The Omaha guide., 1945-09-01
1 Labor
Day
] EDITION
lLocal G. Natl
NEWS
Organized
the ScOre...
BY WILLIAM GREEN
President, American Federation

-
Of
THE VERY LIFE OF ORGAN
lied LABOR DEPENDS very
largely upon the establishment and
existence of democracy. For that
reason. those who believe in organ
lied labor have worked too hard
n sacrificed too much to feel
kindly toward anything that threat
ems it.
Prejudice n intolerance are
crimes against democracy. There
fore. whenever someone asks you
how organized labor feel about rae
iai and religious intolerance. in
quire of him as to how he feels a
bout crime. To anyone who under
stands the broader issues. the ans
wer is as simple as that. Freedom
is essential to the preservation OF
democracy. If and when we begin
to limit it by insisting hat it be de-
MED some and applied to others be-
u Of racial or religious differ
ences, the list Of exceptions grows
and materializes until finally free
dom for all is ended. For instance
the rights of the worker, his free
dom to organize into a union of his
wi choosing and to bargain col
lectively for wages and decent con-
ditions Of living. are the first to be
destroyed if we seek to establish
limited freedom.
American workers are men and
women of understanding. They
fully appreciate and clearly under
stand hat a union which functions
automatically and follows a policy
free from racial or religious dis
elimination rests upon a sound and
enduring basis. They also know
and fully comprehend that an or
ganization whose members are NOV
ed by feelings Of prejudice and
which limits its membership to Ger
tain racial or religious groups is
striking at its very vital essential
the establishment of unity and
solidarity. When and if organized
labor ~predicates membership in
any union uroR race rplislon -.
ancestry. it is helping to create a
potential anti-labor army that can
be used by labor-baiters to fight
labor unions. weaken it's bargaining
power and destroy it's effective
ness.
Because organized labor is con-
scfous of this fact. it is fully deter
mined that the enemies of labor
shall have no weapon to use or no
such power to exercise. Working
men and women will maintain the
traditional position they have al
ways followed. to fight in the fore
front of the battle which has al
ways been and always will be r
ried on against bigotry. Workers
have always supported and will
continue to support the guarantees
OF the Constitution to all classes Of
people.
we know that difficulties are
encountered in carrying out this
program. There are those who
hope to magnify prejudices and
play upon them and take advan-
tage of all human weaknesses, but
the membership of organized labor
is dedicated to the task of not only
establishing. but preserving trade
unions as a democratic force. /
know that organized labor will
continue to maintain and practice
equality Of opportunity which is a
basic union principle, as well as a
basic principle of American life.
1t our organizations annual Con
vention which was held some
months e racial and religious BIZ
gotry n discrimination were con
demned by a unanimous vote. The
Convention reaffirmed a declaration
which had been made at previous
Conventions calling upon the Amer
lean Federation Of Labor to carry
on and expand the good work it has
already done so that the principle
of Industrial equality of all men
will be established beyond question
in every section of the country.
The task of carrying out that man
date now rests with every union
and with each and every worker
who is a member Of said union we
must not falter or fail. We must
fight to maintain and preserve A.
merican principles and the Amerl-
can way Of life. The faces of all
working men and women must be
turned everlastingly against racial
and religious discrimination and in
favor of freedom. liberty. equality
and democracy.