The Organizer (Minneapolis, Minnesota), 1934-09-19

              UNITED
LABOR
ACTION
TWO TWENTY-FIVE
SOUTH THIRD STREET
SMASH THE
CITIZENS
ALLIANCE
VOLUME 1, NO. 44
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 19,1934
PRICE TWO CENTS
Fight on Chiselers Opens
Coal Workers
Shape Plans
Union   Will   Protect
Seniority Rights
With the coal season coming on
rapidly, it becomes necessary for
the union coal workers to take
definite steps to guarantee that
the employers honor their agreement with the union. Workers
■who have been off the job during
the slack season are now returning to work, and a careful check
must be made to see that the seniority rule is followed.
To do this effectively, it is
necessary for the coal workers
group to hold regular meetings.
At the'first meeting, held Monday
-night, a decision was made to hold
regular meetings of this group on
the first and third Monday in each
month. The next meeting will be
held Monday, October 1st, at 225
South 3rd St. The last meeting
was well attended, but all members must campaign vigorously
to make the next meeting an even
better one.
Since Myles Dunne has been
loaned to the Fargo drivers local
by 574, the coal workers voted
to replace him with Grant Dunne
on their committee. Everyone is
confident that Grant will serve the
men in his customary efficient
manner. The balance of the committee, was kept intact. The full
committee includes Bill Brown,
Carl Skoglund, Grant Dunne, Cliff
Hall and Farrell Dobbs.     -   -
Discriminations have been reported in six firms, and the committee has requested an immediate
meeting with the employer's committee to settle these cases.
Everyone out to the next meeting. Let's keep our shoulders at
the wheel, fellows, and guarantee
the maintenance of union conditions in the coal yards.
Fink Concerns Get
No Union Patronage
Of the several anti-union concerns in the city, none can surpass the C. Thomas Stores as
haters of 574 and unions in general. These stores, located in
working class districts, and depending almost entirely upon the
trade of workers, consistently refuse to allow their truck drivers
to belong to 574. The managers
and bosses, while catering to the
patronage of the men and women
who work for wages, have done
everything possible to obstruct the
organization of these same workers.
During the May and July
strikes they were among the first
to make attempts to run scab
trucks. Throughout the strikes
they gave continual trouble to our
pickets.
These stores evidently believe
that they can go on with these
insults and attacks^ upon, the
unions and "stilL continue to
squeeze profils from the meagre
wages of our members and
friends. Union men and women
will do well to adopt the slogan—
We Do Not Patronize Finks.
Employers Try New
Company Union Gag
Chamber of Commerce
Fosters Scheme
574 Approves Transfer of
Station Men to New Union
Asks Committee
For Negotiations
Petroleum Drivers  to Meet
Friday, Sept. 21, 8 P. M.
*>
Party Saturday, Sept. 20
The Minneapolis Workers Club
(now in the process.of formation)
will give its first party on Saturday, September 22, at 8:30 p. m.
at the Pythian hall, 43 S. 4th St.,
Minneapolis.
Guests will find good food and
drinks. The winter program for
this club will be outlined. There
will be no admission charge. All
money taken in during the evening will go to the labor press.
The Minneapolis Workers Club
is to be social and educational in
nature. Many open forums, many
other parties, will be given during
months to come. It will be a club
for workers, with true workers'
democracy and fraternity prevailing. It will be a club to represent
our aim? and interests.
You are asked to attend this
party. Come and bring your
spouse, friend, or sweetheart.
Here's the dope—REMEMBER
—Saturday, September 22, Pythian Hall, second floor, beginning
at 8:30, and ending—when the old
cat dies.
We want you to come to this
first party and to sign an application for membership in the Minneapolis Workers Club.
PROVISIONAL COMMITTEE
Henry Schultz
Happy Holstein
Ray Rainbolt
Farrell Dobbs
Jack Severson
Sam Lessin
Harry DeBoer
Fanny Barach
Kelly Postal
What the employers ■ really
think of the Labor Boards "and
the decisions which are handed
down by them (when such decisions favor the workers T is- well
illustrated by a statement issued
by the National Association of
Manufacturers last week. The
statement follows:
"We recommend that employers continue to abide by the longstanding and authoritative interpretations upholding the right of
minority groups to deal with their
employers previously made by the
president, Administrator Johnson
and General Counsel Richberg until competent judicial authority
has declared otherwise," the manufacturers' board said in its statement. "In view of the policies
and decisions of the national labor
relations board and regional labor
hoards throughout the country,
we urge upon manufacturers the
utmost caution in seeking or submitting to the jurisdiction of such
boards."
