Miners in the Second Walk-Out

J. P. Cannon's Speech On End Of Comintern See page 2 VOL. V II— No. 24 NEW YORK. N. Y„ SATURDAY. JUNE 12, 1943 367 PRICE: FIVE CENTS COAL BARONS BLOCK CONTRACT AS CONGRESS RUSHES NO-STRIKE(?) BILL N.A.A.C.P. CONVENTION Labor Unity Can Operators Turn To WLB; Lewis Denounces FLAYS GOVT. JIM CROW Stop No - Strike Bill Owners’ Stand ‘As Insult To Coal Miners’ Delegates Hail Firm Stand of UAW Against An Editorial U. S. Steel Corporation Takes Lead in Breaking Union Agreement Bosses' Attempt to Divide Workers With Illinois Operators Granting $1.50 Portal-to-Portal Pay The Connally-Smith anti-strike bill supported a cowardly policy of grovelling before the Roose DETROIT, June 6. — Climaxing its four-day Emergency by Byrnes and the Roosevelt administration, is velt administration. Because the leadership of The coal barons have again deadlocked negotiations with the United Conference on the “ Status of the Negro in the W ar for Free headed for final passage by both bouses of Con the AFL and CIO has permitted the labor move Mine Workers of America. Following the policy that they adopted three dom,” an overflow crowd of rqore than 23,000 meeting here gress. ment to be subverted into a miserable pppendage in the Olympia Stadium w ildly cheered the statement of R. J. If the bill is permitted to become law, it will of the war machine. Because the labor movement months ago, when the coal controversy first began, they have continued mak Thomas, president of the U. A. W., that his union “ would con be a criminal offense to “coerce, instigate, induce, is divided. Because the labor movement does not ing a mockery of collective bargaining negotiations with the union. Refusing tinue to fight for equal rights for all workers regardless of color.” agree with or encourage” a person to strike. have its own political party and has no voice in to grant any decent concessions to the union the operators have again tossed The Conference opened on June® This bill is the most vicious union-busting piece the halls of Congress. 3, the same day that the Packard of legislation to come out of Congress. It proposes Labor has plenty of strength to smash the the mine case into that “ graveyard of grievances,” the War Labor Board. Motor Co. had been closed down attempt to thrust the workingman back into con by a strike, which began when Delegates Reject to drive the knife deep into the heart of the Lewis correctly described the negotiations as “ a farcical proceeding in American labor movement. ditions of slavery and to roll back this projected white production workers in the Move Against Miners every respect. A stultification of collective bargaining. The sullen, morose at aircraft engine division walked The Congressional jackals and time-servers of anti-labor offensive. The problem is to mobilize titude of the operators is an insult to the coal miners. .” off the job after three Negro An attempt to insert a sec the billion-dollar corporations have been scared the strength of the labor movement and to use workers had been promoted to tion in the N.A.A.C.P. “ State out of their wits by the Mine strike. They see it effectively. Under the ruling of the p- machine jobs. Thomas pointed out ment to the Nation,” praising the growing power of organized labor and they Let the miners, the AFL, CIO and Railroad W ar Labor B oard in the bound by its Litt,e steeI Formula- portal-to-portal allowance. Moses that the U.A.W.. from the begin the “no strike policy of the Brotherhoods call a great labor conference in ^ . Throughout the three months of announced that his company, ning, had defended the rights of want to cripple it. They want to frighten the U.A.W.-CIO” and attacking Washington right now. Let them issue a united miners' case," issued on the coal crisis, it has consistent- which employs 27,000 men in its Negro members, and charged strikes, “inimical to the war labor movement out of its militancy and fighting call to every local union in the country to par May 25, both the union ly ignored the Board and its rul captive mines of Illinois, Penn C.E. Weiss, company industrial efforts of our country and its spirit. They want to make it possible to jail every ticipate in a m ilitant national campaign to smash ings. The miners, of course, w ill sylvania, West Virginia and relations officer, and other Pack allies,” was defeated after a labor leader, every shop committeeman or steward and the mine operators Alabama, would not