Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1947-11-28
Regional
Views
By Richard Gosser
Vice President UAW,CIO

1t has been my belief stated on many oc-
casions, that the job which faces the labor
movement is to bring profits down in order to
stabilize the wages and prices in our economy.
This belief, while it has not made progress,
is based upon what has been occurring in our
economy ever since the war. Employers who
fought wage increases urgently needed when
the overtime pay caused by wartime labor
shortages ended, finally granted the wage
hikes and then upped their prices until their
profits reached the highest point in history.
Every time prices increased, and they al
ways increased ahead of wage increases, the
workers of the nation found themselves at
disadvantage and were forced to seek still fur.
ther wage hikes.
The circle continued up Prices went up
followed by wages. And then prices went up
some more, until now we find ourselves in an
economy where high prices and exorbitant
profits are the rule, while real wages, or the
amount of goods the workers dollars will buy
for him, are becoming lower and lower.
INITIATION
The worry about initiation which we heard
during the war is over Initiation isn't coming.
Initiation is here. We are faced with the hard
reality of a situation in which every attempt of
labor to stem the tide of higher prices, higher
profits and higher wages has been defeated
by those who control our economy and its po-
litical stooges.
Our worry about the critical condition in
which we find ourselves, is increased when
we observe that in some instances labor has
accepted the situation as incurable and de-
Jod toho ~ tba
creasng cost of living.
We would be very foolish to believe that
wage increases made now would be much diff
ferent from those which have been granted
from time to time since the end of the war.
Nothing the employers have done since 1945
gives us reason to hope that at last they will
call halt to the inflationary spiral and stab
ilize prices and curtail their profits. To believe
that, after what has been taking place these
two years, would be to believe that at last the
NAM and labor were tried and true friends.
Frankly, the situation is serious, and, un-
less all signs fail likely to become more SO
before we come to the final crisis which will
determine which way this nation is to go.
AS matters stand now and as all signs
point, we are heading for the worst economic
sion which will make the 1929-1999 years
seem like major boom.
OUR TASK
Our tasks as leaders and members of
rank and file union are great. We must con-
tinue to fight the same fight that we have been
putting up for many years, battle to bring
stability to our economy; to produce we
know we are capable of producing; to hold
down prices by demanding that the owners of
industry limit their profits and to give wages
capable of supporting the workers of this ma
ton as they deserve to be supported.
We know, and the figures support us, that
we are operating under system of planned
scarcity under the leadership of monopolists
whose vision begins and ends in their own
profits, more profits and still more profits.
We know, and nobody can disprove the fig
ures, that American workers are capable of a
producing a sufficiently large volume of goods
to give every man, woman and child in this
nation proper food, a decent home and most
Of the comforts which are now enjoyed only by
the moderately we'll to do and rich
We know the real and possible wealth of
this nation, and we also know that under our
system of planned scarcity, which has nothing
to do with conserving our resources, we cannot
tap our great sources of wealth. nor expand
our system the needs and demands of the
times call for.
WORK TOGETHER
Despite all the obstacles with which we
are faced and the apparent lack of progress in
Stemming the inflationary tide, we can make
progress if we will all work together in the
program which International union has
proposed We can still succeed, although there
ire some weaknesses showing along labors
inc. ~
Our task cannot change. We must still con-
inue to fight for stablizng our economy,
owering prices and profits and holding the
wage scale intact We may be forced to re.
reat again, as we were before, but our objec.
i've as workers cannot change if we expect to
win this fight for better, fuller and more
secure way of life.