The northwestern bulletin., 1923-08-04
Timely Topics
By George w. Holbert


and also of the possible changed
working conditions likely to accrue
therefrom. This week we are going
to discuss the Negro as a worker and
his relationship to organized labor.
OF course the first thing for us to
understand is that these new people
from the South are workers, they
have been raised and taught to work
and labor is to them the natural
means of subsistence. Many of them
are also skilled workers and have
no doubt we shall soon wake up to
the fact that within the ranks of this
new Negro population there will be
many who are proficient in all the
different trades. Now the question
arises. what is going to be the at
titude of organized labor towards the
Negro workmen and theirs towards
organized labor. The American Fed
Grafton of Labor at its convention In
Montreal in 1919 passed resolution
requiring all Internationals and locals
affiliated with the American Fedora
ton to remove all language from
their bylaws and constitutions which
in any way tended to bar Negroes
from membership, still we know that
in many sections of the country the
law is not observed and Negroes have
but small chance of joining locals of
their craft, or if they are permitted
to join they are in many cases dis
criminated against by the employing
foreman and ostracised by their fell
low white workmen.
Here in the Twin Cities many Ne
groes belong to Union organizations
and apparently they get along all
right. had the honor of being a
member of both the Minneapolis and
st. Paul Trades and Labor Assemblys
and was always accorded every right
and privilege that I was entitled to
and was always listened to with
courtesy and attention, and at the
present time we have two Negroes in
the Minneapolis Trades and Labor
Assembly who are representing locals
of which they are the only Negro
members. But such favorable con-
ditions are not the rule throughout
the country. / will admit that or
ganized labor has been unfair to
Negro labor but very little can be
done from the outside to change con-
ditions. The Negro is rapidly becom-
ing a powerful factor in the labor
market. The war opened many doors
of employment to them that previous
ly had been closed to them and at
the same time opened the eyes Of the
white employers. They found these
men and women to be apt learners.
easy to handle and best of all thor
oughly reliable.
The leaders of Organized labor had
long known that this great mass of
Negro labor would have to be reck-
oned with some day and there is no
doubt that had the question been left
to these high in the councils of or
ganized labor, steps would have been
taken long ago towards the proper
recognition of this great army of
Negro Drawn.
But the opposition came from the
rank and file. thousands of whom
were not even American citizens. But
when the war was over, many of the
great plants were closed and others
began to return to their pre-war
status, the natural result was, great
wedding out of war time employees.
The Negro workers had proven SO
satisfactory and efficient. that thou
sands of them were retained; then il
was that organized labor awoke to
the fact that these millions of black
workers, who were also 100 per cent
Americans were not only most po-
tent factor in the industrial life OF
the Nation but were also positive
menace to organized labor just sc
long as they remained free agents tc
sell their labor in the open market to
the highest bidder. And then it was
that the resolution previously referred
to was adopted and since that time
strenuous efforts have been made te
incorporate Negro workers into al
branches of organized labor. 1t should
make no difference to us what the
motive was that has changed the
sentiment towards US, whether II wa:
for their own protection or not, we
should not refrain from taking ad
vantage of the opportunity so long al
1t is beneficial to us and will give te
our workers the same advantages and
protection that 1t does to white work
ers. The whole question then re
solves itself into, is Unionism goot
for the Negro?? Ask any member
of Race who is afiliated with 1t and
and he will tell you yes. Oh, know