be bound by this strike-breaking bill. continue this policy. ard Co. officials with urging heated debate. Grace Carlson, who possesses the-courage and manhood to fight are instructed to report back to this .agreement, and might with white employees to refuse to delegate from the St. Paul for the rights of labor. They want to crush every Faced with the united protest of labor Roose The coal barons, under the the board on June 9 the result of draw from the Illinois Operators’ work with Negroes. Walter Branch of the N.A.A.C.P., voice of protest against the criminal looting of velt will never dare permit this bill to become leadership of the steel corpora Association. White, Executive Sec., of the made the motion to strike out their collective bargaining nego tions, remain adamant. They are the public treasury by the war profiteers. law. N.A.A.C.P. opened his keynote this section. She pointed out tiations. The results of course determined that the miners shall WLB—OPERATOR’S ALLY address to the Conference on June th a t th is m ig h t easily be in Why do these Congressmen dare to propose Self-defense is the first law of life. Labor must are nil. The miners’ union, as receive no quarter. Their aim is The coal barons are full of con fidence that they can continue ta 3 with the same charge against terpreted as an attack on the such union-busting legislation in the face of a fight now when it has the strength and ability to from the first, refused to recog to inflict a decisive defeat to the the Packard officials. hold the coal miners at bay. Under United Mine Workers Union labor movement 13 million strong? Because the fight. The Smith-Connally bill must not be nize the authority of this corpora miners’ union, at present the The .crowd attending the Olym which was fighting in the in vanguard of American labor. By their barrage the Roosevelt Gov leadership of the AFL and CIO has been pursuing permitted to become law. tion-dominated body, or to be pia mass meeting was electrified terests of thousands of Negro this action, they hope to teach all ernment has buckled and taken by Thomas’ further declaration m iners. American labor the lesson that over the job of unabashed agent that he has “absolute evidence” Clarence Sharpe of Cleve its -wage standards are due to be of the mine operators. The War that the Packard strike was pro land, James Anderson of Los driven down while war inflation Labor Board has acted through moted by agents of the Ku Klux Angeles and several other continues and that there is nothing out the mine crisis as the faith Klan. The U.A.W. was turning Miners In The Second W alk-Out that labor can do about it. ful ally of the operators. It ran delegates-took the floor in op the evidence over to the F.B.I., position to the “no-strike” By JAMES COOK that you can’t even sen the ceil A lot of us would be getting® Harry Moses, the representative interference for the coal barons be stated, and would demand a clause. Only one Stalinist ing anymore. My wife had to buy more from the government for of the H. C. Frick Coal and Coke when it instructed the operators (Special to The M ilitant) Congressional investigation. delegate spoke in support of some rotten vegetables in order our families then we do now for Company, a subsidiary of the to break off negotiations with the The firm stand taken in defense the inclusion of this section. By PITTSBURGH. June 1. — All to get a small amount that was working in the mines. And, be Budd Strike Sign U. S. Steel Corporation, has taken union as the mine workers of the Negro U.A.W. members at common consent, the Com the miners around here have good. That’s the way the whole sides it is a lot safer in the army the lead in blowing up the joint walked out of the coal pits the the Packard Co., not only by mittee which had prepared the stopped digging coal. Speaking salers in Pittsburgh force the re than going down to dig coal every Appalachian Conference negotia second time on June 1 at the Thomas, but by other U.A.W. of Statement agreed to its with to a group of miners today, one tailers to buy. Why don’t the day.” Of Wide Unrest tions at the very time that the expiration of the second mine ficials who spoke to the delegates government do something about * * * drawal after hearing the of them said to me: “ The govern UMW reached an agreement with truce. On June 3, Roosevelt per at earlier sessions of the Con that instead.

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