Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1948-07-16
Regional
Views
BY Richard Gosser
Vice>President
International UAW>ClO

Last Wednesday evening very important
meeting was held by the Toledo Consumers
Cooperative group. was very sorry not to be
able to attend that meeting, but / am glad
that so many of our unions shop leaders and
active members did attend.
l say this because first of all the coop is
a necessary union activity, and secondly the
Toledo group who have strived so hard to
promote the coop deserve all the praise and
support we can give them. They cannot estab-
lish the grocery supermarkets without signing
members, and they cannont sign these men,
bers if everyone waits for the other fellow to
join first
Our union is busy, in fact very busy, nego-
tiating all over the country for the third
round wage increase. Soon the new wage
agreements will for the most part be signed,
an good question right now to ask ourselves
is How much will this raise help us?" That's
the important thing.
real progressive union has no choice but
to help the membership and the public as well
in every possible way. We can do great ser
vice to the membership and to the community
If we offer guidance and leadership in matters
which affect the family's pocketbook, be they
political matters shop problems, or consumer
matters
If we knew where our people and fellow
workers could buy groceries lot cheaper
than they are buying them, it would be our
duty to bring this out, and to encourage buy
ing groceries there. We do know, because it
has been proven in many places where the
UAW-CIO is a prominent part of community
life that the consumer owned cooperative
markets bring direct savings and a more
honest sales approach to the customers-who
are also the stores owners
You see, that's the main reason why we
are sure the coop doesn't cheat its custo-
mers-because they ARE the OWNERS. They
just don't cheat themselves.
/ would like to mention here that special
credit for pushing the Toledo Coop should go
to the people from the Spicer plant who have
been so active in the movement. Some are ac-
tive in the union, some are active in the credit
union, and few are quite interested in both,
plus the Coop.
There is no doubt in my mind but that the
UAW-CIO can make an important contrbu-
tion to the coop movement here in Toledo. It
is only because of the stress during recent
months, while we have been in negotiations
practically everywhere, that the individual
shop leaders have been unable to take hold of
the idea and really run with it. In our area
we have made an enviable record, because of
militancy and an ambitious spirit and l be-
lieve that this same sort of healthy enthusiasm
will make the coop an overnight success once
the ball gets rolling.
IT we want to make our dollars count if
we want to eliminate the chances of depres-
sions and wars, and if we want to give our
selves all-around square DEAL we can do it
by engaging in union affairs, by voting prop
erly, and by joining the cooperative and shop
ping at our own grocery stores. I believe it
will be no time at all before Toledo has a
chain of successful consumer-owned super
markets. only urge each and every one of
you to give few minutes of your time to in
vestigate the coop, and I'm sure you'll join it
and support it.