The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1950-05-11
Green Praises
Zaritsky Record
AT hatters' Meet

New York (LPA)-Few men in
the trade unions mere richly de-
serve the title of labor statesman
than Max Zaritsky, declared AFL
President William Green in his ad-
dress at the seventh convention of
the United Hatters, Cap and Mill
inery Workers. Zaritsky, at 65, is
retiring as president of the union.
Praising Zaritsky's ability, cour-
age, vision and understanding,
Green said "long before his collea-
CUES he saw the danger of dualism
in the union movement and refused
to encourage it. Far ahead of his
times, he sensed the need of i'm
proving the public relations of or
ganized labor and pioneered in that
field. And years before the Taft
Hartley act was adopted, he anti
cipated the reactionary anti-labor
drive and began organizing poll
tical action programs for labor
which are now beginning to bear
fruit" He also praised Zaritsky for
helping keep the AFL free "of the
fatal Communist Infection"
The Hatters' union, Green con-
tinued, is clear-cut object lesson
of the value of labor unity. 'It is
my hope that in the not too dis
tant future the American labor
movement as a whole will follow
your example and merge into a
single, united and really powerful
federation under one roof. That is
the only sure way to guarantee the
permanence, the invincibility and
the continued progress of the trade
union movement in America"
The reactionaries, Green continu-
ed, are counting on voters apathy
in an off-year election, and are
counting labor out. Labor will not
be counted out or knocked out. We
are in this political fight to the
finish. Labor's program is at stake
in the congressional elections of
November T."
Zaritsky, in his report to the
convention, attacked both the 8Oth
and 81st Congress. The 80th, he
said, represented reaction at its
height; the 81st, perhaps reaction
at the beginning of retreat. He at
tackled the industrial and financial
interests for "an orgy of profiteer-
ing, skyrocketing prices, and infla-
ton" since price controls were lift
ed in 1916.
He pointed out that average
weekly earnings in the millinery in
dustry jumped from $22.19 in 1889
to $53.06 in 1949; real wages rose
43.S per cent; real wages in the
cap industry rose 81 per cent, and
in the mems felt hat industry, 1872
per cent.
Tariff cuts have enabled slave
labor countries, he reported, to ship
tremendous quantities of hats here,
with resulting severe unemploy-
ment in some sectors of the indus
try. Zaritsky said it was not the
intent of Congress that Commun-
ist countries behind the iron cur
tain should benefit at the expense
of the American worker.
A similar warning was sounded
by Matthew Woll, AFL vice-pres-
ident, as regards Marshall Plan
aid. He said of ECA that 1--WE are
somewhat apprehensive as to the
methods being applied"
Louis Waldman, labor attorney,
offered San immediate program to
contain communism here and
throughout the world" Two reso-
lutions proposed by left-wing locals
were rejected by the resolutions
committee.
President Truman, in sending
greetings, pointed out that some
locals of the Hatters are 1C0 years
old, and said that reflects "the
soundness of principle and endur
ing stability of the labor move
ment."
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