The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1946-05-24
NEWS and VIEWS
BY ALEXANDER s. LIPSETT
Gan ILNS Feature)
Gan ILNS Feature)

| American people immersed in their
domestic troubles. The former Presi-
dents observation that many of our
working people are descended from
countries "where famine is on the
doorstep" and his warnings against
shipping strike (which will mean a
world holocaust" merit public atten-
tion and respect.
That strike, according to d CIO
maritime conference on the west coast,
will take place June Is, "if we can
wait that long," Approval of the strike
call followed the merger of CIO
maritime unions and one independent
| group into nationwide CIO mari
time federation. The threatened tie
up of American seafaring and coastal
trades will affect 100000 to 100000
waterfront workers and seamen on the
Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf coasts.
Another aspect Of the CIO shipping
strike is it's international character.
The conference report recommending
strike action made clear that world
fide action will be sought 1t was pro-
posed that the World Federation of
Trade Unions and it's transport work
ers' components abroad be informed
of the impending move and that de-
tails be worked out "to obtain sup
port from the trade unions through
out the world affiliated with the
WFTU." Harry Bridges, redoubtable
CIO west coast leader, put it little
cruder when he said the strike was in
evitable and might last from to 6
months; and that support would be
welcomed from the "Soviet Union,
Norway, Belgium, France and even
dear old Britain and her so-called So
cialist Government"
| This, of course, aims at a world
wide transportation strike. Whether
the transport worker abroad will sup
port such an irresponsible move is
more than doubtful. Coming at crit
ical moment in human history, strike
of international dimensions is bound
to deplete the pitifully slender food
resources of foreign nations, already
stretched to the breaking point, and
to turn our famine-ridden world into
a yeritable ShambleS.
Whatever the outcome of the CIO
appeal for international support, the
welfare of hundreds of millions of
| foreign workers and their families
means apparently little in the schemes
of the CIO leadership. Are we not all,
as a CIO-PAC leader tearfully Observ-
ed, fighting for better America and
a better and saner world? Sharpening
starvation and mass misery, brought
about by CIO shipping strike, cannot
be termed an inviting prospect for the
millennium.
Reports of another amalgamation
of seafarers, fortunately of more
constructive character, come from the
American Federation of Labor mari
time unions. A meeting of delegates
representing 10000 seamen and
waterfront workers is scheduled in
San Francisco. 1t will serve, In the
words of Capt. C. F. May of the Ma
tional Organization of Masters, Mates
and Pilots (AFL), "as forerunner of
similar regional meetings, looking to
establishment of an AFL marine trades
department with close to 100000
members"
This seems the right way to go
about the cOmmendable endeavOr to
unite maritime labor. To merge unions
| for strike and strife is one thing, and
rather unconstructive one at that.
To slowly build the foundations on
which sound movement can be rear
| ed, is something else. This column
congratulates the AFL seafarers,
licensed and unlicensed personnel, on
their farsighted move.
The fifteenth biennial convention
of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers
of America (CIO) had the air Of a
PAC optical gathering rather than
Of trade union concerned with the
welfare and problems of it's member
ship. 1t sounded as if all the woes OF
mankind had been dumped into the lap
of ACWA president, Sidney Hillman,
and his associates. That they enjoyed
handing out their particular brand of
patent medicine goes without saying.
To top it all, CIO president Philip
Murray, an otherwise admirable man,
delivered speech so at variance with
the facts and the record Of the CIO
that it left the 1850 delegates virtually
speechless. To be sure, that did not