The Organizer (Minneapolis, Minnesota), 1934-08-18

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UNITED
LABOR
ACTION
DAILY STRIKE BULLETIN
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SMASH THE
CITIZENS
ALLIANCE
TWO TWENTY-FIVE
SOUTH THIRD STREET
VOLUME 1
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, SATURDAY, AUG. 18, 1934
NUMBER 34
All Unions Asked to Support 574 by
2 - Day General Demonstration Strike
Support of State Federation
And C L* U. Asked by 574
574 Asks Aid
Of Federation
Sends Letter of Appeal
to Convention
The following letter is being
sent by Local 574 to the State
Federation of Labor assembled in
Convention at International Falls.
It is expected that this appeal for
moral and financial backing will
be read to the delegates at Monday's session. Local 574 hopes
that it will stir the interest of all
delegates and feels 3ure of an
enthusiastic response.
August 18, 1934
Brothers,  Greeting!
General Drivers, Helpers, Petroleum, and Inside Workers
Union Local 574 has been on
strike for five weeks. The strike
was forced on us by employers
who refused to honor their signature to-an agreement settling a
previous strike. Hardly had we
lain down our weapons before we
had to take them up again in a
battle which all our brother
unions and the Central Labor
Union of our city have characterized as one not only on our own
behalf but on behalf of the very
right of the unions to exist.
We have been through a fierce
and long drawn out struggle, one
which has cost the lives of two
workers, the blood of scores, the
sacrifices of thousands. Against
a host of enemies sent to oppose
us by that sinister, labor-hating
clique, the Citizens Alliance, we
have stood out and given no
ground.
We are happy indeed to report
to you how help has come to us
from far and near. Brother
anions in Minneapolis, the Central Labor Union, unions throughout the state, locals in other
states have responded generously.
The Convention of Hotel and Restaurant Employees International
Alliance and Bartenders International League assembled in our
city donated one thousand dollars
to our strike fund. •
Today we need further moral
support and financial aid. Our
Strike Commissary and Hospital,
our Relief -and other departments
must be kept going. Men who
have withstood terror and threats
must not be allowed to go hungry. The children of labor heroes
fighting a fight whose victory we
will all share must be fed and
clothed.
At this time, therefore, Brothers, we turn to you, asking for
moral and financial aid. We are
confident that the Minnesota State
Federation of Labor will take an
unequivocal stand on the issue
and extend financial aid to the
fullest extent which its own responsibilities and obligations permit.
With Fraternal  Greetings,
Local  574.
MCCW Holds Rally
About 700 workers attended
last night's rally of the MCCW
held at Strike Headquarters on
South 8th St. The purposes and
nature of the unemployed organization was explained by various
speakers.
Among those who addressed the
crowd were Miles Dunne and Carl
Skoglund of Local 574: Karl
Kuehn, Chairman of the MCCW;
and Clem Forsen-
Mrs. V. R. Dunne Denies
Alleged Praise of Raid
When interviewed by a reporter for "The Organizer,"
Mrs. Vincent R. Dunne, wife
of the strike leader, flatly denied a statement concerning
the raid on Strike Headquarters by Olson's National Guard
attributed to her by the latest
Farmer-Labor ""Leader."
The "Leader" says that
shortly after the raid Mrs.
Dunne commented that she
was glad the raid had occurred
as it alone prevented serious
bloodshed between strikers and
the militia. The idea is conveyed that Mrs. Dunne, and by
inference Vincent R. Dunne
and the strikers in general, are
grateful   for the raid.
This  is  entirely untrue.
Immediately after the raid
on Headquarters and the arrest of Vincent R. and Miles
Donne and President William
S. Brown, the Union protested
vigorously. Mrs. Dunne, is
indignant that -fake-remarks'
should be attributed to her rn
an effort to cover up the trail
of those responsible for the
raid. She states she will demand a printed retraction from
the   Farmer-Labor   "Leader."
Dance Proves
Huge Success
Large Crowd Attends
574 Affair
About 500 strikers, wives and
girl friends attended last night's
Hard Times Dance held at Union
Headquarters, 225 South Third St
Several hundred were turned
away because the hall was so
crowded. A gay evening was had
by all.
The committee of the Ladies'
Auxiliary and the Finance Committee which were in charge of
the event report that $40 in cash
and a large amount of merchandise for the Strike Commissary
was paid in at the door.
Sorenson's six-piece orchestra,
composed of members of Local
574, provided the music. This
_group.r has .been entertaining . at
the Saturday night rallies at
Strike Headquarters and was best
known for its songs and comic
stunts but last night it also proved
itself to be a howling success as a
hot jazz band.