That this attempt to again find
ground for the company "union"
in es-ery place where workers organize is a serious threat to the
real trade union movement is easily seen by serious workers who
have had to deal with the problems of organization.
It must not go unchallenged for
a single day. This aggressive action by the leading national or-
anization of the employers means
that an effort will be made everywhere to set up company "unions"
alongside, and opposed to, the real
unions of the workers.
The Minneapolis Civic and
Commerce association votes in
unison for this new drive on the
trade unions and quickly follows
the lead of the National Association of Manufacturers. Putting
forward Dr. C. A. Prosser (antiunion spokesman of long standing) as the organizer, the Civic
and -Commerce association goes
into action.
The  doctor has  formulated   a
program   to   "provide   employers
and   employes   with   information
and  service  to  carry  out  better
(Continued on page 3)
Acting on the recommendation
of the leading committee of the
union, the station operators voted
Friday night to transfer to the
new Gasoline Station Employees
Union, Local 19802.
Before the vote was taken,
Skoglund, Dobbs, and Chairman
Jossert took the floor to review
the events leading up to the formation of the new union and to
explain why the transfer was recommended.
The workers were reminded of
the fact that there had been no
organizational work done among
the petroleum workers until Local
574 took to the field. The story
of the development of the station operators,, drivers, and warehouse employees as an organized
unit was related up to the point
where the split among the operators caused the breaking down of
negotiations with the employers.
It is only necessary to consider
the dastardly way in which this
split was-promoted-to realize fully
and his tool Lund dealt the petroleum workersr The station operators must weigh carefully the
qualifications ofLthe leaders they
select. A man who will go to any
ends to create a job for himself
is not a leader to be trusted.
Local 574 has. not been weakened by this' change. Rather the
entire labor movement of Minneapolis has been strengthened. Not
because of the nature of the new
setup, but because hundreds of
workers have learned a valuable
lesson about the vultures who
prey upon them for a living. Next
time this is tried,'the results will
be different.
The strength of the workers has
not been diminished. It is only
necessary to change the organizational machinery somewhat. Local
574 has taken the initiative in
proposing the necessary changes.
A communication hfes been sent to
the new station operators' local
proposing that a joint committee
from the two locals'be set up for
negotiating with the employers.
Workers are workers and united
action can always be obtained
when the parties involved are sincere in their attitude toward the
workers. ,. _~.
Meantime, the-'organizational
work of the drivers goes forward
with added impetus. A new committee has been elected and they
will be prepared to bring in important recommendations at the
next meeting of the drivers on
Friday, September 21) at 225 S.
3rd St. Be there- ndt later than 8
p. m., drivers.
FREDDY'S
Several prominent labor
leaders have been seen eating
at Freddy's.
We recall quite vividly that
this man Westergreen ran over
a picket during the drivers'
strike while trying to bootleg
linen from the American Linen
Co. We also recall that he was
bannered quite militantly by
574.
Laundry Workers
Appeal for Pickets
Boss Threatens Injunction as
Banners Cut Sales
The battle still rages between
the laundry bosses and the union
The chiseling cut-rate and -cut-
wage artists continue desperately
their attempts to evade the inconvenience of union conditions. But,
nothing daunted, the union carries the fight to the boss.
The State Cleaners, located at
6th and Hennepin and Lake and
Lyndale, are being bannered. Such
serious inroads are being made
"into their business that the bosses
._,   have threatened to obtain an in-
-Ahe- injury. whtch^cOrganizerrSnrith function  against f*e~ union.'"'The
union replies to the- threat by an
appeal for pickets to put on a
mass demonstration before these
rat shops.
The     Progressive     Cleaners     at
228 East Hennepin, the Master
Cleaners at 12th and Nicollet, and
the Lincoln Cleaners at 2404 East
38th St. are also warring upon
the union. They started the fight
but the union is going to finish it.
