The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-07-24
How San Francisco Strike
Betrayal Vas Organized

for recovery is not that
the striking maritime workers are
demanding the right to organize,
better wages and working condi-
tons and the right TO run their
unions themselves, and telat the
waterfront employers deny these
rights, but that the outstanding
leader happens to have been born
in Australia Whom the gods
would destroy, ETC."
Michael Casey
Next comes Michael Casey. The
members of the Teamsters Union,
which is unfortunate enough to
have him as its head, wee the first
to strike in sympathy wit the long
shoremen. They are in strategic
position-they are truck drivers
and not teamsters; Teamsters Union
is an anachronistic term, as anach-
ronistic as Casey himself-since they
control the transport of unloaded
cargo from the docks to railways,
warehouses, etc.
The vote of the Teamsters Union
to return to work after the general
strike had been ended, was, accord
ing to Caseys statement to the
press, without reservation" But
before the vote was taken there was
much explanation to the member
ship that this did not mean hauling
"scab' cargo, that it did not mean
that they would desert the mari
time workers, etc. The press was
even confused on the issue.
After the vote there was a differ
ent tale. We quote from the San
Francisco Call-Bulletin for July 81
"The Transfers vote was 1,138
to 2S3" - without reservation"
1.-THE waterfront drivers section
evidently cast big vote against
the return to work without reser-
vations.-B. d. "They began at
once to haul off and on the docks,
in complete disregard of the pier
workers strike. Moreover,
Michael J. Casey, president of the
union, announced that the union
will protect its trucks and driv-
ers from any interference by the
strikers. Union guards were as
signed to squad cars and placed
at strategic points.
"The action of the teamsters
was admittedly severe blow to
the embattIed longshoremen and
seamen. With the exception of
the latter the only workers still
on strike are the Market st. rail-
way employees"
more than 10 per cent of the
teamsters' work is on the water
front" said j. F. Wizard, president
Of the Draymen's Association (em-
ployers). The lOngshoremen will
have to go back to work now"
The national guardsmen are still
in control of the waterfront and
adjacent streets so that the drivers
are working under military rule, al
though the General Strike Commit
tee made the gesture of request
ing" the withdrawal of all troops.
The Industrial Association trucks
are also still operating on the
waterfront so that the union team
Sters are working side by side with
the professional strikebreakers who
man these 35 trucks.
William Green
Let us hear now from William
Green, president of the American
Federation of Labor, who, right at
the tensest moment of the historic
conflict, announced that the workers
did not have the sanction of the
A. F. of L. leadership for their he
roic struggle, and that it had mo
national significance He is quoted
in a Washington dispatch dated
July 81 as saying, in reference to
the ending of the general strike:
That means that now the or
ganized labor movement in San
Francisco and elsewhere can give
all support possible to the striking
longshoremen and associated or
CARNATIONS, and can demand and
require that the differences and dis
putes responsible for the longshore-
mems strike are all submitted to a
fair tribunal for final decision and
final settlement"
1t has been made clear what kind
of support" the striking maritime
workers are getting. 1t is the same
kind of support hanged man gets
from the rope that strangles him.
The general strike was endorsed
by the real leaders of organized
labor" so they could maneuver
themselves into a position to an
tagonize the lower middle class ele-
ments of the population by means
of a thousand unnecessary incon-
so they could furnish the
press with ammunition for the bar
rage against the Communists and
militant union men who stood for a
well-organized and effective gen.
eral strike, and for the capaign Of
SANDER and villification against the
maritime workers and their mill
tant leadership.