Filipino forum. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1928-196?, 1953-09-01

of whole-hearted support for our
union in the different national
minority groups within their re-
spective communities. With the
conversion of our building to fur
nish adequate facilities for the
youth, to meet their social needs,
we can face the future with great
er confidence that our ties with
the community are cemented in
mutual understanding.
The Union has gone on record
to give to the youth Friday night
of each week the use of the Union
auditorium free of charge so that
they could have a place to go and
conduct their activities.
This step was taken with the
recognition that today young work
ers are faced with all the problems
of youth of every generation, am
plified by the present war danger,
and government war preparation,
in which youth is the main victim.
Youth needs jobs, education, eco
nomic security, organization, anG
above all, PEACE. In particular,
the young workers from minority
communities are faced with the
special problems of discrimination
Jim-crow and prejudice take their
toll from these young people with
special job problems, lower living
standards, less chance of school
ing, and greater health hazards,
the least of which is the brutal ex-
pendability of Negro and minority
troops in Korea.
Responsibility To The Youth
Who bears first responsibility
to the nations youth? The work
ing class, from which the vast ma
iority of them come, and in which
the vast majority of them will live
out their days; the class from
which they will soon inherit the
tasks of production of the wealth
of our land.
1t may be argued that the pre-
sent policy of most unions, a policy
of disregard for the youth, which
is in existence today, is for the
protection of the security of the
older workers. But on the contrary,
it is becoming plain that this policy
works in reverse. The real threat
to the security of our older work
ers lies in Wall Streets intention
to use the youth, first as cannon
fodder, but secondly as a huge
non-union labor force with which
to destroy today's militant unions.
The only protection against this
threat is for Labor to seize the
offensive and win the youth to
trade unionism. We need only look
back at the mistakes recorded in
the history of American labor to
recognize this salient truth; to see
that the old policy has never work
ed. Labor today must acknowledge
that today's battle to protect our
very right to organize, such
policy must be rejected, and new,
bold efforts made to win the youth.
Youth Participates In All Struggles
The struggle of youth in differ
ent countries which have thus far
been liberated from the oppression
of their imperialist master clearly
demonstrates we cannot separate
the youth from the people; that
youth will participate in all the
peoples struggles, because youth
is the time of growing, and of NOV
ing forward. Youth possesses that
precious energy and determination
for change which puts heart into
all struggles. Just imagine what
a tremendous force and vitality
the millions of youth in this coun-
try can bring into the labor move
ment, to strengthen its fighting
potential.
We view with great concern,
the role of the reactionary labor
takers who have sold labor to Wall
Street, have led most of organized
labor to turn its back on this re-
sponsibility and leave the youth
prey to the m os blood-thirsty
schemes of Wall Street.
1t is true that the task of the
labor movement is to make jobs
for the youth. Under this system
of society where the creation of
jobs is left to the sole discretion
of the owners of industry, and de-
pending on whether or not they
have markets for their products,
the labor movement has a special
role to perform. First, we must
demand that if industry fails to
/ DrOVidp iOhs for the vOuth il ia