Democracy is the life-blood of the labor movement. When workers are deprived of democratic control over their unions and their struggles, it weakens their efforts. It is only through the initiative of workers themselves that confidence in their own power grows and awareness of their own capacity to change their condition grows. The more top-down a union or a union fightback is organized—the less it promotes those qualities that prepare workers to transform society and themselves. The more the organization of unions and strikes are in the hands of workers themselves, the better the potential for victory, the greater the energy and self-sacrifice exhibited, and the greater likelihood that the successes of one struggle will impact other workers, both organized and unorganized. Hence union democracy is central to rebuilding their future as fighting organizations of the working class.