PAGE 4 UNITED AUTOMOBILE WORKER—DETROIT, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 1937 Labor Scores Political Victories Bright Future Seen American Labor Party Holds in Fleet ten Kesutts New York Balance of Power Bv RALPH KNIGHT If Labor's Non-Partisan league sources—almost exclusively sup- (Special to United Automobile Worker) looked to the recent local elec- plied by the United Automobile The American Labor party thusiasm never surpassed at any tions for an answer to its own Workers un i o n—the campaign came through the last campaign other political meeting they hail- future it must indeed be gratified was restricted to a month before - ;' *r- ' ' as the balance of power in " party v 1\ >. • v v ed the Labor party standard bear- by the Approximately primaries New York City. It can take credit results. the and the month be- er and indicated that they one million participating tween the primaries and for the reelection of Mayor La were workers the elec- fight in an off-year election cast their tions. Guardia and the success of in this to win. Veteran pol- district-at- ballots for labor candidates. In 4. The ranks of Thomas E. Dewey, itical writers who covered this labor were tomey-elect, New county, the cities of New York and De- split by the Bitterly of York meeting stated in a unmber AFL. assail- ty-Council- of troit alone about 650.000 workers ing candidacy of Reading President-o f-t h e-C i front page stories that was the the Newbold Morris, Comptrol- this voted a labor ticket. Although the AFL placed its own in Elect the greatest political rally in candidate ler-Elect Joseph D. McGoldrick, degree to which labor operated as the field. When he was defeated municipal history. The older par- and one borough-President-Elect- an independent force varied, the and the choice was between ties did not dare to rent a hall 30 the Stanley Isaacs of genuineness of the response of labor supported O'Brien M. Manhattan large at so early a stage in the and the and the reelection of Raymond V. labor * to independent political ac- reactionary, Republican • campaign. Both the Democrat and anti-labor Ingersoll, borough president of tion cannot be denied. Reading, Republican parties held their the AFL turned Judas Brooklyn. What arc the facts? In New and backed Reading. opening meetings in much smaller In addition to t his the Amer- York City the American 5. The labor slate faced a cam- auditoriums which they could not ican Labor Party was campaign party appeared on the scene prior paign of slander and abuse which instrumen- fill. The climax of our LA GUARDIA. . . ‘Little Flower’ t staged Square to the presidential elections of in intensity tal in he election of seven as- was at Madison increased as the elec- of New York semblymen and one'" municipal 10.'16. Labor was hesitant, not , tions approached. Every argu- Garden, Thursday night, October court judge in the city of 28th; garden was filled to quite certain whether the ALP ment ever used against " New the the CIO York mayors, assem- capacity was to be a permanent party or was magnified to propor- and several and the enthusiasm of bizarre t,Scab blymen and upstate. just a temporary election medium I tions and leveled against Don other officers the audience of 20,000 was at a the la- outstanding upstate victory whereby labor could register its bor slate. A victory of the labor The pitch generally associated with was in Buffalo where on indepen- an support of President Roosevelt ' slate, the press shouted, was a on Mechanics important national election. and Governor Lehman. The pres- prelude becoming dent Democrat, Thomas L. Hol- On t he other hand, the Democrat- to Detroit’s a ling, received idential elections settled that de- | deserted village enough votes from ic party did not even dare hold since industry Detroit UAW members, you the in t cisively. Labor secured 238,000 not if Labor party he mayoral- itts traditional Madison Square would tolerate a CIO "dicta- have an ty to garden meeting, Repubilc- votes and its leaders declared the torship.” automobile that needs defeat Edwin F. Jackie, the and the repair go to a union garage or get Republican boss. an party with the aid of the pro- ALP had come to stay since labor Under these circumstances the had expressed such a desire. in touch with the garage em- gressive and Fusion forces was showing of the labor slate was ployes’ local, 3fi24 Cass avenue, DOUBLES VOTE unable to fill the garden. ALP BASED ON UNIONS astonishing. Its mayoralty can- TEmple 1-0464. didate, Patrick O’Brien, secured That is the message which Local In New York City alone, the NO QUARREL WITH Based exclusively upon the 154,000 votes or 37 per cent of the 415 UAW wants to get across to Labor party more than doubled NEW DEAL trade unions, the ALP began a total and carried four wards. This union members. its vote, receiveing 482,459 votes feverish campaign to organize vote was larger than that of any This unit is composed entirely this