The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1928-07-20
BY Harvey O'COnnOr, Fed. Press

Dy harvey OOOnnOr, REQ. freSS
New York-John ]. Raskob, head of
General Motors finance committee
and powerful in allied dupont inter-
ests, new Democratic national COM
mittee chairman and intimate friend
of Al Smith, is revealed by labor of
ficials and labor research experts as
perhaps the most dangerous and pow
erful enemy of the organized labor
movement in America.
Raskob, head of Americas most
vigorous financial and industrial cor
poration, boss of 100000 workers, ac-
claimed successor to labor-hating
Judge Ebert Gary of U. S. Steel, and
the acknowledged spokesman for Big
Business, has, just been made demo-
cratic national chairman at Al
Smiths direct request. Owen d.
Young, head of General Electric, and
with Raskob, leader in American fl
nance and industry, had also been
mentioned for the job. Raskob lists
himself in Who's Who as a Republi-
can and capitalist
Raskob's company union for $4,000
General Motors workers at Flint was
denounced in a memorable speech
from the floor of the Detroit conven-
ton of the A. F. of /. in 1926 by
John P. Frey, then editor of the Mold
ers Journal, now secretary of the A.
F. of L. metal trades department.
Frey now finds Raskob at the head
of anti-union forces blocking the pro-
jected A. F. of L. drive to organize
the auto industry.
Raskob's edict breaking the United
Mine Workers was revealed to the
senate committee investigating the
coal industry last spring by one OF
the biggest operators in the Pitts
burgh field His ruthless wage cut
ting in General Motors and Fisher
body plants has been the subject Of
repeated protests in the labor press
He has been the foe of every kline
of unionism-save company unionisn
for his 100000 workers.
Frey revealed Raskob's checkoft
J company union at Flint as an outrage
Z and an effort to shackle his worker!
: in chains of industrial feudalism
: "This company union" asserted Frey
collecting $1,755,000 a year from it
: employees, is only interested in then
/ while there is work They make n,
provision for idle days, for layoffs.
: The checl1off, Frey remarked wa
/ mot bad financiering, considering
= that during the last six years the.
have increased production of thei
employees 100 per cent"
Part of the Raskob policy, Frey as
r serted, was to swamp Flint with host
e of jobless workers to beat down stan
e dards of those already on the jot
' The poor commissioners of Flint wer
e obliged to condemn the Raskob polio
: as loading the city with heavy ia
burdens.
e Raskob was one of the America
n dictators of industry and jobs VIII
J, decreed that the United Mine Work
S ers must be smashed. John H. Jones
: head of Bertha Consumers Co.,
: large coal corporation operating i
: western Pennsylvania and West Vii
e ginia told the senate coal commissio
s how he was dubbed into non-unio
production.
S For 81 years Bertha Consumer
: employed union miners under con
: tract with the United Mine Worker.
/, Jones' company produced 3,50O,00
n tons year of which General Motor
= bought 100000. Jones told miners OF
n ficials in June 1927 that he was pre-
O pared to sign the Jacksonville agree
e ment. "But yesterday" he confide
l. to them, II was told by the purchas
ing agent of General Motors that
cannot sign the Jacksonville agree
ment at all and that l must conforl
myself to the policy of the Pittsburg
Coal Co., or they propose to ruin me.
Pittsburgh Coal is the most militan
of all anti-union coal corporations.
z. Joseph Brown, in an article entitle
e Body by Fisher, explains in a forth
S coming issue of Labor Age how