!Satioa’a°L<d!^TJi0J>8 to
•'S’A'fiSS . “ J^^ers
l<*A«5r,,‘^“«o. ^ J‘r t*’*' iESp •*“*
TREND TOWARD
“CREEPING FASCISM
MUST BE HALTED
BT EMIL RIEVE, President
Textile Worker* Uaio* off
A a* erica, CIO.
Bif basins* control of bit gov
ernnent, coupled with the ugly
menace of McCorthyism, bos creat
ed a condition in the United States
today which I call “creeping fas
cism.” Arresting this trend—turn
ing oar country once again in the
direction of liberal enlightenment
and restoring its moral courage—
is the most pressing task for the
labor movement in the year ahead.
P- In saying this I do not charge
that the average Republican or
the average businessman is delib
erately promoting fascism. I do
say that a government primarily
devoted to the interests of Mg bus
iness tends to be authoritarian by
definition. Meanwhile the critical
sense of the daily press has been
dulled by pro-business bias; Mc
Carthy and his imitators do their
utmost to make life miserable for
those dissenters who remain.
We in the labor movement can
.not,bring about a change single
handed, but we bear the major
share of the task. We must ham
mer away at the facts. We must
reach our own members and their
families more effectively than ever
before; we must he the rallying
point for other liberal forces in
the community.
The Job is big but the stakes are
bigger. I do not believe “creeping
fascism” is at all likely to become
fascism in fact, for I have bound
less confidence in' the sense of the
American people. However, while
we are handing huge chunks of
the national domain to private
profiteers, glaring at our friends
abroad like surly apes and toying
vrith our first venture in book
burning, we are losing precious
time and ground in the world-wide
struggle for men's minds.
To lead the world away from the
false promises of communism, our
people and our government must
be brave in heart, generous in
spirit and free in mind. This should
be our greatest goal—in the year
ahead and every year until it is
won.
Having set such a broad task for
the labor movement as a whole, I
must set what may seem a much
Authorised Service Mojor Electrical Appliances
Soles ood Service
RAWLINGS-TODD COMPANY
212 South St. Gostonio, N. C. PInm 5-2386
AT EVERY
MEAL
HOLSUM BAKING COMPANY
Gastonia, N. C.
FOR TASTE
APPEAL
&
COMPLIMENTS OF
KINCAID ENGINEERING COMPANY
STEEL FABRICATORS AND BOILERS
INDUSTRIAL FIFE WORK
209 S. Church St. Phouo 5-3414
GASTONIA, N. C.
KENDRICK BRICK * TILE
COMPANY INC
wwEEB^^BRN ■ # HlEto
Face, Common and Roman Brick
Plants 2 fir 3 — Phone Shaleton-1
Main Office: Mount Holly
ChnHatto Office: 3235 South Boulevard
Phono 6-8465
,' d#or' »«■•»»• *W« gov* you »H* wrong Woo about
labor Day."
narrower one for the Textile Work*
ere Union of America, CIO—
namely, to organise the unorgan
ised.
Textile is the least organised of
any bask industry. Barely one
third of the workers are covered
by TWUA-CIO contract; perhaps
another 10 per cedt are scattered
among smaller onions. Moot of the
unorganised workers are in the
southeastern states.
The changes in political think
ing necessary to fulfill my defini
tion of "labor’s moot pressing
task” are moot body needed in
this southeastern area. Such
changes can be brought about only
when the workers are organised.
i Thus what appears to be a narrow
aim Is actually an essential part
of the broader one.
BAKERS PLAN ORGANIZA
TION, MEMBERSHIP EDUCA
TION, LABEL DRIVE
By JAMES G. GROSS, President,
International Union, AFL.
The basic problem that faces
the organised labor movement to
day is how to grow and prosper
in an unfavorale climate. All those
things that we had come to accept
as labor’s inalienable rights are
presently being challenged from
every side by those who would de
stroy the union labor movement of
this country.
Under the administrations of
Franklin D. Roosevelt, labor or
ganisations enjoyed a phenomenal
growth. In some ways, this growth
resembled the hot house variety
where large memberships were
built only to wither on the vine
when transplanted into the fields
of adversity. This was doe in a
large part te the lack of member
ship education.
International and local unions
wore not even geared to cope witli
the mechanics of professing men*
berahip in the late *0’s and early
40’s. For the sake of expediency,
the education of the prospective
member was neglected. This neg
lect has risen op to haunt many
an organisation with an avalanch
of unfavorable labor legislation hi
recent years.
