The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1947-08-28
Lubor's New
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being written that bring health in
surance and disqualification to
more people all the time. Freedom
from fear of ill-health-perhaps it
can never be taken out of our
lives altogether. But freedom from
the fear of what the workers
ill health will do to the living stan
dards of his family-that is be-
workers in nearly every large in
coming a reality for thousands of
dustry in America.
One union has. even learned to
give its members the medical care
that usually only the very rich can
afford. Examples like these are
what it takes to make unions all
over the country refuse to hold
still for the anti-labor hatchetmen.
Housing projects are being built
by unions to provide houses for
workers from whom the specula-
tive builders would never build.
Vacations. Twenty-Five years
ago, nay father knew only one kind
of vacation-a. layoff every sum-
mer while the company "took in
ventory". Today, in the same plant
where he worked, men are getting
two weeks vacation with pay, and
are even now getting that figure
raised for older workers in the
plant.
The vacations mean a lot more
than just time off. They mean time
to spend with the family, precious
time that never existed before for
a lot of American workers, They
mean time to relax, to enjoy some
of those things that workers used
to read or hear about-but had to
leave to a privileged few to enjoy.
And it's the unions that are
making the vacations and the paid
holidays possible, just as they are
making possible wages high en-
ough so that the vacations can be
enjoyed rather than feare8
In many cases, the vacation time
is being used by the workers as
an education time. Hundreds of
workers who knew little schooling
when they were young and had
given up hope of ever again seeing
the inside of classroom for their
own uses, are walking college cam
puses and sitting in school class
rooms. The world is becoming
more meaningful place for these
workers; their understanding is
growing. And they won't give up
easily the kind of a world their
classes are teaching them to want
and expect.
Yes, Labor Day this year find a
stronger and soberer labor move
ment. We don't underestimate our
problems and those who are fore
ing these problems on US. But we
find hope in the future because of
the strength and understanding
that the years have brought us. We
will turn that strength and wisdom
to good purpose in the years ahead.
But not for ourselves alone.
There are the weaker unions, and
the millions of workers who have |
no unions at all. They must have
our help. Their unions must be
built up, not only because their |
strength will lend strength to ours.
But also because it is right for the |
stronger to help the weaker.
America must never know the |
horror of two classes of workers. |
There must never be a labor aris-
tocracy in this country--while 9TH
er workers live in depressed con-
ditions and in fear of their live
|ihoods. Our enemies would like
that. They could make peace with
some of us, il we would sell out
The rest.
But there will be no real peace
in America or in the world until
labor everywhere is secure. Until
all know security, none of us can
know real security. Separations,
divisions, splits will be wiped out
as we get decent living standards
and freedom from fear for all.
These are the aims that make
lp our agenda for the next year.
May the report on Labor Day,
l948, be even better and more re-
than the report we can
make to the world today.