Montana labor news., 1937-04-15
Sit Down Strategy

The success of the sitdown strikes in Berks
County and in Philadelphia hos been phenomenal.
In Berks County the workers ore confident thot
union agreements will be obtained in the great
majority Of plants as q result OF the stoppdge which
commenced this week.
The sitdown strike technic has proven to be most
effective up to this point end workers ere complete
ly confident thdt they will be quite capable OF keep
ing the struck mills closed down tight as long as IS
necessary. A new psychological element appears
in the situdton when the workers are inside the
plont LOOKING out. Workers seem to be much more
certdin thdt they can keep the mills closed down
when they are inside the shop thdn when they are
not on the picket lines looking dt their jobs.
When he is trudging up and down on the streets
around the mill the worker con never rid himself
of the feor thdt some trick will be pulled on him
that deceit or tedcherY will be attempted. But sit
ting at his accustomed position in the plont the
worker con see just what is going on dnd his mlnd
is free from foreboding or doubts.
Moreover out on the picket line the striker is oil.
vows subject to dttdcks from scdbs. paid ogents OF
the boss or the so-cdled Officers OF the low. Out
side the mill the worker can be more reddilY
horned and intimiddted; he con be more costly
provoked into violence or disorder. Outside the
mill the authorities are dlwdYs willing TO dttdck q
striker; inside the plant if q striker is dttdcked the
property Of the manufacturers is Edble to be dom
coed and therefore the striker is freer from thredt
Of attack.
# is very opporent thdt the real reason thdt onti-
unionists do not like the sitdoWn strike tactic is just
because the use of the method is q guarantee thdt
the strike will be pedcefuLds for as the strikers ore
concerned.
From the standpoint Of labor the successful oppE-
COTTON Of the sitdoWn strike method depends to q
Greet extent on the solidarity Of the workers in the
Group ond the self-discipline which hos been de-
yeloped by this unit. A sit-down strike would prob
obly not function very well if the workers were
seriously disunited or had had no experience With
dctinq together prior to the strike. In the present
stdte of dffdirs in the hosiery industry sitdoWn
strikes appear to be just the right WdY TO win Whdt
the workers need and must have.
The amazing dnd historic advances mdde by the
CLO o. in steel end elsewhere in the past few doYs
hos done much to improve the prospects Ior Oil
union in this country.
The American Federation Of Hosiery Workers wds
well advised to throw in its lot with the CT {. group
end to support this splendid effort to orgdnize the
workers in the bdsic industries. Certainly IN Redd-
inq and in Philadelphia and elsewhere the victories
in General Motors and the Steel drive greatly en-
hmced the prospects for victories among the hos
ierv workers. For years the American Federdtlon
Of Hosiery Workers hos preached the necessity Tor
q labor movement which will take the position thdt
there can be no redl division among dnY groups
Of workers and thdt those who toll must did each
other. We have done our bit to promote such q
movement and now thdt it is dctudllY becoming
q pdrtidl redlity we find ourselves likely to cash in
on it fdirlY quickly.
The hosiery workers Of Berks County are going
to win, dnd when they have achieved union recog-
nition and other detectives, these Redding workers
will turn Ground end help the next fellow, hosiery
worker or whoever he mdy be, win q similor vic
torv for himself ond for the labor movement dnd
democracy. American Federation OF Hosiery
Workers.