Workers of the World. Unite! AN ANALYSIS OF THE GM CONTRACT — See Page 4 — PUBLISHED WEEKLY IN THE INTERESTS OF THE WORKING PEOPLE Vol. X II ■ No. 23 NEW YORK, N. Y., MONDAY, JUNE 7, 1948 PRICE: FIVE CENTS AUTO PAY BOOSTS REOPEN WAGE FIGHT Farrell Dobbs' Bigart Links U. S. Results Show What United Mission Head to Action Could Have Achieved Talk Over ABC Greek Executions By Art Preis Granting of limited wage increases by General Correspondent Gives Motors and Chrysler Corporation, two of tile “ Big Radio Network The Lie to Griswold Three” in the key anto industry, appears to have The following is the text of the speech on “ Capital and Labor Momer Bigart, Greek corre­ loosened the log-jam of Big Business opposition to in 1948” delivered by Farrell Dobbs, Socialist Workers Party spondent for the conservative any “ third-round” pay boosts. Presidential candidate, over the ABC network on May 29. N'Y. Herald Tribune, has refused Three days after Gen­ INTRODUCTORY REMARKS BY GEORGE CLARKE, to be intimidated by the attacks eral Motors granted an 11 SWP CAMPAIGN MANAGER: on him by the Greek Government Capitalist Press cents an hour raise with a sliding The speaker this afternoon is eminently qualified to deal and Dwight Griswold, director of scale cost-of-living contract, the American mission in Greece. “ Hesitant” About Chrysler bowed to the 17-day with the topic under discussion which involves the problems strike of its 75,000 woraers, who of the trade union movement today. As a result of pressure from Greek authorities and the U.S. spearheaded the wage drive of Farrell Dobbs was one of the leaders of the great Minneapo­ State Department, Bigart was GM Sliding Scale the CIO United Auto Workers. lis truckdrivers strikes in 1934 and Secretary-Treasurer of Team­ recently transferred from Greece The capitalist press, reflec­ Chrysler agreed to a flat 13-cent to Yugoslavia. Bigart’s unpopu­ raise and the Chrysler contract sters Local 344 of that city. Subsequently he directed an organ­ ting the general attitude of the pi’ovides fo r reopening wage izing drive which brought 200,000 motor transport workers into larity in official circles was large corporations, is expressing caused by his honest reporting of negotiations in a year. the union. During the recent war uncertainty and uneasiness about Hard on the heels of the GM the mass executions and govern­ the cost-of-living escalator con­ Farrell Dobbs was railroaded to ment corruption which mark the and Chrysler settlements, leading tract signed by General Motors. corporations in the electrical prison for bis defense of demo­ American dominated regime in John W. Love, business colum­ Greece. equipment industry have taken cratic unionism and for his op­ nist for a number of newspapers, steps to reopen negotiations with Dwight Griswold, top strategist position to the imperialist war. NEWS ITEM — “ I look on myself as the best friend capitalism has in the United States today.” says that reaction among Detroit the CIO United Electrical Work­ of the civil war in Greece, per­ In recent years he has been edi­ —Henry A. Wallace, Portland, Oregon, May 24, 1948. manufacturers “ is described as a ers. sonally wrote a long letter to ‘thundering surprise.’ Amongst tor of The Militant, weekly Bigart’s employer, the Herald employers it is said to be ‘be­ GE BACKS DOWN newspaper of the American Tribune, charging that the cor­ wildering’ and ‘embarrassing.’ ” General Electric, which had Trotskyists. respondent was giving a false been the first major corporation BOOST WAGES picture. On May 30, the paper to lay down the dictum of “ no Farrell Dobbs has been Mounting Protest Delays Joseph A. Loftus, Washington carried a reply from Bigart com­ wage increases,” reopened "ex­ nominated by the National pletely refuting Griswold and correspondent of the N.Y. Times, ploratory” wage talks with the Committee of the Socialist pointing the finger of accusation points out that the chief fear of UE on May 28. r.t him for the recent mass exe­ the industrialists is that the slid­ Workers Party as the Presiden­ Westinghouse Electric, which cutions in Athens. Mundt 'Police-State' Bill ing scale principle w ill boost for months has refused to make tial candidate of the party in One of Griswold’s hangers-on wages enormously in a period of Opponents of the M undt police-state B ill testified last week before a hostile Senate Com­ the UE any offer, on June 1 1948. The nomination is sub­ in Athens is Rentis, the Minister inflation. “ For example, suppose tossed out the first crumb in the ject to approval of the national of Justice. Bigart states that a mittee whose intention was to rush the measure to a vote. The Senate judiciary Committee the foreign aid and defense