Let's get behind the laundry
workers, brother unionists, and
help them to clean up the miserable conditions in this industry,
the industry which won't give you
a job but will let your wife work
at a starvation wage.
The electrical workers are negotiating for an 'area code agreement to bring uniform wages,
hours and working conditions to
the industry. Watch the Organizer
for news of the developments,
electricians.
574 has served rejmests for arbitration on the Labor Board and
on all individual firms. The bosses
have begun to grumble, but we
advise them to respond to our request.
It's Human Error
"Workers should be loving.
Their hearts should be filled with
kindness toward their employer.
And if he attacks them, they
should turn the other cheek, and
hold the right thoughts in their
hearts about him, knowing that he
is just a manifestation of human
error.—The Rev. Appersop.
"Fifteen persons were injured,
three others shot and a score
overcome by tear gas Monday as
violence flared in the textile strike
front."—Associated Press report-
Now don't get riled up, brothers. Just turn the other cheek.
The employer will then see that
he is wrong, and take you' to his
bosom.
But that "manifestation of human error" business gets us. Maybe the sky pilot has got something
on the ball, after all.
Right or wrong, the bosses are
-wrong!
"Morality and religion are but
words to him who fishes in gutters for the' means of sustaining
life, and crouches behind ban-els
in the street for shelter from the
cutting blasts of a winter night."
—Horace  Greeley.
"The law in its majestic equality forbids the rich as well as-the
poor to sleep under bridges, to
beg in the streets and to steal
bread."—Anatole France.
Labor Board
Fails to Act
574 to Settle Discriminations in Own Way
In accordance with the* terms of
settlement of the July strike, Local
574 has carried out certain proposals made by P. A. Donaghue,
Federal mediator, who made the
final draft of the stipulation entered by the Minneapolis-St Paul
Regional Labor Board.
The employers, through their
committee, gave Mr. Donaghue
solemn assurance that all cases of
discrimination would be tak'en^are
of and settled promptly thr&gh
the Regional Labor Board.        v
Although past experience with'
this Board and the employers gave
very poor recommendation, the
union committee^ at the request of
Mr. Donaghue, agreed to- turn over
to-th*'Labor Board all cases of
discrimination. Mr. Donaghue
gave the committee his official
and' formal promise that the Regional Board, hacked by the National Board, would move promptly iii all cases. Local 574 has carried out, in good faith, its part of
this agreement.
The Regional Labor Board, the
National Labor Board, and the
Employers Committee have failed
to carry out any part of ihie same)
agreemerit. No case of discrimination turned over to the boards and
committees has been settled.
We list helow five of the-outstanding cases of discrimination.
At the Ready Mixed Concrete
Co., 37 20th Ave. S.. the manager,
Mr. Campbell, discharged three
union drivers after a controversy
in which the management refused
to put into operation a joint seniority list.
At the Booth Fisheries Co., 3rd
Ave. N. and 3rd St., a driver and
helper have not been returned to
their jobs. Mr. Musgrave, the
manager, admits that the men have
seniority rights, but he keeps them
off the job because of union activities.
Otis F. Hilbert, market produce
firm on 2nd Ave. N., continues to
discriminate against a union
driver, while admitting that he
holds rights on the job.
Ed Phillips & Sons Co., 1st Ave.
N. and 4th St., has consistently
refused to return a 574 man to his
place of employment, using a flimsy subterfuge to justify their action.
The Twin City Bottle Co., 17th
Ave; N. and 2nd St., is another
offender. A man with five years
rights has been replaced with one
of the boss's friends.
The union committee has decided to move, into this field with
its .own'forces.
The Labor Boards have proven,
once again that they cannot function in the workers' interest. Local 574 will now handle cases of
'discrimination in the only way left
open, that is by organized pressure.
Today, at the Sunnyside Grocery, a banner is being earned.
This employer, who has signed the
settlement agreement calling for a
50c per hour minimum to drivers,
continues to pay $16 for a 54-hour
week.
574 will settle accounts with all
employers who do not choose to
live up to the full settlement
terms.
"Government is not reason, it
is not eloquence—it is force!—
George Washington.
Make Minneapolis a Union Town
i