Among those active on the corn-
mittee   running   the'  affair   last
Faced by an ever-mounting pressure from the sinister
Citizens Alliance which continues to wage by every foul
means its brutal campaign to smash Minneapolis unionism,
Local 574 has turned to its brother unions with an appeal
for united supporting action in the form of a 48-hour
general demonstration strike.
This strike, endorsement of which is being asked both
of Central Labor Union of the city
GREETINGS
To the delegates to the
State Federation of Labor
Convention, from the members of Local 574 and the
Strike Committee of   100.
Mrs.   Clara  Dunne,
Dobbs  and  Brother
night    were
Mrs. Farrell
Tom Smith.
This is the first time during the
long-drawn-out battle that the
strikers have endeavored to have
a few hours of gayety and entertainment. It proved such a_ suc-
,cess that plans are being laid to
hold a similar affair next week.
RESOLUTION
Endorsing a General Demonstration Strike
To Be Presented to the State Federation of Labor Convention Monday by the Delegates of Local 574
WHEREAS, the General Drivers, Helpers, Petroleum and Inside Workers Union Local 574 of Minneapolis has been on strike since July 16 and is
still on strike and,
WHEREAS, this strike was forced upon the union by the refusal of
certain employers to honor their signatures to an agreement settling a previous strike and
WHEREAS, this strike has received the endorsement and support of
the Central Labor Union of Minneapolis and its affiliated unions and has
been recognized by them as a fight not only in the interests of those directly participating, but one which involves the issue of unionism against open
shop and thus vitally concerns every trade union in Minneapolis and in the
whole state-and
WHEREAS, Local 574 has encountered enormous obstacles and difficulties in this strike, the full power of the labor-hating Citizens Alliance
having been brought to bear against it, peaceful pickets having been shot
and killed in the public streets, and martial law having seriously interfered
with the ordinary rights of picketing, assemblage and other civil rights and
WHEREAS, Local 574 has appealed to the Central Labor Union of Minneapolis to demonstrate its support by endorsing the proposal of Local 5V4
for a forty-eight hour cessation of work by all trade unionists in the city
of Minneapolis,
RESOLVED, that the Minnesota State Federation of Labor endorses
this proposal as a suitable method of warning the open shop interests to
halt in their reactionary union-smashing campaign and urges the Minneapolis Central Labor Union to recommend such action to its affiliated local
unions, and he it further
RESOLVED that when such action is taken the State Federation of
Labor shall stand ready to assist its Minneapolis brothers in every possible
way.
and the State Federation of Labor whose Convention assembles
at International Falls Monday,
would be in support of the demands of Local 574 and against
all those who are trying to smash
the struggle of Minneapolis workers for the right to organize and
to have decent living and working conditions.^
The Strike Committee of 100
yesterday sent a representative
rank, "and file delegation of fourteen to meet with the executive
of the Central Labor Union to
discuss this question. The. joint
meeting elected a joint committee
to call on Governor Olson and
once again present the demand,
this time with the official backing
of the C. L. U., for the restoration of the right to picket and the
revocation of all permits which
are making possible scab truck
movements.
The joint committee has been
seeking to contact Olson ever
since about 6 p. m. yesterday, but
at the time of going to press it
had not yet been able to find him.
The requests it proposes to make
had previously been made by tha
Strike Committee of 100 itself,
but they were rejected by Olson.
The joint meeting of the 574
delegation and the C. L. U. executive also took up the question of
a 48-hour general demonstration
strike in support of the position
of Local 574.
Speaker after speaker of the
574 delegation asked the C. L. U.
to take immediate steps to prepare for the 48-hour general protest demonstration. They pointed
out that in view of the enormous
forces which have been mustered
against 574 and the many tests it
has had to undergo in the five
weeks of hot struggle, help must
be given.
The Central Labor Union heard
the appeal of 574 but no answer
was given at the joint session. It
was stated by C. L. U. officials
that a closed session of the C. L.
U. executive board would take the
matter up. The meeting was
scheduled for last, night but at
the present writing The Organizer
has no report as to what action
was taken.
The Strike Committee of 1001
will meet tonight at 225 South
3rd St., the time to be announced
late in the afternoon. It is hoped
that a renort will be available.
Meanwhile the Union and the
Strike Committee pushed ahead
with plans for bringing the demonstration strike proposal before
the State Federation of Labor
Convention Monday. Following
the decisions of the Strike Committee of 100, the Executive
Board and the Organizing Committee of Local 574 held a joint
meeting at which a joint subcommittee was appointed to draft
a resolution for presentation to
the State Convention.