Evening star., 1926-03-07
LABOR UNION LEADER
BITTER FOE OF STRIKES
Berry of Pressmen Calls WalkOut a
Crime-Defends Collective Bar
gaining by Employers.

led. President Berry. familiar with
every detail of that situation, took the
next train for New York when he
went to fight against tks strike-to
break ii.
Brings i'm Outside Workers.
Single handed, absolutely alone, he
walked into a union hall in New
York to tell his own crowd they were
in the wrong and he was going to
fight them to a finish. That took
nerve. There were 200 members of
that New York union out on strike.
surely embittered, many of them.
George Berry rose and told them
they were wrong.
IF you boys don't so right to
work" he said, I'm going to bring
i'm pressmen from all over the coun
try and break up this strike
There was a stir on the floor. The
floor leader for the president of the
New York union. with a group of
his partisans. surSed forward in a
rush at George Berry. And George
Berry stepped forward to meet 1t.
OF course. they could have rushed
him. but they didn't. He walked out
of the hall with no injuries but that
bleeding set of knuCkles. lie went
to his hotel. He sent kilograms
Into New York came some 600 press
men. for his men were backing George
Berry to the limit. In two weeks
he had broken up the great strike
Thoroughly he spanked those strikers
because they were in the wrong.
"They had broken their contract.
he explains simply. And George L.
Berry is as keen for the keeping of
signed contract as any captain or
big business in America.
Boosted for Big job.
Rather an unusual man. this
George l.. Berry: rather an unusua
labor leader. At the last national
Democratic convention in New YORK
his friends put him up for the Demo
cratic nomination for Vice President
of the United States as running mate
with Davis For a while Berry had
more votes than Gov. Bryan OF Ne
braska. Eventually Bryan got II by
an edge of 3 votes.
Labor men on the inside of the
politics of the American Federation
of Labor say there was a time wheh
Berry'S friends had more votes than
Sam Gompers lined up in the Amer
can Federation of Labor TO MAKE
Berry president. but when Berry
learned of it. il is said. he made them
take his name down. His job with
the pressmen's union happens to be
the work he likes.
In the World War George l.. Berry
! went overseas with the American En-
peditionary Forces He came out OF
| the war a major of engineers. ne
was one of the founders OF the
| American Legion. attending the nrSt
conference in Paris. He is past ma
: pIn nf legion
| today.
| Strike Is Crime.
"A strike is crime he insists.
| '"Tbe employers fear of strike. the
workers fear of lockout-theN
/ paralyZe both sides long before the
| actual strike or lockout takes place.
| The losses during the preparations
for pending strike or lockout are
as heavy often as the losses or the
| actual strike or lockout in themselves.
| 1t is unfortunate when workers loon
at the employer as their enemy. lie
is their PARTNER. We workers are as
much interested in the success of
business as our employers. Trade
| unionism that fights new inventions,
that cuts down production. is bound
to fail. but it wilt succeed when trace
unionism is tempered with American
| idealiSm and efficiency.
american workers must realize
that there is more happiness among
workers in this country than any
where else in the world. America
is not obsessed with the fanatic idea
of confiscation of the other man
property. Workingmen must realize
that we cannot eliminate the right OF
ownership by individuals or groups
and protect our own interests. III
our own union we pressmen real1Ze
that surplus money means notmhS
unless it is working. We invest our
surplus and we get interest ON the
investment. If that is our legitimate
ambition as workers. it is also the
right of our employers. And that
feeling is the antidote for Communism
| and SOvetSm."