Foster WZ ATU(1947) Packinghouse Excerpt OCR

7/28/2019 Foster WZ ATU(1947) Packinghouse Excerpt OCR

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AMERICAN RADE UNIONISM

oner hught han done. That ver night I to he mae wt he Chicag Disric Cunc f he Ralway Carmen which wa ed by former I T. U. E. L. militant Our craft is a prominent ne in he acighuse ituaion because he refrigeratr car which we build i the basi of hat dustry; o the Council readly endre my rposal. On the 13th, I was one f ur committee to te meetig

he halfdead Loca 8 f the bankrupt Butcher Wrkmen. We ecured i reluctat endorsemet, and on he 15th he tw nion introduced a resolution ito the Chicago Federation of Labr callng for a joint orgaization campaign of al l trades in the oca packing in-dustry. The C. F. of L. uamously adopted our resolution. Thu nly four days after the plan was born the campaign t rganizehe worker of e great packg trust had got uder way. From he utset e Maley, Jac Johnstone and other leftwing rade uninist were very actie in this moemet.

On uly we formed the Stockyards Labor Counci f dozenoca unios with jurisdction oer pacighouse worker, includingButcher Workmen, Railway armen Machinists, lectricians oper

Carpenters, Oce Workers Steam Fitter, gieers, Firemen etc.I was elected secretary ad Martn Murphy, a rak ad le bucher, �

resident. Our working plan was that f a federato. We reected theaditiona leftwig policy f launchig a e oe bg idustria io," as such a dual unio would have splt our forces ad wrecked ur moemet at the utet. We decded to me toards industriaunioism by setting up an idusrial fera ad by ockg th

various componet craft unins so rmly tr uder ne council ne executie board, one et f busis etc, as to create a

rm frot in he hole industry. T rrs accepted hi indusria pan readly, as heir big 904 str cmpletely mashed be cause of disuity and union sca mg he severa craft uni rnized in the tw eparat cucils. We infused ur whole movement with the spr rial uionism.

At the rst meeting of t Stckyar La oucl decidedto base ur movement primarl e usklled ma tat is the oreignbo ad Negroes who mde up a maory C orkers The Negroes f whom tr w<r 0 am t 60000 icago packinghouse worers r ry y f he killed crafts, despite our bCN arr te main

nion he Butcher WormeI , d To mplcate mattr we faced the opn sil f N class eement

HE ACKINGHOSE CAMAIGN 3

embitered b A. F. f L. discrimiatio. When we began ur ration wr we proceeded upon te polcy of takig the Negre inthe big mas Butcher Workmen local unios, ad e thought that we had therey led the prolem. But at once the Negr eader rased a shout that we ere placig the Negroes into white unon where tey would be a hlpless minorty ad they demaded eparate

Negr ions. We naely agreed t this demand hereupon, almst eight, he cry f Jim ro" went alog State Street wit dev asatig eect. We eetually found a soluton , howeer, by adoptingthe neighorhood priciple, that is, by uilding mass unio in both Negr and white districts and havig them open ale t Negroesd whites. Thi klled the Jm row issue and forced the corruptlemens amog he Negr middle clas elemets agets f the pacers, t come out openly agaist our rgaizig campaign gener- ally and t adocate a polcy of scaig. Such a propoal as easy for us t beat, hoeer, and the seque showed that e nally won e he majority of the Negroes ad built up the largest Negro tradeuion membershp ever orgaized in ay American city.

But let me come bac to the equence of y story. Where were we to get orgaizer and moey for our campaig? The A. F of L. nationa oce gae u not a peny and ts ocal geera orgazerFlood as cyica and cotmptuous. Te ulrareactioary ButcherWorkmen cials, with a mrud uio, lked up us as up- starts ad dangerous rials, ad eteded us othig ut hostility. The prelimnary work was doe mosly a uary asis by Jack John- stoe, myself ad other former . T E. mltats The . F of L. as friedly, ut its ital c lp cssed i payig

ly te expeses f our rst mass meg e recommedaon of te C. F. of L. ad Ralay am D ucl, eer, I as most reluctantly appoind y e rd f Railay armen f America Geera President Rya as a orgaizer fo etyday perid. Aftr e got well stard ad our movement looked promisig, the C. F f L. aso put o c stone a a paid rganizer. Eentually he Illinoi Federao aor als gave a couple of Negr orgaizer, and we ared up e help of casina

Ts shed for yrs s aoad wok, ith sr on yds: Soute Pcc Note Pacic Seo , Cicago ad Noete Ccgo Rload ad vgto Pdp Reg Spa

Potld a Settle Soo Le etc may cp: ema bamana epe a m peto eg r oad consrucot o a am etc. n a o t counry .