Due to lack of knowledge, some
members and those hosts who
were once members of organised
labor express little or no concern
over the fate of the union that se
cured for them what we have come
to knew as the American Stand
ard of Hvingi This problem we pro
pose to combat with every means
at our disposal.
We plan to follow a bold course.
For a labor organisation to con
solidate its gains and stand still
is to invite attack. To retreat from
previously established positions in
sures disaster. The Bakery and
Confectionery Workers Interna
tional Union is presently supping
an intensive organising drive in all
branches of its jurisdiction. It Is
our intent to sell the prospective
member on the benefits he will
enjoy when he joins our organise -
tion. The struggles that went into
the creation of our International
Union will be vividly portrayed to
him.
To bolster this program, our
public relatipns and Union Label
Department is coordinating its ef
forts with the Department of Or
ganisation in the promotion of our
Union Label and the development
of motion picture films and special
material to educate the new mem
ber. This is in addition to carrying
the message to the general public
of how important labor unions are
to the welfare and economy of our.
nation.
Our research department is mak
ing available to our department of
organisation and our public rela
tions and Union Label department
the resources ***4 statistics so nee
in to'Section. Everyone Is^rnTths
team at International Headquar
ters with but one thought in mind
may be summed up in six words,
i " ’ -
“TW* is no Ntmt to success.”
GIVE-AWAYS PRECEDE
ATTACK ON LABOR,
HABTUNG BELIEVES
BY A. F. HABTUNG. President,
latematiswal Woodworker* of
* America. CIO.
MIt ia my
action is the
that political
pressing: prob
___ - Jta the labor
it for the pear that lies
In viewing the actions of the
present administration we am
allocked to find the hard-money
and give-away programs that are
being practiced. Labor has strug
gled valiantly and has come a long
way in the last fifteen years. We
now find ourselves confronted with,
because of the present administra
tion, the employers using the vic
ious Taft-Hartley Act in the form
of injunctions, refusing to bargain,
refusing to live up to contracts, all
because they fed they have the
government on their side.
Should we be unsuccessful in up
setting the majority of the House
and Senate in 1954 and the reac
tionaries, who am calling the shots
for the Eisenhower administration,
remain in office, by the time 1956
mils around them will be little, if
anything, left of the social and
economic gains that labor has
made by its valiant struggle over
the past years. All of our vast na
tional resources am being threat
ened and the give-away boys in
Congasss will have completed their
job unless we am successful in
stopping their forward march at
the polls in 1954.
We, in th« woodworking indus
try, have done everythin* we could
to s$op tho rivo-awsy o4 ear tide
tends olL We are aware that the
oame group who gave away the
tide lands oil have bills prepared
to start giving assay the vast na
tional forests that still remain hi
the hands of the people, as ssoll
as the poster dams and other fan
provements thtt lftsw been nmd€
possible through the efforts of our
federal government
Tho give-assay prograae they are
carrying on will have tho same
effect upon destroying tho effec
tiveness of tho labor movement I
am sure that once they complete
their give-away program they ssill
intensify their efforts to dastroy
the labor movement, if they pos
sibly can. Not that I am fearful
they will ever aocceed, bat it may
take the sacrificing of many vig.
ilant labor representatives in order
to stop their mod desire for power.
STRONG LABOR MOVEMENT
ESSENTIAL TO FEES
ENTERPRISE SYSTEM
BY T. C. CARROLL, President.
Brotherhood of Maintenance^ of
Way Employee.
The noit pressing ink confront
ing tho Labor Movement la the
a number ef years to come, ie that
of pointing out to the American
people that the preservation of
our complex and highly industrial
ised society, including the free en
terprise system, is ilrymlsnt upon
a strong, organised Labor Move
Responsible representatives of
management have individually and
generally neotniwd tbs many
contributions which Labor has
mads to tbs economic well-being of
our country. Unfortunately, how
ever, collective (roups represent
ing tbs interests of big business,
such as tbs National Association
of Manufacturers and the United
States Chamber of Commerce, have
consistently attempted to relegate
organised Labor to 1 position
wherein Its rote in shaping the
destiny of our nation would be lit
tle more than that of a social
group bonded together for the pur
pose of sponsoring week-end
luncheons or picnics.
