The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-01-15
Lewis Gang Jim-CrOws
Negro Miners in Union
And in the Coal Mines
Delegates at Convention
Should Demand Equality
for Negro Miners
By TOM BIYERsCOUGH

BY LOM VA EGoAOOAh
Greed, Color or Nationality" says
the UNIWA. constitution, is no bar
rier to membership in the union, and
It is yet the only big union in the
a. F. Of l. which does not bar
Negroes. In fact, most other A. F.
Of L. affiliate unions boldly declare
that membership therein is for
whites or CaucaSians only. Yet in
no other respect does the U.M.WA.
differ from the rest and even the
claims Of mo discrimination" is false.
Discrimination is practiced extern
sively and segregation is practiced in
every coal camp where the Negro can
get a job and is permitted by the
local union ofhcialdom to work. Per-
SOnally I have seen Negro workers
going into the mines during strikes
along with white workers, who surely
did not have the same excuse. And
that the excuses" we're real I never
had doubt. Approaching Negro work
ers from the picket line I have often
been shown a UMW.A. union card,
which the holder had been denied
the right to deposit in UM.W.A.
locals, sometimes after the mine boss
had declared his willingness to give
the Negro a job-providing the local
union would accept him for member
ship-ln the days when the U.M.WA.
was strong.
Negroes Barred
There are mining towns throughout
the country where a Negro has never
been permitted to work or live and
signs adorn the entrances to them.
which read: "Nigger, Don't Enter
This TOWN." or some similar orni-
nous warning that is equally vicious
and the miners living in those towns
and accepting" the constitution Of
the U.M.WA., as well as the official
dom Of the union, know this well,
but do nothing about changing it.
Officials are White
With a large Negro membership
always, as well as the very large
numbers Of Negro non union miners
in the country, the officials of the
U.M.W.A. have made their position
towards the Negro Question quite
clear, and this by falling to honor
any more than one miner of the
Negro trade with a Job. Among the
Pie card artists on the UMW.A.
payroll, only one is Negro, one,
named Prentice, who has held on for
years, and for two main reasons.
The first reason is that he is a SER
vile Uncle Tom" type, who, for his
slice OF pie" can be used to fool
the Negroes when they show an in
clination to too much militancy to
suit Lewis. The second reason is that
ne serves as a ready answer to the
oIt-repeated and correct charge, that
the officials Of the U.M.W.A. permit
denominations and practice them
themselves against the Negro miners.
No convention of the U.M.W.A. has
ever met without food of resolu-
lions from local unions, whose menu
bers see the need for unity Of black
and white miners. And not one of
them ever gave time for a thorough
discussion Of the problem. Always
the officials would suggest" and their
payroll and pack" delegates would
vote Tor e. referring such resolu-
icons to the Executive Board for solu-
ton. The way they solved" the
problem was by ignoring it.
The coming convention should
change this by taking that kind of
action which will make it possible
for Negro and foreign born, as well
as white citizens and native-b born. to
be elected to any Office to which their
constituents may desire to choose
them. Stop discrimination Of all
kinds in the Miners Union.
Lewis Mobilizing in Illinois
SPRINGFIELD, Ill, Jan. 1.-The
District oficialdom of the q. M. w.
OF a., in view of the fact that a
number of rank and file delegates
have been elected, resolutions based
on the principles of the class strug-
gle adopted, are moblizing every
strength that they have, to secure a
large delegation to support the Lewis
machine, with the same old tactics
to pack the delegation with
pro-Lewis delegates at all costs.