year as opposed to 238,000 It should be clear that in this New York's unionists into a polit- victorious candidate for mayor, of garage, parts department and votes in 1936, when President municipal campaign, the quarrel ical fighting organization for the with the exception of Frank truck driver employes working Roosevelt and Governor Lehman was with the New Deal ele- municipal not elections in 1937. The Murphy. Never in the history of out of garages. It is endeavoring were the party nominees. In ad- ments of the Democratic party results achieved in this election Detroit did labor make such a to reduce hours and increase dition to these victories there is and the issues were not the same amazed even the most optimistic mighty bid for a share in govern- wages of workers who are the every reason to believe that the as confronted the public in the campaign workers. Overnight the ment. It constituted a declara- lowest paid of any connected with Labor party will be successful in presidential election. New York ALP became the balance of power tion of independence on the polit- the auto industry. electing four or five members of labor was faced with a vicious in the city and was in a position ical field following close on the If you take your car to an the new city council under the Tammany political machine. Be- to strike the blow that defeated heels of auto labor’s declaration unorganized garage, you are scab- proportional representation sys- fore political progress of a whole- Tammany. The half million vote 6 of independence on the economic bing on your fellow workers. If tem. The count of these votes is some and permanent character it secured constituted more than field through the whirlwind or- you buy a car from a union sales- being deliberately delayed and could be made in New York City, the margin of victory for La- ganization of the industry. man, make sure that the back end complicated by politicians in or- Tammany Hall had to be crushed. Tammany Guardia over his may- True, labor won not a single of the salesroom is organized, too. der to give proportionate repre- The accounts of the election re- oralty opponent. In addition the office. Nevertheless it has be- In a number of cases salesmen sentation a “black eye.” It seems sults indicate that the American ALP its elected four of candidates come a force in city politics to be are organized but the service that this attempt will not be suc- Labor party is generally credited to the state assembly and three reckoned with. In department is still unorganized. cessful. with having been the main in- •who had the coming received its endorse- congressional elections labor gives If you know any employe of an The American Labor party was strument in wrecking Tammany ment. The proportional repre- promise of making further ad- unorganized garage, ask him to the first to nominate Mayor La HalL sentation ballots for the city vances. attend organization meetings held Guardia for reelection. It was the Hhis unprecedented success for council are still being counted— every Thursday night at Garage first to announce support of a new political party is bringing Tammany counters doing their OTHER CAMPAIGNS Employes hall. Thomas E. Dewey for district at- many new converts into its ranks best to Stall—but the results will Cooperation of all members of torney of New York county. The and it is now engaged in consolid- show that the ALP has broken Nor were these the only centers the UAW will help to organize where labor its American Labor party was the ating the gains so that it may pro- ihrough here as well. shouldered way the unorganized garage employes only political organization into politics with unexpected which ceed to a greater victory in the ag- throughout the city. General adopted a municipal will MORE THAN EXPECTED gressiveness. In Akron labor platform and 1938 election when the public Motors garages still unorganized publicly program, a elected four to the city council proclaimed its be selecting congressman and The 22 per cent of the total are Buick and Pontiac retail which was enthusiastically ac- state-wide ticket. and in western Pennsylvania and George A. vote scored by the ALP is re- stores. Stafford is claimed by all the other progres- Tammany’s many other manufacturing com- organizer garage The defeat of candi- markable for another reason. As for the workers sive elements of the city. The date, Jeremiah gave munities—too numerous to list la- can be reached at the above T. Mahoney, in Detroit ¦> dso in New York and statement which the state execu- William S. Murray, state chair- bor men, fighting trade unionists, The office is open daily the AFL . ;fusc to work with address. tive committee issued in connec- man of Republican an did were elected as mayors, or coun- except the party, the ALP because the unions back- Sunday. tion with itts decision to nomin- opportuntiy to take a slap at the cil men or school board members ate Mayor LaGuardia and the ing it are in the main CIO. But on labor-support- New Deal and imply that the New labor tickets or platform of the party were gener- unlike Detroit the AFL did not ed tickets. K. C. MECHANICS Deal repudiated. Therefore, two dare sw.ng its support to the ally acknowledged the two out- days after election, Alex Rose, Tunmuiiiy candidate. In tins case CHARITY AND CONFUSION START NEW DRIVE standing political documents of state executive secretary of the the AFL set up an independent this campaign. Labor party, sent a telegram to committee which conducted a Despite the confusion, lack of a KANSAS CITY, Mo.