Hiese reactionary organisations,
who, in reality, speak for loss tiuut
pis, are continually dreaming ot
the so-called “good old days* when
they could pay those who actually
produced their wealth a mere sub
sistencs wags for any number of
hoars’ work that they felt the in
dividual could physically endure ,
The time is lea^ since past when
the interests of a few selfish In
dividuals can be considered para
mount to the national good. In this
modern day and age, ere need a
more stateaman-like approach to
the Labor Relations problem.
There must be less concern with
selfish immediate gains and more
concern with long range objectives
in which all of our people share.
Capital and Labor are tndispen
sible to one another. The whole
hearted participation of both is es
sential to the development of our
way of life. In a democratic socie
ty, we must have both the investor
and the producer, and we must
maintain an environment in which
both can prosper. The fruit* of
these efforts must be fairly divided
among both Management and
Labor.
The vast majority of people in
this country are laborers of one
kind or another. They do not want
to place, their destinies and future
well-eing in the hands of those
who would impose upon them and
their families a sub-standard way
of life. This bask difference In the
philosophies advocated by certain
big business interests and organi
sed Labor must be intelligently
and forthrightly brought home to
the American people.
The best procedure to follow in
presenting organised Labor's point
of view to the American people is
a matter of personal opinion. Vari
ous mediums of information, such
as the Labor Press, the radio and
television should, of coarse, be
utilised to the fullest extent pos
sible. It is my belief, however, that
the true facts can best be present
ed to the average citisen at the
community level by the rank and
file union members and local of
ficers.
In this connection the Brother
hood of Maintenance of Way Em
ployes are fortonate, in that our
membership resides in practically
every city and hamlet, regardless
of site or geographic location,
across the nation. The opportunity
for our people to participate in the
political and social life of their
community is a very valuable asset,
and it will be our policy in the
year ahead, as it has been fat the
members to the end that they will
seek elective and appointive of
fices in their respective cities and
towns and on their local school
boards in order that a true balance
of public thinking will be the basis
m unity level.
Successful poetical undertakings
in the past have shewn the ahoo
Itkt^t loS^r ^ts^s^tsstt^nkti^tn tst
the “grass roots level” In my
opinion, the same method of op
eration is essential if the Labor
Movement is to achieve its legiti
ORCANIZE AMD EDUCATE,
GUILD PROGRAM
BT HAKBY MARTIN. President.
American Newspaper Guild. CIO.
The most vital task confronting
Labor in IMS-4 is that of muster
ing all its forces in a new drive
to enroll the millions of workers
still unorganised, simultaneously
with the launching of rejuvenated
uolitkal action campaign to restore
the direction of public affairs to
;the people of the United States.
eepedaHjM in thT !Ult*
collar field, repreeent not only a
union security, bul arc Mkeseiee
election* have disclosed the crucial
need far political education. Hence.
H la imperative that —H organ
isation and political enlightmsnt .
take priority h all Labor planning l
and program* for the near future. I
We are toeing through advene leg
islation and administration the
hard-earned economic gain* won
at'the bargaining table; this is thej
dangerous trend of the day. It
must be baited.
The American Newspaper Guild,
having made during the past year
the greatest advances of He en
tire history in acquiring new mem
bers and improving contracts, has
charted a new program calculated
to maintain the pace of that pro
cress despite entrenched opposi
tion. With new contract goals call
ing for a top minimum of «1M
per men and women, the SB-hour
week, general improvements in
working conditions, the Guild will
concentrate heavily tide year on
the “free riders” and an the un
araas otherwise well-organised. A
serious attempt at educating both
the new and the add members as
to the importance and the teeb
(Coe tinned an Pag* I)
LEN0'* roofing
COMfAHY
Carolina
SPENCE* fountain
LAM* DAT MUTING*
HICKORY TELEPHONE COMPANY
IIUkAvw UilJ^L- ^--_I u-u_
jsrTin| rv«cRovy# niwftrvRi iprcinv rflH CM TMiHi
USE LONG DISTANCE FOR OUT-OF-TOWN BUSINESS
AND SOCIAL CALLS
HICKORY, N. C.
Lw&-.- v.... v v44. \ ■ ■ • ■ >••. >'
GREETINGS
ROBERT LEE
Incorporated
* '' V'‘: .< Ml *' V fc"v
GENERAL CONTRACTORS
Phone 322
MANNING, S. C.
I , ■*'
i i .