Amerikai Magyar Szó, 1955. július-december (4. évfolyam, 27-52. szám)

1955-12-08 / 49. szám

14

AMERIKAI MAGYAR SZÓ

December 8, 1955.

THE REAL BRA1NWASHERS

The letter which we publish below originally appeared in the “Labor Daily”, official publication of one of the oldest trade unions in the United States, the International Typographical Union. It is a really thought-provoking letter. !Would appreciate your comment on it.

To the Editor,

“Labor Bosses” is a new slogan coined by the antilabor news writers and columnists. The American big business interests have discovered that public thinking in this hurry-up era can be herded and corralled into doing their bidding by fancy phrases and slogans.

When will the people realize that the “uncontrolled press” of this country is owned and controlled by “Big Business.” The large corporations through their satellite subsidiaries operate the newspapers, radio stations and television channels.

Propaganda is their prime reason for owning these mediums to reach the reading and listening public. The news service you get is determined fefter the propaganda and profit angles are con- eidered.

However, we will take Exception to the above statement to say that there are a few newspapers, radio stations and TV channels that make fen honest effort to give you the truth.

If union members would take some of the time they spend soaking up the propaganda in their daily newspapers to read their labor papers they would not only get more for their dues toioney, but would discover they are having the ■“wool pulled over their eyes.”

It is amazing how union members will pay «ues into their union to better their living conditions, then fall for the character assassin slogans and tripe put out by the antilabor forces.

Or is it amazing? Did you ever stop to consider that from the time you pick up your morning newspaper, turn' on the radio or TV set until you retire at night, all your awakened hours, you are constantly being bombarded with propaganda from all angles.

“Brainwashing” has become known as a nasty, vile and distasteful word. What is brainwashing? It is constantly beating into a man’s mind a certain line of thinking, until it reaches his subconscious mind, then you have him right where you want him.

You union members must wake up. You are stabbing in the back the very men you are electing to lead you to a better standard of living through increased wages, better working conditions and welfare benefits when you fall for this vicious propaganda.

In the November election, a CIO-sponsored change in the Ohio Unemployment Compensation Law was defeated by the Chamber of Commerce, National Manufacturer's’ Association and Big Business by these tactics. Editors (among them the Cleveland Hungarian daily, Szabadság—Népszava read mainly by workers-Ed.) columnsts, •newswriters and cartoonists in the newspapers, TV commercials around the clock “brainwashed” the voters of Ohio into defeating this workers’ welfare legislation.

When will the laboring people realize that through their sweat and labor alone are their employers financially able to purchase and operate these propaganda plants to hoodwink them?

ED M. KARNES, ITU, Columbus, 0.

OBSERVATIONS ON THE CURRENT STRIKE STRUGGLES

Reading the daily newspapers, we read about the great prosperity we are enjoying, about the €4 million workers employed; the great production records achieved, the growing sales in the department stores,—not to mention the soaring prices of stocks.

One would draw the conclusion, that our country is full of happy, contended people,—not having a care in the world.

The picture in reality is not quite as rosy. Take for instance the workers in various industries, the country over, who are compelled to »trike in order to maintain the gains they made during the past number of years,—gains that the companies want to take back. . .

I would like to analyse some of the common Characteristics of the following strikes:

Hotel Workers of Miami, Fla. (Hotel and Restaurant Workers, AFL) International Projector, Blomfield, N. J. and Cleveland, 0. (UE Ind. Westinghouse Electric Co. (Nation Wide) (IUE, CIO and UE, Ind.) Perfect Circle Corporation, New Castle, Ind., Kohler Co. Sheboygan, Wis., UAW. CIO.

Strikes are of long duration

One of the most obvious characteristics of all these strikes is that they are of long duration. None of these strikes lasted less than 2 months. Some that are still in progress, ilke the Kohler strike, is in its year!

With the cost of living as high as it is, with workers not having savings, and burdened with payments on loans for the family car, the house and other things purchased on credit, it is easy to imagine the condition these tens of thousands of workers find themselves not having incomes for months on end.

Government Sides with Employers

In every one of the above enumerated strikes, one or another or a combination of agencies of the Government actively participated in the trike on the side of the employers!

This was of course most evident in the Perfect Circle strike, where the Governor of the State of Indiana declared martial law, ordered out the State Militia in order to give protection to the strike breakers.

The National Labor Relations Board, better known as the Taft-Hartley Board, in every instance conducted its affairs to benefit the employer. In the Kohler strike situation the Board already held hearings on the charges of the

Union against the Company for unfair labor practices, taking down 2 million words, lasting for 70 days, filling 10,000 pages-but no ACTION of any sort was taken by the Board against this most vicious anti-union firm. In the case of the hotel workers of Miami, the same Board sabotaged the attempt of the workers to get recognition from the hotel owners, by disclaiming jurisdiction in the case.

