Faction" of the International Socialists. The faction left the International Socialists due to the faction's unhappiness with the International Socialists policy regarding labor unions. While the International Socialists majority viewed the USSR as a system of bureaucratic collectivism, the Left Faction perceived the USSR to be state capitalist, which was more in line with the thinking of the UK International Socialists. The Left Faction had consulted with the UK International Socialists (which changed its name to the Socialist Workers Party in early 1977) about the factional problems prior to the split. After the split, the International Socialist Organization (ISO) became closer to the UK group than the US International Socialists. The ISO began publishing it's newspaper, Socialist Worker in April 1977.

The ISO was a member of the International Socialist Tendency (IST) which is dominated by the UK Socialist Workers Party. In the 1980's, the IST became unhappy with the leaders of the ISO. The IST was instrumental in replacing them as leaders of the ISO with a British Socialist Workers Party member named Ahmed Shawki.

The ISO organized primarily on campuses, and had some success. They organized dozens of chapters across the US, mainly based around college campuses, with hundreds of members nationwide. In 2000 the ISO endorsed the Green Party candidate for president, Ralph Nader, and worked on the campaign.

Acrimony had been building between the UK Socialist Workers Party and the US-based ISO for a few years. In 2001, at the prompting of the SWP (UK), the IST expelled the ISO from its membership. The IST recognized a small pro-IST faction that was leaving the ISO as its American affiliate - the faction forming the group Left Turn. Left Turn would leave the IST in 2003, leaving the IST with no American affiliate.

The ISO has fraternal relations with groups such as the Australian Democratic Socialist Perspective tendency of the Socialist Alliance as well as groups in other countries. The ISO has dozens of chapters, mainly concentrated around college campuses, and hundreds of members. It publishes the newspaper Socialist Worker and the bi-monthly magazine International Socialist Review. The ISO is based out of Chicago, IL.

[edit] Funding

The International Socialist Organization operates as a recipient of grants from the Center for Economic Research and Social Change, the paper organization for the party and its activities. The Center for Economic Research and Social Change is a 501c3 organization (also in Chicago) that files 990 forms with the IRS each year.

According to the 990 IRS forms filed in 2001, the Center received a large donation from Kevin Neel, who donated over $1,200,000 in stock. The stock acquired by the Center is in Oracle Database and Phillip Morris. The Center has been selling off portions of this stock every year to fund its payroll. In 2006 alone, payments in the amount of $470,700 were made to various party organizers in the form of salaries and benefits.

In the same year, the Center's activities, including the party's sale of literature, collection of membership dues, and a summer conference, produced an additional $669,430 in income.