The Arab-Jewish War in Palestine
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Workers of the World, Unite! THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH AND FASCISM — See Page 2 — PUBLISHED WEEKLY IN THE INTERESTS OF THE WORKING PEOPLE Vol. XII — No. 22 NEW YORK, N. Y., MONDAY, MAY 31, 1948 PRICE î FIVE CENTS More Unions GM, UA W Agree on Sliding Scale; Condemn "Police Meat Union Forced to End Strike State" Measure The forces of reaction are trying to jam- passage of the Packing Workers M undt police state bill through the present session of the Senate. General Motors Forestalls The bill, which was Steamroller- Accept 9 Cents ed 319-58 through the House of Advancement of Colored People Representatives has been slowed and Americans for Democratic Walkout with 11-Cent Raise down by the protests of numerous Action. The recent convention of After Long Battle labor, liberal, Negro and church the AFL Hatters Union, despite B y Art Preis organizations. high pressure speeches fo r the By Barbara Bruce Mundt Bill by Louis Waldman In face of these protests in an Seventy-two hours before the strike deadline set and A.A. Berle, went on record SOUTH ST. PAUL, May 24 election year, the Senate politi condemning the police-state meas -•►-Grim-faced men and women by the CIO United Auto Workers for 225,000 mem cians would prefer to leave the ure. trudged back to work in the bill in committee until the session bers in 90 GM plants, the Walter Reuther, president of UAW Internationa! Executive ends. The defeat of Stassen in Swift, Armour and Cudahy plants the CIO Auto Workers, and A.F. Board, had adopted a program the Oregon primaries where he here today. S till proudly wearing General Motors Corpora Whitney, head of the Brother calling for a fla t 25-cent increase based his whole campaign on their union buttons, more than hood of Railway Trainmen, added tion broke the Big Busi in basic paÿ, plus five cents in outlawing the Stalinist Party, has 6,000 members of the CIO United their signatures to a telegram ness front of opposition to any fringe demands. Reuther was in shown them that the red-baiting Packinghouse Workers of Amer pay increases and agreed to a strumental in reducing the basic Mundt Bill isn’t the vote-catcher ica entered the packing plants tor the firs t time since the hard- general wage raise of 11 cents pay demand on GM to 15 cents, some politicians had thought. an hour, effective May 28. offering to settle for this smaller Big Business, however, is prod Next Week fought strike began on March 16. For the first time in any major sum if the company granted an ding the Senate to bring the Bitter expressions of hostility Read the address of union agreement, the proposed “ acceptable” pension plan. Mundt Bill to a quick vote. For toward the packers were heard new GM contract incorporates the example, the N.Y. Times, author FARRELL DOBBS as rumors spread that more than However, the contract includes principle of the sliding scale of itative Wall Street spokesman, 100 union leaders in this area none of the vital welfare de (Socialist Workers Party wages. This w ill provide auto editorially warns the Senate that have been fired as a result of mands. Nor does it contain any Presidential nominee) matic wage increases proportion it “ would be a grave mistake” not (heir strike activity. Members of of the essential improvements in on the entire executive board of al to rising living costs, adjusted grievance procedure and working tb take up the Mundt Bill this every three months on the basis session. CAPITAL AND LABOR IN 1948 Sw ift Local 167 have already re conditions long sought by GM of the cost-of-living figures of the workers. The contract still con The pressure from Big Busi Delivered Sat., May 29 at 2 p. m. ceived discharge notices from the company. U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. tains all the onerous “ penalty” ness is so great that the Senate over a national ABC hookup. UAW leaders hail the sliding clauses and other discriminatory politicians seem willing to try a The strike was ended by a scale cost-of-living contract, which features that have always made blitzkrieg passage of the bill be membership vote taken on May must go to the GM workers for the GM contract the most un fore public protest can mount 21 and 22 throughout the coun sent by the ADA and seven other final ratification, as a “faf-reach- satisfactory in the industry. Thus, further. Senator Alexander Wiley national organizations asking the try. Even after ten weeks of ing victory” for the UAW’s one the UAW leaders have accepted (Rep., Wise.), chairman of the hardship, there was only a