—Mechan- The Labor party offically laun- the President in which he indicat- clear labor ics Local 447, after obtaining sign- campaign for LaGuordia but said policy, and alliances ched itts election drive in a meet- ed the party’s resentment against from the 100 mem- nothing ab"iit the other can- with other political forces which ed contracts ing in Carnegie hall six weeks be- this false interpretation and didates. tended to mar the distinct labor bers of the Moior Car Dealers fore the day of election. Thirty- pledged the party’s continued character of the recent campaigns, association, has begun a drive on the anti-labor press con- five hundred people packed all support to the President and the While the political meaning of the re- all independent garages which, itself with available space and with an en- New Deal. soles the argument sults achieved not be lost! when completed, will make the that in must LaGuardla's victory New sight of. It is a retail and wholesale divisions of exclusively clear and definite York is not a labor manifestation on the part of labor the local auto industry 100% cannot j victory, it deny that labor that it is fed up with the political union. Letting the Cat Out of the Bag was deciding factor, the that it brokers from the two old parties To secure over a hundred con- more than doubled its vote in one who, under the guise of friend- tracts it was necessary for the “What did you tell that man just now?” year, that it has already forced its ship, preyed upon, toyed with local to go on strike in only three “I told him to hurry." way into the law-making bodies them but sold them down the cases. At one of these, Faeth Iron city “What right have you to tell him to hurry?” of and state. river when the heat was on. La- and Parts company, a truce end- gave to hurry." DETROIT VOTE bor showed it had not forgotten ing a nine-week walkout the “Ipay him a ten increase, ASTONISHING that in the recent bloody battles strikers per cent “How much do you pay him?” weeks’ pay at the old rate, in the steel industry “friends of nine “Four dollars a day.” Without in the least detracting labor,” elected to high office with seniority rights and a promise of from the great victory in New the votes of the men from the no discrimination. “Where do you get the money?” York it is nevertheless a fact that mills, turned a deaf ear to their “Isell products.” showing city labor's in the of demands and helped smash their a very short time, the ALP will “Who makes the products?” Detroit was even better. This is picket lines and break their be able to serve the people on true despite the fact that the la- strikes. The result was the move- the basis of its own strength. We “He does.” bor slate elected no one. Look ment for independent labor action can go it alone from now on, if “How many products does he make in a day?” •t the facts: on the political field. need be.” “Ten dollars’ worth." non-partisan form of I results achieved will stim- L The IS BRIGHT The $6 a day election, after the primary, boils FUTURE ulate the growth of labor party “Then, instead of you paying him, he pays you down the fight to only two can- The lack of a clear labor pro- action in sections of the country to stand around and tell him to hurry.” didates for mayor. An extremely gram and the readiness to seek still too timid to take the plunge. “Well, but I own the machines.” for a totally new President Dubinsky of the Inter- difficult setup allies arc temporary factors. get machines?” end inexperienced organization. These will disappear as labor national Ladies Garments Work- “How did you the 2. The labor ticket, lacking in feels somewhat more confident of ers union, senses this fact when “Sold products and bought them.” campaign m; chinet y, was based its own power and strength. An he declares: “The success of la- “Who made the products?” were this election should be an upon unions most of which encouraging sign along these lines bor in “Shut up! He might hear you.” hardly a year old and lacking in is the statement of Alex Rose, example to labor throughout the competent and experienced cam- secretary and campaign director United States and Canada to or- —lnter-County Leader, Centuria, Wis. as as for paigners. of thp Labor party. ganize for political well .American purposes.” . 3. With meager financial re- “We expect,” said Rose, “that in economic