pro­ form of a proposal for a security grams were expanded and the convention o f the party which single word from Griswold would and welfare program that the hastily adjourned the hearings if passed, by refusing .to regis­ ced the Stalinists at great length. supply of consumer goods were will be held in New York, July have stopped the mass execu­ company said would be equivalent tions. But Griswold never gave with only a small fraction of ter. The Senate Committee at­ He opposed the passage of the reduced substantially. The mer­ to three to six cents an hour 1st to 5th. that word and the firing squads those wishing to speak against tempted to turn the hearings Mundt Bill, he stated, not only chandise shortage would result more in eventual benefits to the into a hysteria against the Stal­ because of its violation of civil in high prices, with wages trying Copies of the speech this are still working overtime. the measure heard. workers. inists by demanding to know liberties but also because it to maintain the same pace.” Griswold brazenly claims that The General Motors Electrical afternoon can be obtained by FARRELL DOBBS The battle did not end with the whether they would support Am­ would strengthen the Stalinists freedom of the press exists in The Scripps-Howard labor col­ Division, which employs 40,000 close of hearings. Behind the erican imperialism in a war by making them martyrs. writing to the Socialist Workers Party, 116 University Place, Greece. Bigart writes: “ He knows umnist, Fred W. Perkins, tells of workers under UE contract, has scenes powerful reactionary forc­ against Russia. the “ hesitancy” of government New York 3, New York. very well what I think of his WIDESPREAD OPPOSITION settled with UE for the same es were pressuring Senators to officials to support the sliding It is my privilege now to introduce Farrell Dobbs. freedom of the press statement. put the bill on the statute books ROBESON TESTIFIES Spokesmen fo r the National contract as in auto. This provides scale of wages principle because an immediate 11-cent raise, with You either have it or you don’t before Congress adjourns June Paul Robeson was asked whe­ Lawyers Guild, the National * * * “ they say the plan could encour- a cost-of-living escalator clause and in Athens today all papers 19. Opponents of the bill, which ther he belonged to the Commun­ Farmers Union and ’ Lewis G. i ge inflation. However, it might providing automatic wage in­ FAR R ELL DOBBS: The unceasing war between labor and cf the left have been closed by would violate all the political ist Party. Refusal to answer this Hines of the AFL also managed work the other way if it would creases fo r future price rises. capital is the outstanding issue of this election campaign. This government order except Machi.” freedoms guaranteed by the Bill question “ yes” or “ no” resulted to get the stand to oppose the is well understood by the rich, and they determine their politics And even the editors of Machi of Rights, organized a March on in the convictions of 19 Holly­ bill. On May 31, the four major have been arrested fo r mildly Washington of about 5,000 peo­ wood writers fo r .contempt of the The huge number of anti- Letters to Farrell Dobbs carpet and rug manufacturers in accordingly. It is not fully understood by the great mass of the criticizing the government. the East came through with a ple. These picketed the White House. Robeson stated he pre­ Mundt B ill witnesses who have from ABC Radio Audience working people. Yet this conflict of capital and labor has been Bigart tells of the smear cam­ House demanding that Truman ferred going to jail rather than applied to testify before the com­ 13 Vi -ceil t an hour “ package” greatly intensified during the past year. paign against correspondents who veto the Mundt B ill in the event answering that question which mittee has shown the Senators — Sec Page 3 — raise to avert a strike of 20,000 The employing class, aided and abetted at every turn by insist upon w riting true reports it passes the Senate. violated his secrecy of the ballot that there is widespread opposi­ members of the CIO United Tex­ tile Workers. the government at Washington, has been conducting a furious instead of accepting the official Leading the fight against the box. tion to the measure. Because of induce big employers to cut prices news handouts. Bigart’s Greek bill in the heated Committee Henry Wallace, presidential this; the politicians are wavering in order to avoid paying higher Although the wage raises in offensive against the workers. Their object is to beat down liv ­ GM arid Chrysler make up for assistant was framed on an in­ hearings were spokesmen for the candidate of the Third Party, cm the next step.