Marxists’ Internet Archive: ETOL Home Page: Trotskyist Writers Section: Farrel Dobbs
Source: Socialist Appeal, Vol. 5 No. 1, 4 January 1941, p. 2..
Transcription & Mark-up: Einde O’ Callaghan for the Encyclopaedia of Trotskyism On-Line (ETOL).
The recent strike of 7,000 CIO aluminum workers in New Kensington, Pennsylvania, was settled by the removal of a fink as demanded by the workers, and a two cent raise in pay.
While the strike was on, every peanut politician around the Pittsburgh industrial area took the opportunity to sound off against the “reds” in the union, to demand laws forbidding strikes in the “defense industries,” etc., etc.
Shortly after the strike ended an election was held in this union. Local 2 of the Aluminum Workers of America. One of the slates in the election ran on a “More pay and less, speed-up” platform. The following paragraph appeared in a long, red-baiting article in the Pittsburgh Press which viciously attacked this slate:
“On the heels of a public warning by N.A. Zonarich, international president of the Aluminum Workers, that Communists were backing a slate of candidates in the Local 2 election, Rev. Charles Owen Rice (chaplain of the Pittsburgh Association of Catholic Trade Unionists) predicted a ‘black day6rsquo; for the union if the slate is victorious.” One of the newspaper articles on this election carried this headline: Reds in Unions Attacked As Peril to U.S. Defense.
When the votes were counted the “More pay and less speedup” slate had won by a wide majority. Only one of the candidates endorsed by Father Rice was elected. A similar red-baiting campaign was carried on during the election in the East Pittsburgh Local No. 601 of the UERMW (CIO). Despite the intensive press campaign, none of the candidates endorsed by Father Rice were elected in this local.
If there were members of the Communist Party, on the progressive slates which were elected in these two unions they were in a minority. But this is entirely beside the point. A majority of the workers were obviously in favor of “More pay and less speed-up.” They were not at all impressed by the dire predictions of a “black day” in the union, and the “peril to U.S. defense” if the exponents of this platform were elected.
As the result of strike action, a contract was signed on the Friday before Christmas between the Transformer Corporation of America, a New York City concern, and Local No. 430 of the UERMW (CIO,). The workers won an increase in wages, plus a vacation provision. Just before Christmas a letter of “Christmas greetings” from the president of the company was handed to all manufacturing employees. The following are extracts from the letter:
“Normally, the management would hail an agreement of this type with the same enthusiasm as has been evidenced by the majority of the men ... Unfortunately, these gains place an additional hardship upon the company ... The TCA Management has ... repeatedly called the attention of the Shop Chairman to the lax attitude of a number of employees in the shop ... it is your job to recuperate the losses which TCA has incurred and is sustaining as a result of employee activity ... It will be impossible for us to successfully compete in the open market unless some unusually efficient methods and attitudes are created in the TCA shop ... You can’t squeeze blood out of a turnip ... If TCA is unable to compete ... This will mean only one thing to you ... either loss of employment oi’ greatly curtailed working hours ... It is unfortunate that these sad facts have to be brought forth at what is normally a joyous time of the year ... I sincerely trust that every employee will put his shoulder to the wheel in an effort to earn his job and salary ...”
“Forgetting business for the moment,” the letter concludes, in a two-line paragraph after 447 words of complaint against the workers, “I take this opportunity to wish each and every one of you a very Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year.”
The question is, what turnip is being squeezed? The workers squeezed a few concessions out of this boss and now he is trying, to put a double squeeze on them. Yes, “forgetting business for the moment,” he wishes them a “very Merry Xmas,” indeed.
F. Dobbs Archive | Trotskyist Writers Index | ETOL Main Page
Last updated: 15 November 2020
F. Dobbs Archive | Trotskyist Writers Index | ETOL Main Page
Last updated: 15 November 2020