Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1945-10-12
Time for
Plain Talk
By
Tom Burke
Vice-President
Local II,
UAW-CIO

tactS ABOUT the cOnQucL Oh
strikes in the future. The tax
payers suit for an injunction
against the city, the unions,
and the oil industry, although
a three ring publicity circus,
did have far reaching effects
on future labor disputes in
the City.
Many times in the past, city
officials have called in union
representatives and conferred
with them when there was
question in a dispute involv-
ing public safety, health and
welfare. In almost all of these
cases some sort of an agree
ment was reached for the pro-
lection of the public interest.
Working people have an
American right to strike just
as have business men and
farmers. When business men
and farmers are not satisfied
with their prices or business
conditions, they have the right
to withdraw their products
from the market.
Working people do have the
right to picket to prevent the
products reaching their mar
kets. In the past, however, the
workers have taken essential
public needs into consideration
and have often sacrificed part
of their economic pressure in
order to take care of these
needs.
The Oil Workers, when they
pulled their pin, felt much the
same way, They knew that
the farmers were in the midst
of harvest time. They knew
that milk, bread, and other
food deliveries had to be made
and that doctors, nurses, hos
pitals and undertakers had to
be kept going about their reg
ular duties to the community.
They knew that fire and police
protection and other govern
mental services had to be
maintained.
APPROACH CITY
The Union therefore ap-
preached the City government
with the proposition that it
would release enough gasoline
through its picket lines to
keep these essential commu-
nifty services operating. Since
the workers were voluntarily
sacrificing a great part of their
economic pressure in doing
this, they felt that they were
entitled to know that the gaso-
line they did release was being
used for this purpose. In line
with this, the Union proposed
that the City Manager contact
the industry and ask if it
would cooperate to this end.
The industry agreed. A COM
mittee composed of Union, In
dustry and Public was set up
to see to it that the gasoline
released through the picket
lines would be used for the
purpose for which it was re-
leased.
The Unions of Toledo now
find that being nice guys in
this way is both unappreciated
and ridiculed by the public,
and in addition is unlawful
and un-American." We know
it is unappreciated by the re-
action of the public generally,
even among Union people. We
know that it is ridiculed be-
cause of the Blade editorial
entitled "Schoonmaker's Fol-
ly." Incidentally, we think
that this editorial was ex-
tremely unfair to a good city
official who was conscienit-
ously trying to further the
best interests of his commu-
nifty. 1t certainly indicated
an abysmal lack of knowledge
of the facts of the case.
TIGHT LINES
We know now that any ac-
ton of this sort is impossible
in the future because it is "un-
lawful and un-American." We
have now been told that when
we have a picket line it better
be plenty tight and kept that
way because to loosen it up
would be unlawful. We
were informed that any CO.
operation with governmental
officials to loosen the line is
conspiracy and is "un-Ameri-
can" and dictatorship in its
worst form.
Unions, being the strongest
bulwarks of d e m ocracy
against dictatorship. as shown
by the history of the last 80
years, cannot therefore afford
to enter into any agreement
for releases of portions of ma
terial through picket lines. In
some ways we are sorry that
this has been developed. On
the other hand, since the pub
lie, the press, and the courts
have shown us that we are a
bunch of saps if we consider
any public needs in an eco