Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1945-01-12

Views
By Richard Gosser
Director Region 2B, UAW-CIO

For years, the mass industry workers tried
to organize and each time their efforts ended
in failure.
Finally, the AFL was induced to interest
itself in the automobile workers. Some chart
were granted to Federal Unions in Toledo
and elsewhere, but the movement was like an
unwanted Stepchild and the parent AFL or
ganization was not interested
And the MESA which was then organizing
was just indifferent to the workers in the
industries Like the AFL they were only
interested in the craft workers.
But today, now that the CIO has grown
strong and become highly organized now that
the UAW-CIO has become one of the worlds
largest and most powerful unions both the
AFL and MESA willing and anxious to
take us over.
OUR LESSON
We of the UAW and CIO have learned our
lessons the hard way. We can't forget the old
days when the AFL not only ignored us but
actually cancelled our charters and expelled
us from the body. Craft unionism had no place
or no liberation for the millions of unorgan-
lied workers. 1t had to be craft or the AFL
just wasn't interested
All during these years when the CIO has
been organizing the unorganized and making
gains for the workers in the way of securing
better wages hours and working conditions,
the MESA didn't know care whether we
succeeded or not. They never contributed one
thing to the building of strong industrial
unionism. Today, the MESA casts greedy
eye at growing membership and stops at
nothing to take us over
It's funny to look back on the years when
both the AFL and MESA looked upon the CIO
and the UAW as gang of misfits They did
not seem to realize then as they do now that
industrial unonism the only sensible an
swer to the problem of the millions of unor-
ganlZed workers who were made the victims
of the industries in which they worked. Per-
haps they didn't care, but at any rate, we have
nobody to thank but ourselves that we have
reached the point of organization where both
the other unions think we would be valuable
to them
WON'T FORGET
1 don't believe that the members of the
UAW-CIO are going to forget the way the
AFL and MESA neglected us when they could
have helped organize the great masses of
workers whose only fault was their lack of
craftsmanship. l don't believe the UAW will
forget the way the AFL prosecuted us when
we did begin to click and millions of unorgan-
lied workers flocked to our organization be-
cause we offered them the opportunity to or
ganize in strong and effective unions which
fought for all the workers without asking
them If they were skilled or unskilled
Our organization is an organization for all
the workers. 1t has experienced its remark
able growth and developed its power because
1T appealed to the workers without regard for
craft. IL succeeded and is succeeding because
1T covers all the workers, sweepers, machine
hands, skilled and unskilled without dis
elimination. 1t is workers union and not Just
organization. of crafts
l am not worried about the future of the
UAW-CIO. Regardless what the AFL or MESA
may now say, | remember and so can
you, when they were not interested in us We
have extended the hand of friendship to both
organizations If they do not choose to accent
it and live with us in peace then we have no
other course than to protect ourselves. Our
union will continue to live