C T O

Butcher orkmen ad other craft union busiess agents Beyonthis, the movemet aced itself ad roduced its own organizers.

John Fitzatrick, Preset of the Chcago Federation of Labor from the rst w symatetc to our camaig but he was sketcaof its outcome beng acted with the revalg essmism i tradeuio circles to the eect that the ackghouse workers were uor-

gaizabe. But as our camaig began to get results he took a moreactive art, evetualy becomg chairm of our atoal movemet.is services were escaly valuable n combatg he dsrutive tacticsof reactoary A. F. of L. leaders a i carrying on te neotiatioswith e pakers an the govrnen

AN AGGRESSIVE CAMPAIGN

e auced our orgazato drive with great vigor ad directeour eorts at te ve great Chcago lats of the bggest ackers ofthe huge beef trust. Te workers cme large umbers to our meet ngs to liste but, suscous from og yers of A F. of L. betrayand icometece, few oed the uios. At te e of sx weeks ofitesive work we had orgized oy ve hured members. Ftzatrck ronouced this result excellet, as o such showig had beenmade sice the fta strke of thirtee years before. ut to me ourrogress was wholy ustsfactory: the great ckig idustry couever be orgazed by such a oebyoe metd. We smy had to

d a way to start the workers ito the uos n Our ttle mt leg grou ws eterme tt t l costs

the workers mut be orgzed ad we were rere to u drstc

etods to ts e e were roceeg o tt k oyhich had otg commo wth the Gomers wr "10 strke"rogram ad we were covced that the worrs w strkeided ad would reson to our eorts if ty a ct forstrike action in suort of te emds (egt g to or ganize, etc. ) tht we were oularizig. · Hec pp oursmal eaig commttee a deted la wh ur 00 bers,fter gd rearatio and with the organiz a; c ter industry militats, coud be us to strike t w I;S of 60000workers

I was a very risky mov t stl ' would have• Fo a scusso o p� of the A F. L ICO·l g s

Wo W (1914-18) s pp 26 ')1 his bk

E PACKGOE CAAGN 25

succeee had we trie it The ornizers agree wit y proosas but, as w e were gettg ready fortuately we were abe t a surerway to bring the masses ito action by a stike moveent Under heinuence of our Chicago capaign and the generay favorabe situa-ton, oca organizatios and strikes had begun to take shae in vari-ous western acking centers I therefore roosed the stratey of ca

ig a natio conferece of ackighouse workers to reare demandsto be ade uon the ackers The eaers of the Butcher orkmen tyical A F. of L. reactionaries, smellng a ossibe strike, stogysagreed with ths roosa, even as tey vioently codemned ourwhoe mlitat ie But fearg to be swept ase by the rising asovemet, they ally grudggy agreed. herun, over theirrotests, we gve the s tory to the ewsaers sating that the move fora coferece woud robably culmiate in big nationa packing-ouse strike.

Next day, as I exected the Chicago ress bore great aming head-es Strike Lms at Yards Ad so it was in other packing centers. The woe ackg idustry seethed over the threatening strike.

The eect uon the dscoteted mss of workers as eectricaAt ast they saw the actio they wated, chance to sike bac attheir exoiters. The they farly bke the doors down in joiningthe hicago unions in masses. The feeble stockyards' organiations grew widly. For exame, the decret La 8 Butcher orken tk i embers at its rst meetg after the ress anounceet of the threatening strike. Likewse, the movement grew ike aay reein Soux ity, St Lous, Fort Wort, Omaha, Kansas ity t. Joseh St Pau, Okahoma ity, Dever, and other big western

ckig ceters. Tens of thousas streamed ito te A. F. of L. asur strategy had succeede better eve th we a aticiated. ewere over the top in the orgaization of te grt ationa packindusty, for years considered in trade uo crces to be an utteroeess task Meanwhile, we had joied te doze coeratinckinghouse unions togeter natioly ito lse committee ofwhch John Fitzatrick was chairman and I cretry

owever, the ackers had not bn idle t rt excet or -g our movement with ses, they ha mae o hoste ove, -ety believig that our cmaig, ike so y F. of ri the ast would collase of its own weght. ut wen they reae

