The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1947-06-20


American Telephone and Telegraph
company, on the other hand, repre-
sents the autocratic ownership and
control and management of nation
wide economic enterprise" He points
out that the Central Conference of
: American Rabbits in 1884 stated that
they believed all basic social enter
prise should be socialized and demo-
cratized and included within the scope
of this program, the communications
system in America as well as re-
sources of energy and production and
transportation. Until this basic en-
terprise is socialized there can be no
end of the conflict between autocratic
corporations and democratic organiza-
ton of workers in America" says DR..
Goldstein.
The report follows:
The demands of the telephone work
ers were neither radical nor revolu
tionary On the contrary, what they
demanded in the matter of wages,
hours of work, conditions of labor, va
cations and pensions, was altogether
reasonable and moderate.
There can be no doubt whatever
in the minds of those who have studied
the program of this young, energetic
and vigorous group of workers that
they are endeavoring to do nothing
more than to achieve economic secur- |
ity and decent level not only of in
come but of life and human welfare.
But in the strike there were two
.other issues involved that in the judg-
ment of many were more fundamental
even than the demands made by the
workers.
The first issue was the right of col |
lective bargaining, in the larger sense
in which it is now construed in the |
field of labor relations. The right of |
collective bargaining means the right |
of the representatives of the workers |
to sit down with the representatives |
of the employers and to bargain on
equal terms.
A. T. G. T. Not in Good Faith
From the very outset it was evident
that the American Telephone and
Telegraph company and its associated
and affiliated organizations did not
the meaning of collective
bargaining and did not mean to bar
gain in good faith with the workers
On the contrary, they employed every
device and strategy possible to weaken
the power of the workers and to des-
troy the effectiveness of collective bar
gaining.
The law passed by the state legisla-
ture of New Jersey outlawing strikes
IN public utilities and imposing fines
and Imprisonment upon the members
aw-this law was written by mem
Der of the Board of Directors of the
American Telephone and Telegraph
company and an agent of the corpora
ion. This is an evidence of how far
he corporation was willing to go in
rider to destroy the power of the I'M
on and to defeat the workers.
1t must also be remembered that the
ystem Of telephone communication is
rational in scope and fact and that
he American Telephone and Tele-
,raph company and it's associates and
ffiliates constitute in truth a national
corporation. But the refusal of this
ational corporation to bargain on a
ational scale and in insist upon local
ontracts is violation of collective
bargaining as it is now established in
american practice and federal law.
The Most important Issue
The most important issue in the
trike, however, was not the program
f the demands of the workers nor
objective bargaining but the conflict
etween democracy and autocracy in
ur economic system.
The telephone workers of America
represent democratic organization,
democratic procedure and democrat a
ic processes in our economic life. b
The American Telephone and Tee- q
graph company, on the other hand,
represents autocratic ownership and y
control and management of nation
vide economic enterprise. |.
The American Telephone and Tele-
nh &c 81