Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1943-09-17

.a - of wha 1t
D,, o. would call su-
pine ignor-
ance:
1t is common knowledge that
the employees of a certain To-
ledo plant, which / will not name
at this time, possess probably the
highest intelligence rating of any
group of industrial workers in
this community. This is not hear
say nor guesswork, but an actual
fact. The men who work for this
company are not dumbbells in
any sense of the word, so far as
education goes. Many , college
graduates.
But while they have been
tossed from pillar to post for the
past few years, because of being
represented by an independent
union, there are hundreds of
other men who cannot read nor
write, and who barely speak the
English language, who had
enough sense to know when they
were being fooled, and did some-
thing about it.
NOT BELITTLING
This isn't case of belittling
the other fellow because his opin-
ion differs from yours. | happen
to know that the president Of
this company, while dining at an
exclusive downtown business
mems club, boasted to his asso-
ciates that his employees were
being fooled by his company
union. On more than one occa-
sion did he engage in hearty
laughter with his cohorts as he
told how the CIO was being
kept out" at his plant, and in
so many words was amazed at
himself for being so adept at
pulling the proverbial wool over
the eyes of his workers.
A friend of mine happened to
be the waiter in that particular
establishment, and what he didn't
hear, from this gentleman and
others, wasn't worth hearing!
my grandma also used to
say that "a still tongue makes
wise head" so | guess even the
company president wasn't so
smart, either, or he would have
been a bit more careful who was
listening in on his conversation
What burns me up is that !
had to write hsndbills for these
workers, and get up at 6 o'clock
in the morning to pass them out
when the temperature read
"seven below Zero, and the wind
swept across the adjacent fields
to add to our discomfort, and |
couldn't tell the people what |
knew about their president and
their independent" union, be-
cause could not prove what
knew to be the truth.
Then, too, the Snug and arro-
CANT attitude of a few of the
company unioneers inspired not
only pity, but disgust as we'll -.
Grandmother would probably
have said, "Where ignorance is
bliss etc, but that wouldn't get
me out of the cold, nor would it
get votes for the CIO in their
election for bargaining rights.)
FELL FOR HOKUM
! saw an honest and really
capable leader in that plant let
down by the people who fell for
the company's hokum al empty
promises, and the defeat which
the CI0 suffered was probably
the most bitter disappointment
he went through since the day
he first went to work in that
plant, some fifteen years ago.
Yes, the CIO lost the election
alright. And the workers were
told what would happen! The
independent" committee has
never crawled from under the
msnagement's wing from the
first day the company set up the
organization, Since the election
this committee has floundered
and blundered on just about ev-
cry possible occasion, until even
the most disinterested person in
the plant will admit that the
workers seniority, If any, isn't
worth plugged nickel.
SO, who's really smart, after