The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1949-10-13
CIT Meet Marks Progress
OF Pun-Americdn Labor
BY ROBERT J. ALEXANDER

ond congress Of the lnter-Amerl-
can Confederation Of Workers,
just completed here, gave excel
lent proof that the CIT represents
the great bulk Of the workers Of
the Americas. Delegates were pre-
sent from 10 Of the 22 independent
countries Of the hemisphere and
from six colonial and semi-colonial
territories.
The CIT, as the group is called
from its Spanish initials, was
founded in Lima, Peru, in January
1948, as the result Of a continent
wide revolt against Communist
domination Of the Latin-American
labor movement. It's rival, CTAL,
has been under strong Communist
/ influence since World War III.
The only major group Of unions,
aside from the Communist ones,
which have not been admitted to
the CIT have been those under the
influence Of President Peron Of
Argentina. The US. groups repre-
sented include AFL, Int'l Asso-
citation of Machinists, and Railway
Labor Executives Assn.
At the time CIT was founded,
the Confederation Of Workers of
Peru, which acted as host to the
meeting, was one Of the strongest
labor movements on the continent
and was backed by the powerful
Aprista party. In October, 1913,
after coup d'etat, the Peruvian
labor movement was driven under
ground.
Early in 1949, the Venezuelan
Confederation of Workers was also
suppressed by a revolutionary mill
tary regime. The CIT devoted
much of its time to aiding the vic
TINS Of these two regimes, and in
publicizing the plight Of these two
labor movements.
Another accomplishment Of CIT
was in Panama. CIT sent a com
mission to the Canal Zone to in
vestigate labor conditions and the
problem Of race discrimination
there. This resulted in the AFL's'
coming out strongly in favor Of
ending all discriminatory practices
in the Zone, and the bringing Of
pressure from both the Us and
Latin American labor movements
to that end.
The CIT also acted as a go-be-
tween in arranging conference
between the Natl Farm Labor
Union-AFL and its corresponding
Mexican union, concerning the pro-
blems of the Mexican farm workers
brought into the United States as
cheap labor during harvest periods
AS a result of this conference and
pressure brought on both govern
ments by their respective labor
movements, the new contract sign
ed by Mexico and the US in the
summer of 1949 contained many
improvements over its predecessor. /
1t was with this record behind it
that the Second Congress of the
CIT met in Havana with more than
$50 delegates present. Twenty-Five
national labor Federations, as well /
as many unions were represented.
The work of the convention was
three-fold.
1T brought workers from all
over the western hemisphere to-
gether to help solve one another's
problems, as we'll as mutual pro-
blems.
PIT laid down lines of policy
for the group, including a program,
a statement on the trend toward
and CTS efforts to
combat the trend, and a statement
on industrialization of Latin Am
erica, urging the fullest use be
made of the capital resources of
the countries, using foreign capital
when that fails.
Sit reformed the structure of !
the organization; established
general council to meet once a (
year, a smaller executive commit :
tee to meet more frequently, and
the period between con-
yentions from two to three years.
Headquarters of the organization
we're moved to Havana, which is
more centrally located than the
'ormer seat, Santiago, Chile.
Among the special actions of the
was creation of a Con-
mental grarian Commission /
which will bring together farm or
yanizations throughout the hemi
phere in an attempt to improve
he living standards of farm work +
rs.
A resolution was passed pledg
ng the support of the AFL and
'an-American unions against any /
tempt to divide workers along +
acial lines. Said AFL Latin-Am-
rican representative Sera fl n o
eve in the AFL are in k
position to fight against racial Z
iscrimination and are doing So"
The final note of the meeting :
eralded an even broader organiza
ION of labor than that of the North Z
nd South American continents. =
ii CIT affliates were urged to
lpport and join the new world &
lbor organization to be set up in X