Montana labor news., 1949-12-29
The Strike Breaker
The following article was writ
ten by Haywood Broun, Founder
of the Newspaper Guild.


of the Newspaper Guild.
Broun, light ior the underdog i,
well portrayed II this column. lab
eled The Strikebreaker." which ran
in the y y. World Telegram July
9. 1854
To me il ha, always seemed not
only illogical bu, improper that po-
lice or national guardsmcn should
be employed to protect the junction
ing Of strikebreakers in any indus
try.
In theory, at least. the police and
the guard are supposed To be serv-
ant, II the majority OF the citizens.
Governors and mayors are elected
by the MASSES. Why. then. should
public forces be turned over TO pri-
vatc individuals Tor their personal
advantage. particularly when that
advantage happens 10 be d~isadvan-
tageou> to the common well
Probably the strike breaker is an
anti-social member OF the communi
ty A. a rule he has no political or
economic philosophy whatsoever.
but in any case in which he became
|articulatc he would be forced by the
logic ot the circumstances to assert
that his temporary gain should be
protected even at the expense OF
calamity among the man
Certainly whenever a strike is
broken the city or town, a. a whole,
is worse oil than it was before. Men
and women are added to the list OF
unemployed and there will be an in
cNitable tendency to worse wages
and working conditions all along
the line.
In Toledo the head Of a mercantile
house told me that the strike in the
.Nuto Lite plant was costing his
store a loss OF 20 per cent OF aver
age business every week. | said to
him.
That doesn't surprise me. but the
thing which | can't understand is
why the business men in this town
or any other should take an attitude
of opposition TO the unions and get
up at meetings to dcnpunce outside
agitatorS.
III owned a business here |
would be down on the picket line
with a placard urging the employers
to comply with the demands of the
workers. The success oi your store
depends upon the purchasing power
OF the people oi the city. Just out
Of sclf-interest YOU can't afford to
have the mcn lose
think the same theory holds good
III san Francisco The guardsmen
and the police are supported by the
taxpayers who will be assessed in
order to win a victory for the own
ers Of steamship lines and thereby
lower the general standard OF living
and the general prosperity of all
concerned with the exception OF a
lew owners engaged i'll the industry
now under fire.
! even doubt whether the immedi-
ate employers gain much success
in breaking a strike. Any such re-
suit must be among the most pyrr-
hic OF victories.
Strike-breakers are expensive, IN
efficient and unreliable. In the long
run III wager that many a cost sheet
will show that it would have been
lar more profitable Tor the stock
holders to have granted the union
demands at the beginning.
have heard a few ill-iniormcd
and sentimental folk picture the
strike-brcakcr as a rugged american
who was fighting for the cause OF
individual liberty and the freedom
Of every man to work at whatever
craft he may choose Tor his own.
The strike-breaker is not like that
He sells his hirthrieht Tor a lew
meager and immediate pieces OF
silver and heighlens his " chances