The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1947-12-08
What IL Means
WHEN LABOR
SAYS LEFT
OR RIGHT
BY MAX HALL.

WnI1AINIlON. - ZAP -
w When the terms RIGHT vino
and left wing Gre used in the
iubor movement. they hove a
special. technical meuninu.
They refer to the fight over
! Communists.
It's important to understand
this. Otherwise the uveruue
person may be hopelessly con-
fused when someone folks
about the right" and left"
wings of the Clio. or when
someone says the United Auto
Workers swung to the RIGHT"
You may be accustomed to
thinking of right" as meaning
"'conservative"-or perhaps re-
dictionary"
You may be accustomed to
thinking of cleft" as meaning
"hberaP-or perhaps radical"
But when you go to CIO con-
vention and hear the delegates
talking about 'right-winger"
they don't mean a reactionary or
conservative.
They mean an anti-Commu-
mist.
They usually mean someone
who not only is opposed to
Communism in theory but also is
resisting the efforts of the Com
munists to take leadership in
the trade union movement.
II a Socialist fights Commu-
nism he's a "right-winger."
This doesn't mean all cleft
wingers" are Communists. In
numbers, the Communists are a
tiny minority of the labor move
ment.
But they got control of some
national unions in the CLIO
through hard work, zeal, skill in
arguing, rigid discipline, balance
of power politics and other de-
vices.
One of their greatest successes
was to convince many unionists
that any criticism of them was
"red-baiting' which would
weaken the Clio.
Recently the Communists
seem to have been losing
ground. One big reason is the
international situation.
Also, labor groups now under
stand their methods better and
have developed techniques for
resisting them. Many progress
sive people have lost their re-
n1uctance to criticize them.
Returning to definitions:
A "left-winger" in the CLIO
means a Communist, or a fol-
lower of Communist policies, or
q person who cooperates with
Communists in union politics, or
maybe only a person who does
not believe in attacking Commu-
nists.
II A "left-wing union" is one
which is controlled by Commu-
nists or by people who are will
ingsto work with them.
Naturally there are many peo-
pie in "left-wing unions who
dislike Communism and would
like to throw out the leaders.
There are still others who dis
like Communism but support the
leaders because they believe
them to be good leaders.
When the words right" and
"left" are used in a unions in
ternal politics, they usually
mean that one faction is oppos-
ing the Communists and the
other faction is accepting the
Communists support. The Com
munists don't necessarily domi-
nate the faction, they are sup
porting. -, g. - !
In unions generally, the terms
aren't Official" But informally
they are used more often by the
fright wingers" than by the
other side.
Many people who find them
selves in a so-called "left-wing"
resent being called cleft wing
err"
Many radicals and progress
sives who are anti-Communists
deplore the lack of better term
than right wing" They say it
suggests reaction" They ac-
cuse the Communists of being
'reactionary"
They point to Communist
Russia as a totalitarian state and
say that anyone who supports
q totalitarian doctrine is reac-
tionary.
The Communists themselves
use the terms and when they
say right wing, they try to
identify it with reaction and
.F'ascism" as well.
-. ..---.AoI 4Lo+ IT c tOlIr-