Salt Lake Telegram | 1939-08-31 | Page 6 | Farmers, CIO Join Hands in Milk Strike

I Farmers CIO cia Join Hands s in Milk Strike I By BRUCE uc CATTON Continuing hI his American tour Catton brings the Inside story of the New York milk strike UTICA N N. Y The The significant about the recently ended milk strike was neither the violence vio yb- vip lence that accompanied it northe nor northe northe the success which the embattled farmers won Those were the things that made the headlines but the really important development was a little farther under the surface the surface the fact that this strike saw the American farmer workIng working work work- ing hand In hand with t the e C CIO I O. O For a long time leaders of the C CIO I 0 have realized that one of the biggest obstacles in their path was the almost universal fear and distrust which the average farmer had for their organization It has been a re reflection reflection reflection re- re of this motion as much muchas as anything which was responsible responsible sible for lor the C I Os O's reverses Inthis in inthis inthis this last session of congress and nothing has seemed much more important to the C CIO I 0 high command than the effort eUort to find some way somewhere somehow to make some sort of tie up with a bona fide farm group That finally happened in the New York milk strike Part of that was due to Archie Wright leader of the Dairy Farmers Farmers' union Born on a farm farmand farmand I and now a farmer fanner himself I Wright roved far and wide In his younger days and for a along along along long time carried a card In the Maritime union He was one farm leader who did not need to tobe tobe tobe be sold on the C CIO I O. O O C I 1 0 O Loans Loam Strike Expert Another factor was the appearance ap on the scene of ca ca- Wm Gandall Archie Wright pable William Gandall hard bit ten representative of the Transport Transport Transport Trans Trans- port Workers' Workers union in New NewYork NewYork NewYork York City who was loaned to the Partners Farmers union by the state C CIO I 0 authorities Gandall as it happens got acQuainted acquainted ac ac- ac- ac with the farmers sometime sometime some sometime time before the strike when he came up-state up to try to rally sentiment against a bill pendIng pendIng pending pend pend- ing at Albany which would have hampered the Transport union He got a god reception from the Farmers' Farmers union and after that particular bit of business was settled he made several severs more trips to this region speaking speak speak- log ing before a number of farm larm meetings During the strike Gandall acted acted acted act act- ed as Wrights Wright's executive off Unquestionably a good part of the success of the strike was due to the professional touch with which Gandall Candall was able abbe to Infuse it To 10 watch him giving ing Instructions to a set et of picket picket- squad leaders the leaders the crisp dU fled lied labor Jabor leader Jeader and the over over- ailed sunburned unburned farmers farmers was was a liberal education The C CIO I 0 didn't run sun this strike Gandall Insists It was the farmers' farmers own affair altair We didn't bring in any outside pickets pickets pickets pick pick- ets as some people charged But we were friendly We took up collections for them And we were prepared if the farmers asked us to to throw mass picket lines Jines around the big milk plants In New York City This is the biggest thing that ever happened to the labor Jabor movement It made labor see where its real interests lie Admittedly taking C CIO I 0 help was a hard pill for some of the farmers to swallow But they did manage to get It down Sam dairy farmer who was wu strike leader for Chenango Chenango Chenango Che- Che county estimates that when the strike began all alt but a handful of the 1100 strikers strike in his county were very dubious about taking C CIO I 0 help Before tho the strike ended however he says only a few score of them had any remaining doubts Labor Farmer Party Efforts to organize anything like a labor farmer-labor party in the east cast and middle west have failed uniformly so far Three or four lour years ago certain labor groups made a determined drive in that direction but nothing of any consequence was gained gaIne And while this milk strike situation sit sit sit- had no obvious political implications it nevertheless nc did bring farmers and urban union men together in Intimate cooperation ce- ce co operation operation and and as such may presage o 0 l t the h c e r developments later It will be interesting inci mci- dentally to see what the farm farm- labor rr picture Is like today farther west where it has been a definite political factor