In addition to the use of militia and the Taft- Hartley Board, the police, the courts and other Government Agencies were all marshalled in order to defeat the legitimate aspirations of the workers involved in these strikes.

In other words, the Government instead of acting as an arbiter between Labor and Management—as sometimes was the case—at the present time the Government forces line up openly with the employers to weaken the labor movement.

Strikes are of defensive nature

All the strikes,—with the exception of the hotel workers in Miami, are of defensive nature. It is true the workers there are demánding higher wages and other economic improvements, yet the most outstanding feature of the strike is that the employers are determined to take back from the workers benefits they enjoyed for the past number of years.

The employers are interested in weakening the grievance procedure, the seniority clause and secure for themselves additional power to increase speed-up. If an existing contract is watered on these three major items, even if the workers get an increase in their hourly pay, they are the loosers.

Responsibility of conservative Union Leaders

The reason why these strikes last long, and that their nature is defensive can be attributed not only to the “natural” desires of the employers, but also to the attitude of the conservative labor leadership.

At this time of high “prosperity”, great unprecedented profits, it would have been the task of the whole labor movement to launch a great offensive for basic and fundamental improvement of Labor, such as:

1. Reduction of the working week,—without reduction in pay.

2. Higher unemployment and social insurance

payment. »“

' 3. Strengthening the-whole grievance procedure of all contracts.

4. Do away with discrimination in all forms against Negro, women and other minority groups

If such an offensive would have been launched by the whole Labor Movement, the employers would not dare to declare war of extermination against certain section of organized labor.

In such event, Labor would have the upper hand, Labor would have the initiative and the employers would be on the defensive.

The picture would be the reverse of the present situation.

Solidarity of the workers is splendid

In all these strike struggles, the workers forced on the picket line, found a ready and willing helping hand extended to them by the workers in other Unions.

This is true in every instance. Workers in strike under an Independent Union received aid support not only from their own membership, working in the shops, but from workers in AFL , and CIO Unions as well.

And of course CIO workers received help from the AFL and vice versa. This rank and file solidarity manifested in all strikes, accounts for the fact that none of these strikes ended in complete defeat for the workers. And the only reason why no complete victory can be recorded is attributable again to the conservative leadership of these unions, or in the case of UE, to its relatively weak bargaining position.

The theory of Meany — and the facts of life

These strike struggles bring in mind the long and extended article written by George Meany, the head of the combined AFL-CIO, in which he said among other things:

“The interests of Labor and Management are

interdependent, rather than inimical.”

We always thought that Management is interested in low wages, high profits, speed-up, open shop etc. .. and that the workers are interested in higher wages, better working conditions, economic security, Union Shop etc...

The strike struggles we discussed in this short and sketchy article supports, wre believe our position.

And as it is correctly said: “Facts are stubborn things.”

In spite of the collaboration mentality of Mr. Meany and Company, the American workers will fight for what they have, what they gained through bitter struggles during the past number of years,—and will fight for further advance in their living standard.

Through this struggle they are doing a service not only for themselves and their families but for the community they live in—and for the country as a whole—because what is good for Labor, — is good for the country.

Farm fftechamiaHon in Hungary

Mechanization of agriculture in Hungary will be approaching the standard considered to be satisfactory by I960, Mr. Miklós Csillag, head of the mechanization department of the Ministry of Agriculture said in a statement.

He said that during the second five-year plan, which begins next year, it was intended to deliver to the farms 19,600 tractors, 3,000 reaper- threshers, 7,000 tractor ploughs, 6^000 modern corn sowers, 2,000 potato planters, 5,000 maize cross-sowing machines, 9,000 tractored mowers, 1,900 sugar beet pickers, 2,000 potato pickers and various other mechanical aids.

With these, and the ones at present in use, they would be approaching the required standard He listed as the target figure?for full farm mechanization the following machinery:

Eleven thousand-fivehundred 35 hp tractors.

4,500 half-crawler tractors for sandy soils, 8,000 54 hp crawler tractors, 24/)00 universal tractors for vine, fruit and vegetable production and horticulture, 1,000 80 hp crawler tractors, 12,500 combines, 6,000 to 7,000 threshers, 32,000 ploughs, 20,000 sowing - machines, 16,000 row- cultivators, 8,000 reaper-binder harvesters, 3,000 beet-pickers, 2,000 potato pickers, 1,800 siloing combines, 5rf500 maize combines, 10,000 tractored grass-mowers and 36,000 2':* to 3 ton tipper trifflfc. --t—'-' - -