Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1944-12-15
What's
New!
By
EdWard Duck
On Leave
With The
Army
WHO'S HE?

working people should throw
a testimonial" dinner or him?
/ have always been taught
that it is proper to respect a
persons prin ip S, rather
than to pay tribute to the in
dividual, h i m If. Placing
blind loyalty in an individual
has led many a trusting soul
over the precipice!
But let's examine the in
dividual-in this case, Dick
Gosser. Let's find out why
people feel that they should
honor him.
I think I know Dick quite
well-I used to work under
his direction, before he became
UAW Regional Director. And
we didn't always agree with
each other, either!
Dick has his friends and his
enemies. Perhaps no individ-
ual in the City of Toledo has
been more widely cussed and
discussed, idolized or DETAINED,
than has Dick Gosser. From
the barroom dives of the Sum-
mit-Cherry d S tri It to the
swank spots and country clubs
where management's men con-
gregate, people are arguing
about "that guy, Gosser."
RESPECT HIM
Most industrialists in the
Toledo sector wish either that
he had never been born, or
that he had minded his own
business and let theirs alone.
But all of them respect him.
He lives with his agreements,
but carries out his threats with
determination. He can sell
them the Brooklyn Bridge
when he wants to, but he plays
"above the table" when they
do.
The guy lives union"
twenty-four hours a day, seven
days a week-except for a
couple of hours on Saturday
night, when he and his wife,
Ruth, enjoy the company of
friends and temperate enter
tainment. The workers inter-
ests are his interests, and he is
willing to sacrifice both pleas
ure and money in order to lead
those workers to economic Sc
curity. If you have received
wage increases during the past
few years, chances are that
Dick Gosser played a promi-
nent part In obtaining them
for you.
He's a natural psychologist.
He knows people and their
mental processes. That's why
he's usually one jump ahead of
the employer in contract nego-
tiations.
/ have watched him take on
the best legal talent in this
part of the country and twist
those gentleman around his
little finger-while they were
wondering why he didn't say
were" instead of was" or
why he repeatedly used the
word "ain't,' he obtained COM
mitments and agreements
which benefited the workers.
AGAINST HIM
What are the arguments
against him? At the present
time his political opposition
within the Union condemns
him for his refusal to forget
that there's a war going on.
Personally, l fail to see where
he's given away" much of
anything which was obtain
able, but l could forsee dire
results if he followed the adj
vice of his critics.
He is stubborn, quite un-
forgiving when he has been
double-crossed. His temper is
something to marvel at" and
he plays his politics for
all they're worth; but he's
strictly for the workers, he
can't be bought out, he has
shown mercy to those who
have attempted to cruelty him,
he has scruples and uses them,
and he has more ideas yet to
be brought forth than his OPP
position &c o m b in e ID could
ever possibly devise. And his
politics are clean, whereas his
opposition has in the past
played anything but an honest
game.
So, although do not believe
in worshipping at the shrine
of any human being, If l were
able to attend the Richard
Gosser testimonial, l would
surely have been there.
l shall continue to argue
with him when and if l feel
like it, but in all likelihood l
shall argue much more vehe-
mently in his behalf should it
be me necessary-And /
guess it's alright for the work
ers to show the guy a bit of
respect if they want to. If
they weren't in agreement
L :