slim Senate to defer action this ses million members and “ fo r all the sliding scale program not as Senate Judiciary Committee has sion on the Mundt Bill. majority in favor of returning to v. ork on the basis of the miserable American workers.” a fortification of, but as a sub announced that consideration of Although the recent awakening stitute for the needed increase in the Anti-Lynching Bill, which has of the labor movement to the 9-cent hourly increase in wages. Progressive Oust CP This present attitude of the This was the same offer which UAW leaders is surprising in view real basic wages, welfare bene been trying to get to the floor of dangers of the Mundt police state fits and grievance improvements. the Senate for over a year, will measure has slowed down the the union members had over of the bitter opposition of UAW be dropped while his committee bill, defeat of this vicious piece whelmingly rejected before the President Walter Reuther to the The immediate effect of the GM agreement is to crack the rushes hearings on the Mundt of legislation is by no medns as strike began. The union had de Heads in Westinghouse sliding scale principle. A t the solid front of the big corpora B ill into three days. The inade sured. The whole labor move manded 29 cents an hour in order f»M delegates conference last BUFFALO, May 24 —-A notable victory for progressive, unionism was scored by more tions, including U.S. Steel, Gen quate time allowed fo r hearings ment must join in the fight with to bring the inadequate living February and subsequently, Reu- eral Electric, Westinghouse, Ford on the bill shows the desperation much greater zeal to stop the standards of packinghouse work than 4,000 UE members at the big Buffalo plant of the Westinghouse Corporation, when the ther attacked the sliding scale and Chrysler, against any wage of W all Street’s hired hands in greatest threat to political liber ers up to a decent level. Rank and File slate swept out the Stalinist-dominated Miller-Gould-Krawczyk clique in the local program advanced by five GM .increases. It. is expected that it Washington to get the police state ty in this country in recent years. lineal'. unio'n presidents in Flint. STRONG OPPOSITION elections here held on M ay 20. w ill lead to a speedy settlement measure quickly passed. The unions w ill have to organize on a red-baiting platform. Their Increase”—and “Fight Against The sliding scale program has In some of the most important This union election, Which long been advocated by The M ili of the Chrysler strike and pos The CIO has officially declared giant protest meetings to make campaign slogan was, “ Ameri Skyrocketing Prices” and “ For meat-packing centers, the vote aroused considerable interest in cans, Wake U p!” and “ Get. Rid tant and demanded by UAW pro sibly the Ford wage negotiations. that the Mundt Bill “seriously themselves heard to the Senators Reclassification of Jobs.” Their was heavily opposed to ending labor circles in the Buffalo area, of the Commies.” They were ac gressives, BUT W ITH D EFIN ITE Chrysler had withdrawn even a threatens the existence of bona who are being pressured by Wall record in the past two years, the strike on the company’s and received widespread atten tively assisted by the Buffalo SAFEGUARDS THAT THE GM miserable 6-cent offer, and Ford fide labor unions and . sweeps Street to pass the Mundt Bill. however, inspired the Westing- terms. In South St. Paul the vote tion from the local capitalist Evening News, which gave them house workers with little con CONTRACT DOES NOT IN had insultingly “offered” a wage aside civil rights guaranteed to in the Armour and Sw ift locals press, was the culmination of a generous publicity. The tenor of CLUDE. cut. every American by the Constitu fidence that the Stalinists could reportedly ran 2 to 1 against end two year struggle initiated by a their propaganda can be gathered The capitalist press has greeted tion.” or would fight to carry out this ing the strike. Press reports are group of militant workers or by an excerpt from one of -their program. GM FEARED STRIKE the GM settlement with great CIO Legislative Director Na SWP Petition that local unions in the Omaha ganized into the Rank and File leaflets: “ Men and Women Vet The action of General Motors misgivings» Prices have been ris than Cowan sent letters to every The Rank and File people, in area voted almost 90'% against caucus. This group carried on a erans—Think. Who are the Trot was undoubtedly based primarily ing steadily since the commodity Congressman stating that under persistent fight against the contrast, put up the stiffest fight Campaign in Conn.