The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-07-20
Green Slabs the West
Coast Strikers

FINALLY Mr. William Green, president
L of the American Federation of Labor
has issued a statement on the general
strike.
Mr.. Green disavows the entire labor
movement on the Pacific Coast. Failing
to note the fact that the great strike is
a life and death struggle of the West Coast workers
against the open shop policies of the shipowners.
Mr.. Green speaks for the shpowners when he says
that the strike sis local in character, possessing
no national significance"
The national Importance Of the strike has al
ready been indicated by the capitalists themselves
The very fact that Hugh johnson, Senator Wagner
and the Presidents Assistant Labor Secretary Nc
Grady were rushed to the scene of the struggle;
the very fact that troops have been called out;
the fact that United States Army officer sits in
Mayor RoSsi's strikebreakng conference.-the this
shows clearly the capitalist government considers
the strike as one of no small national Importance
What Green is attempting to do is to keep the
workers in the A. F. of L. unions from understand
ing the national Importance of the strike and to
hog-tie them in such a manner that will prevent
them from rallyng to the support of the movement
Green said that "At no time has its (the A. F.
of L. leaderShip'0 counsel advice been solicited
or its services requested"
Here Mr.. Green is telling an obvious f1b The
rank and file of the unions have time and time
again requested that the A F. of L. leaders declare
their support Of the strike. This they have fatty
refused to do as Mr.. Green is refusing to do today
Indeed, Mr. Green sent one of his advisors to
San Francisco some time ago. but his advice was
not the kind the strikers were looking for so they
promptly repudiated him.
This advisor was Mr.. Joseph P Ryan, presi-
dent of the International Longshoremen's Associ-
alton, who tried to get the maritime workers to
accept the shipowners arbitration scheme which
would mean returning to work on the open shop
basis without single demand won.
Despite the fact that the majority of the work
erS involved in the strike are members of the
A F. of L., Mr.. Green says that the American
Federation of Labor is not directly involved"
Now that Green has repudiated the vast mem
bership of the A. +. of L. unions on the West
Coast it would be Only right and proper for the
membership likewise to disown Mr. Green and stop
sending money to the National ONCE for Mr.
Green's salary.
Mr.. Green and his agents are the forces within
the labor movement that are attempting to smash
the fine solidarity of the West Coast workers and
thus make 1t easy for the shipowners to put over
the open shop system the waterfront
The rank and file of the A. F. of L, should
strengthen this solidarity throughout the country
and defeat Mr.. Green's attempt to strangIe the
strike. With the mass of the A. F. of L. workers
behind it the strike can be won.
Resolutions should be introduced In every local
union denouncing Green as a Strikebreaker and
enemy of labor
A. F. of L. workers should say to Mr. Green.
Get out of the labor movement. We ourselves
will decide to whether strikes have national
significance or not. We will give our support to
the general strike whether you like it or not"