Ts spis w yw o xmp wo ou h os du ogz n cgo y coss g uo mn



26 ARIAN RADE UNNS

were making rea haday hy bcame alared and rpie wie sa opn sho wapon of dischargig acive nioniss. Thi i charge campaign· sprad far an racd is ca whn Libby�cNl and Libby, if subsidiary, red some f of Chicagorker

The policy o ou milian oganizr wa o hea oward

aiona srike of packinouse workers. We urd ha only by such srike col e workrs fully scure heir dands nd esabshheir nions. We re also conincd a he packrs n e gov ee nevr coud sand a ga packigous srike in war ie n view o he franic dand for foodsus. o e acker' provocaions e righ ino our sragy ad we rpld o Libby, cNend Liy by quickly aking a aiona srike voe which wa aos hundred prcen favorabl. Thn we bgan hasy prpraion for rik; bu jus a is uncure e A. F. of L naona leaders sepen and srd he hole movmen ino he reacherous channel govrnmen mediaion.

THE GOVERMT COM TO HP THE PAKER

The Win adnisraion, i il be rbrd o siderackhe many srike mos ad o pe xesion of he rade no io he opn sop idusis a a policy of akig govrn me laor agrs for aio of ar Is Fal edion Cossion as goig aou e coy sling srik on his basis. Te A F. of L leadsi as, of cou, n ful harmon wih is aiuion policy.

Jack Joson, myslf, and ohr pacouse milian weregains such govrnn inrfernce Fiparick also opsd h govrn' enring; b he had no codce in srike, whreahe whole sragy of Johnsone ad myslf was basd on he ned for srike o force he packrs by irc pressr o ign niogremen

Bu he A. F. o L brou e governn in n sp f us A maer o ouine we foly oie he A F. of L ar o our srike voe whr iou nofyig u, h ply ued he aer or o the . W ly in fesd ih agn of h Fedral aon omisNol L, n

proes o Goprs b gig �()vllt 1 our ncks he aely xcusd hilf h he o n

TH PAKNGHOUS CAA

hi oc whe egram ha arrive n ha hi secreary MLe ha referred i as maer of cose o he Dan ofLabor for mediaonan explanaon whch hrew brig lig on he A F . of L's warie nosrike policy

This A. F. of L. acion ps our wole srike sragy. Wha wa be done? Could we ignore he govrmn diaors and

srike anyhow The card were all sacked agains such a course The A F. of eadrs would be solidly oposd o i and so, ikeis oud be he naiona ocials of all e dozen fdera nions in our join oven. Te grea waknss of our Chicago ockyardsLabor Counci, fom rs o las, was a alhouh i gave he wole smuu an ilia ladrship o e naional movn, e acual conro o he iraiona uions ivolvd rmaind in e hands ofacioary A F. of L ocials ad, las we ad no oaizd grou of iians o ink us up wih e ra and le workrs in he ohr packing cr.

Aou ign monhs afr his, in 1919 sel capaig, we facd a soha s iilar siuaion. Our coe hn confrond a dand fom Prsid Wilso, Gops ad a age ajoriy of adrs of 24 s nions a soul sdack our dvlop ig srik ov ad pu our rus i o aingsWe wer srongy orgaize eough o dey is racrous dad, however and o go on wih e ga aial sri. u in he packinghouse siuaio, wi our uos ad or lak of naiona corol, such a cours would have fly o, ilding bfore superior forcs e had o enr agais our ill, io govemndiaion ad o dpnd po h gog s ad iliancy of

or movn o carry i on o vicoy i s is nies h packer, h govern, and he A. F. of L o lasi.

THE PACKG IDUTRY ORGAZ

Afr much jockying arond, w ally d an agreemn ih he Fedral diaon Comissio i cao i Dcbr197, which provided for he rig o orgai, s u so commies

psn grievance and ion conios, c furr grand a 1 pr cen wage icrease, e pricip of iy i loyn, o discriinaion because of cd, color o oaliy, display o

c work scduls, aoiio of arbirary ag, aoiio o copulsoy bn sociis saishmn of p drssig lunc,





Foster WZ ATU(1947) Packinghouse Excerpt OCR

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