The Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1931-1952, 1942-11-25
NEGROESAND
UNIONS
(Contlnued from Paee -

head Of the A. F. of LIS metal.
/ trades department, has even sent
Ray an indignant telegram. and
has indicated that he will support
the government representatives
in their showdown with the
| Portland metal-trades crowd. His
bold gesture, however. comes af-
ter weeks of behind-the- scenes
conferences and pleadings to per-
suade Ray to treat Negroes-who
travelled from New York to take
jobs at the Kaiser prant - as fell
flow workers. Moreover, on the
same day that Frey made public
his telegram Wi,iram Green was
insisting in New York that the
federation was powerless to do
anything except write kilograms.
81 can't tell Ray what to do" he
said. ITS like the President. Can
he tell the governor of a state
what to do?"
Ray may ultimately yield, but
the total problem will remain,
and other Rays will dictate their
own policies for war production.
They will do so as long as Green
flaunts his own lack of authority.
They will do so until federation
leaders clean house at the top as
well as at the bottom. putting
pressure on international unions
which retain color clauses in their
constitutions and disciplining To-
cal big-shots who exclude Negroes
from jobs.
The federation's recent conven-
tion failed to meet the issue. It
heard A. Philip Randolph. presi-
dent of the Brotherhood of Sleep
ing Car Porters - and one of
two Negro delegates to the Tor
onto meeting - deliver his an
nual indictment. His bill of par
ticulars was not new; the A. f.
of L. has heard it before. Ran
dolph cited more than ten inter
national unions which have color
clauses or "ritualistic provisions"
that bar Negro workers; among
them are such important units as
the Machinists, the Boilermakers,
and the Department of Railway
Employees. He mentioned others,
including the Brotherhood of
Electrical w o r ers and the
Plumbers, which have 'unwritten
laws" excluding Negroes. He des-
cribed international unions as in
fluential as the Carpenters which
have no constitutional color lines
but permit locals to do as they
please; the locals are often pleas
ed draw the color line. Finally he
condemned the Jim Crow units
which have been created by the
Brotherhood of Railway Clerks
and other unions as a "compro-
mise" solution. These "auxiliar-
les" permit Negroes to join, pay
their dues. hold separate meet
ings - but deny them the right
to elect delegates to national con-
ventions.
Randolph had been heard and
ignored at previous conventions;
but this was the year when FEEDER |
alton orators felt called upon to
pay longer and lustier tributes to
the democratic way of life and |
free postwar world. This, more
over, is time of approaching
man-power shortages, when vic
tory over our enemies requires !
the complete mobilization of our
man-power. The federation's lead
ers weren't moved. They listened |
to Randolph and they ignored his
appeal. They turned down even |
his minimum request - the crea-
ton of a COMMITTEES 90 investigate
cases of discrimination within the
fedration. Such step, A. f. of L.
leaders have always explained,
would violate the ancient "auton-
omy" of federation unions. More
over, a resolution adopted by the
convention said, 1--WE are doubt
full whether any method other
than the educational one can make
the progress which is necessary"
Tom Girdler used to express the
same views about the Wagner
Act.
Only Dan Tobin tried to make
reply; 1t was a dismal effort.
For it was no answer to accuse
Randolph of Fighting the torch
of disunity," no answer to say
that hundreds of A. f. of L. units
welcome Negro members, no an
swer to say that the Teamsters
have always loved the Negro
worker. In effect Tobin talked like
an apologist for lynching who
takes pains to point out that many
Negroes die natural deaths.
Auxiliary Corps at Fort Des
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