Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1950-09-15
Regional
Views
By Richard Gosser, Vice President
international UAW-CIO

JUST ABOUT the time this little weekly piece of mine
will reach you, our international Executive Board, which has
been meeting all this week, is getting ready to wind up its
business. we have been discussing many grave problems and
made a number of serious and far reaching decisions AS SOON
as possible. of course, you will be given detailed reports on,
what we have been talking about and about the decisions we
Meanwhile I thought it would be right for me to pass on
to you some of the things that have been going through my
mind in the course of this meeting.
You all know that we have a big union. One of the biggest
In the country and the whole world for that matter. We are
big not only in point of membership, but because our members
occupy such a vital spot in our economic and political life. We
man the vital automobile and aircraft industries. Our people
produce a great bulk of the agricultural equipment so necessary
for modern farming. Our people produce the trucks and will
now start rolling large numbers of tanks from our production
lutely essential. Without these machines we cannot possibly
imagine the continued existance of our country.
vital sector: We are a large part of the entire CLIO. Our people
play a leading role in the decisions made by the top CLIO lead
ers and committees. We help formulate policy. We help lay the
groundwork for political action in every state of the union.
Our union has been a front line advocate of the closest
made great gains in this direction. AT no time since the forma-
ton OF the CLIO has there been such a close working relation
ship between these two great labor organizations as exists
today.
We in UAw-cIo are proud that we helped bring this snua-
ton about. We shall continue to further this cooperation, to
make it more effective. Our union leadership would like moth
ing better than to help bring about complete organic unity be-
tween the large labor movements in our country.
AS LOOK back upon the long years of struggle that lies
behind us; the long years of bitter disappointment and even
tual growth, l feel kind of happy and confident of the future.
For I know what it was like ten or a dozen years ago. I know.
just like so many of you know. how hard we had to work to
build up this great union of ours. I remember, Just like you
do, the bitter strike struggles in Toledo before our unions were
accepted and recognized by the powerful and arrogant employ-(
ers. Who can forget the Minigers of the thirties? Who can ever
forget the bloody Auto-Lite conflict? Who can ever forget all
the other battles we have had to wage and win before we were
able to establish ourselves in our communities.
Well, folks. what happened to us in Toledo happened to
millions OF our fellow workers all over the country. Can we
ever forget our battles in Flint, Detroit, Cleveland and scores
OF other cities against the mighty GIN empire? Or the great
sltdown strikes of '36 and ST? Never. At least I can't. $500
From those little groups of brave men and women we have
grown into a giant. And this young, husky giant is today MAX
ing decisions that will effect the destiny of our country :.
the destiny of the entire world.
OUR PEOPLE ARE ready and willing to play their proper
role in whatever the future may hold in store for us and our
country. We are ready to produce military and civilian goods
to tight for our beliefs to fight for peace and democracy
the world over. II
Our contribution will be a weighty one in this struggle.
But at the same time I must strike a note of warning to
those who are directing the destiny of our nation. Our people
will insist on proper treatment. Our people will insist that the
burdens OF our war effort shall be equally distributed. We will
do everything in our power to make profiteering impossible.
We insist that taxes should be levied in accordance with ability
to pay. Prices are way too high. Wages must be brought UP to
the point where there is some semblance of equality between
the earnings OF our people and the prices they have to pay for
the things they need. ~
excess profits tax. This should be done NOW, not next year.
our Constitution, our Bill of Rights especially, must be pre- =
erved. The introduction Of totalitarian restrictions on our civil
rights. no matter how good intentioned it may be, will only de-
feat our purpose. y
We cannot fight for freedom in the world unless. by ex-
ample, we have freedom in our own land.