The Washington times., 1937-12-20
BY PAUL CALICO

BY PAUL CALICO
NEW YORK, N. Y, Dec. 20
UN.S0.-"Ah, the hell with the
CIO. Them hackieS amt goin'
out. They're sicka the CIO.
They wanna git out there and
make buck now. CIO my eye"
This was a New York hackie,
taxi driver, unburdening on labor
and how he felt about it. He
himself was the thing called labor.
Labor is always spoken for by
Spokesmen. He was speaking for
himself.
BITTER VOICE
Unknown, unidentified hackie
No. 100000. He didn't know his
fare was a reporter. He never
saw his fare, his fare really never
saw him. To the reporter he was
a back of neck and a voice, bit.
ter in tone, salty in speech. as he
whipped his cab in, out, over and
under the choked midtown traf.
fic.
The reporter had said cas-.
ually-"1s there some trouble
brewing down at Parmalee
(leading cab company? hear
the boys may go out"
Jaw, nuts! LiSSen, them
guys amt gonna go out. They're
sicka the CIO. Between the
CLIO and the AFL we get it in
the neck, don't we? They got
some trouble about a contract
down there, but they can't call
no strike because the hackies
will tell 'em to jump in the
lake (another expression was
used here).
ORGANIZERS ONLY
"Them guys don't even go to
the meetin'S no more. They
had a meetin' the other night.
There was nobody there but
the organizers and the dele
gates. They hadda call it off.
Howa they gonna call a strike
when nobody donn't go to the
meetin'S no more?"
We waited at a red light at Lex
ington Avenue, and his voice rose {:
"I'd like to see 'em get any
more bucks outa hackies. They
got the first buck, and that's all
they're gonna get. C1O! What
the hella they gonna do if all
them business houses close up?
What are we gonna do? The
CIO and the Administrationll
drive them guys right over to
Europe with their dough.
"Ya know when got my
bellyful? The time the mari
time strike tied up the West
Coast and Bill Green sayS-T
wash my hands He washes
his hands. That's what he said
II wash my hands, Aw, go
take a walk, Bill Green. That
was no time to pull a Judas, was
it? (Probably meant Pontius
PLATE, but too mad to remem-
berO Green pulls a Judas.
wash my hands. What's he
there for, on my dough? Labor
was just gettin' somewhere, sit
tin pretty, and he pulls that
one.
"Lissen, I'm labor man. And
! walk into Horn and Har-
darts. Get it? CThe automats
are picketed at the present
time, and no good labor man
is supposed to cross a picket
lne) Do you know why? Be.
cause them guys amt on strike.
I know they aint. CIO, my ear.
They're gonna ruin this coun.
try. They wanna lot of power
so they can git in the Govern
ment.
WANTS F. B. /. INQUIRY
II been in labor 80 years. We
always had a lotta Commun-
tstic agitators hangin' around.
Trouble, trouble, trouble, that's
all they wanted. Agitatin' all
the time. va know where they're
all now? In the CIO.
"Lissen, some day, the FBI
(Federal Bureau of Investiga-
tion) is gonna start investigating
the unions, and then they're
gonna grab John Lewis and Bill
Green by the backa the necks
and throw them right out.
"They fellerS better leave us
alone. I don't go to no more
meetings. I'm Eicka them.
gotta get out and make a buck.
The other hackies feel the same
way. The he'll with 'em."
The reporter paid him his buck
and went away, thinking.