The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-05-10
OutIawing Cleveland Street
Railway Union

year ago.
If any doubt remains in the minds Of the work
ers as to the fraud of arbitration this utterance
der the protection of the Ohio supreme court,
should remove it.
In the conflicts between capitalists and work
ers, as in other forms of war, there are moments
that favorable to one the other of the forces
involved. Last summer, during the convention of
the republican party in Cleveland, the street rail
way men had wonderful opportunity to bring the
company to terms. This opportunity was allowed
to pass with the usual "welfare of the public"
bunk played up plentifully by the officials of the
street railway mems union. The company wanted
delay, knowing that such opportunities do not
come every day. and succeeded in stallng the strike
by Submitting" to arbitration, promptly rejecting
the decision of the board after the emergency had
passed.
The supreme court, that staunch friend of cor
porations in Distress was appealed to. 1t not only
upheld the right of the company to reject the find
ings of the board but went farther and declared
the closed shop illegal in public utility enterprises
This is playing both ends against the middle
with vengeance. If the award of an arbitration
board is against the workers they must having
bowed to public welfare" either accept it or for
felt the sympathy on which they staked so much
The capitalists however, are bound by no such
restrictions In nine times out Of ten the award
will be in their favor, but in the tenth case they
refuse to accept it, appeal to their courts and
get clean bill of health with ruling outlawing
the unions of the workers for good measure
This description of the process by which unions
are hamstrung might seem somewhat far-fetched
if we had not a concrete example which in com
plete disregard Of the socalled right of the work
ers exceeds any product of our imagination The
open shop drive of the Cleveland Street Railway
company has now the sanction of the highest body
in the state and the street carmen are outlaws if
they strike against its ruling.
Let us remember in this connection that the
experienced practical and legitimate" leaders of
the Cleveland labor movement, with one voice
urged the street carmen to remember the "public
welfare and not strike while the city's hotels and
party Of American Imperialism to have faith in the
party of American Imperialism, to have faith nj the
capitalist courts and confidence in the righteous
ness of their cause
This is the day of reckoning.
Max Hays, editor of the official organ Of the
Cleveland labor movement, finds it necessary to
BAY:
In View of what has happened don't know
whether did right to advise the not to strike
during the republican convention. We believed we
could get square deal In the courts and took that
chance. And now John Stanley (head Of the street
railway company has the upper hand.
Such statement, by man whose life has been
spent in the labor movement, is an admission of
defective mentality When has labor ever received
Square deaP' in the capitalist courts? And why
should labor expect square deal from institutions
whose sole function is the protection of property
privileges, Of the power to rob labor and legalize
the methods by which this is done?
The Cleveland street railwaymen now must fight
an uphill battle where once they held the ad-
vantage They have been fooled by their leaders as
all workers are fooled who accept leadership
whose program consists in remaining respectable
and amenable to the regulations of labor's ac
tivities by its class enemies.
The Cleveland case is first class example of the
poisonous fruits of class collaboration, an example
of the complete bankruptcy of a trade union lead
ership which rejects the class struggle This basic
error is responsible for the weakness of the Amer
lean labor movement and as long the organized
workers follow such leadership just so long will
they meet defeat after defeat.
1t is bitter lesson that the street railwaymen
Of Cleveland have had to learn, but if they have
mastered it they are stronger than they were be-
fore. They have a fight on their hands and they
must get the full support of the labor movement
The street car company has mustered its forces
and intends to give no quarter The street railway
men must fight with the same spirit and by mass
resistance to exceptional laws prevent their being
used to destroy the union. The fight now is to
maintain their organization against the conspiracy
of the capitalists and their forcible methods of
uppression-weapons made more effective by the
cowardice and ignorance of labor oficialdom.