Show N N N N N M N N N N nn THE AMERICAN WAY AY WHAT PRICE STRIKES ES r v 0 B By MAURICE R. R FRANKS Editors Editor's Note Maurice R. R Franks is National Business Agent of the Railroad Yaz Yardmasters of North America Inc and Editor of that Unions Union's official publication the Railroad Workers J Journal One Tw Twp Two Three strikes Youre You're out at the old ball game the old job Strikes have played a big part in American history The Boston Tea Party was the original strike of the American people against persecution We Vie know its results were beneficial That strike was a revolt of an indignant people against an overseas tyrant that was levying taxation without representation That strike had overwhelming public opinion behind it Unless labor strikes of to today today today to- to day likewise have public backing union labor cannot succeed The order of the day is to organize industry in all i if s branches branches' branch branch- es es' executive labor the employers with their various associations and manual labor the workers with their unions These associations associations associations and unions should have as th their ir main objectives the task of improving conditions They were not organized to fight one another When men organize into groups for collective betterment they should meet periodically to disc discuss ss thoroughly their problems and plan their actions Those are the true principles of tion Associations and unions representing the partners of industry cannot expect to live unless they operate their affairs beneficially to each other independent of political religious and racial dices Their activities must be unbiased unselfish and truly American In 1933 we repealed the Amendment That was a strike of the American people We expressed our indignation against the bootlegger and booze We had put up long enough with a hypocritical situation and decided the time had arrived to eliminate it We did wipe out the racketeer liquor business but we failed to get rid of all the liquor racketeers They still exist and are still plying their trade but not in inthe in inthe inthe the liquor business They are bootlegging labor Yes many of the liquor racketeers stepped from the ranks of liquor into the ranks of labor and are now trying to run the labor movement on the same basis as they ran the illicit liquor business for the benefit of no one but the racketeers They are as highly organized in labor today as they formerly were in the liquor business Then they had their gun men or you take lieutenants today they have their highly trained organizers who have been forming labor unions so rapidly that it is almost impossible to keep count of them No sooner are these unions formed than another department of these racketeers goes into action the agitators whose business is to stir up trouble where none has previously existed between workers and employers for the sole purpose of pulling a strike These agitators are smooth and shrewd They escape the detection of the unwary Their actions are so cleverly smoke- smoke screened that very few workers suspect the agitators of their evil intent until the fruits of their labors have culminated in a strike Union members must cleanse their unions of this thi destructive type of leadership The unscrupulous so called labor leaders who pull men off the job so promiscuously causing destitution hatred and intolerance must be cast out Many workers already have learned that strikes do not pay Unless there comes a change in leadership of many unions the day is not far away when all workers will be wondering WHAT THAT PRICE STRIKES |