November 27, 1937 SOCIALIST APPEAL General Motors Throws Koci, West Coast Militant, Down Gauntlet; Workers Menaced by Deportation Answer With Sit Downs SAN FRANCISCO Support of (Left Wing. His defense is bea wide campaign to stop the de ing conducted by the By Conveyor portation of Frank Koci, well At the first hearing of the case, known west coast waterfront the extremely contradictory naDETROIT Without a dissenting vote, the conference of UAW representatives in militant, is being urged here by ture of Dodson testimony left. General Motors plants rejected the new agreement proffered them by the manufac the Northern California Branch no alternative to the inspector in turers. There was no other possible course. Acceptance or any manner of concilia Union. The union is calling upon missal of the case to the Labor tion with this agreement would have spelled the beginning of the end of the United labor organizations everywhere Department in Washington.
Automobile Workers of America.
to adopt resolutions protesting But the Labor Department the threatened deportation and doesn confine itself to facta After six months of negotia. tions, Messrs. Knudsen and Sloan boss had the effrontery to offer the bureaucratic constitutions alone that will enforce file after a period of bureaucratic to send copies of the resolutions when it wants to rid the country to the Labor Department at of a militant worker. It simply and suppression. It would have Washington.
sent the case back to San Franunion an agreement which vi keep bureaucrats in power! oriented the workers to vigorous tiated everything gained in the Koci is the victim of a frame up cisco for another hearing, this strike action. At this point how attempt to rid the West Coast of time appointing Red baiter Meads great strikes of last year. Not Leaders Try to Shift ever, Walter Reuther word is mentioned about incame to militant, foreign born unionists. as the inspector charge. Mr Responsibility the rescue of the despairing Mar. He is a member of the Marine Meads understood the hint and creased cost of living. No reference is made to shorter hours to absorb the growing army of to portray the reaction of the erstwhile leader of the opposi complaint filed by Carmen Joan other lies that Koci had adLittle description is required stooges. Reuther prestige as Cooks and Stewards, Union. He put the two arresting officers op was arrested May 14, 1936 on a the stand. They confirmed each unemployed in the auto indus delegates to the agreement. In tion forces saved the Administry. No provisions are made to deed so strong was the opposi tration from a crushing defeat. Dodson, who besides acting as mitted the charges against him establish corporation wide seni tion that elaborate parliamentary Nevertheless at least 20 per cent a stool pigeon for the labor de were true. Presto! the Labor De ority to counter act the tendency maneuvering was necessary be of the delegates voted to dismiss partment has the distinction of partment had what it wanted of decentralization of General fore the chairman of the bar the committee. For the first having been a pupil of Isadora recommendation for deportation, It is interesting to note that Motors plants. No improvements gaining committee, William time, a goodly section of the mili Duncan. She is the former wife are made in the faulty shop stew. Dowell. could get the floor to re tants was to see that Reuther of Kid McCoy, and now teaches not a word has been uttered about ard system now current. In other port. Dowell shifted responsibili opposition was shammed in order (the sign says so) revolution this frame up in the Western ary dancing.
Worker or any of the other :words, not a single one of the ty for the agreement onto the to cover up the dirty work of the demands presented to the cor. Trank and file, accusing it of not Martin crowd. This lesson will In her complaint she charged And Carmen Joan is no slouch. Communist Party sheets.
It is obvious from the way this. poration by the conference of bringing pressure to bear on stick. workers last June are even General Motors.
From this point on, the con former Communist, and now a bor Department wants Koci out that Koci was an alien agitator, case has developed that the Laas much as recognized let alone But he forgot to state that the ference dragged. compromise Trotskyite preaching teaching of the country and will not be granted.
GEB condemned the only type was reached on seating a of effective pressure: strike. Had tion of the Flint delegation which throw of the United States Gov and vigorous action on the part und advocating the violent over easily dissuaded. Only immediateCompany Agreement not the bargaining committee and had been unseated by manipula ernment.
of workers everywhere will be Unacceptable the GEB, as far back as Septem tions of the Martin machine. ber 15th, voluntarily granted the lengthy disjointed discussion on bail raised by the Socialist Party in the department plans.
Koci is now free under 1, 000 able to throw a monkey wrench Were the UAW even to con very rights to discipline militants decentralization ensued to sidesider uccepting the agreement as which they now nserted into track action burning quesa starting point for bargaining. the agreement? Didn G. tions before the conference. Aby a sit down in the foundry at statement that the conferit would have the struggle of its proceed enforce this newly proposal to organize the Cadillac plant. The days and ence was the beginning of the one or life to jack it up to the miser granted privilege by penalizing two hour sit down nationally as weeks to come will probably see end of factionalism in the UAW able agreement of last February. a worker in at least one plant in a protest against GM decentral a wave of such defensive actions brought Reuther to his feet with The new contract begins by in Detroit? And didn Martin re ization plans was introduced as throughout the General Motors three cheers for the President.
Corporation.
No questions were asked concerncorporating the provisions of the fuse to sanction strikes in the the only contribution of the Uniinfamous letter agreed to last Turnstedt plants in Detroit and ty Group to the conference. ginning to dawn upon ever broad or instituting a military policy.
The realization is slowly being the restoration of democracy, and by the GÉB of the union and pite overwhelmingly favorable as a demonstration is vitiated by er sections of auto workers that The Unity boys were dreaming reinstatement on their the bargaining committee. This votes? How could the member its obvious purpose to quiet the only a rank and file group armed about letter gave the company the right ship possibly have applied pres dissatisfied delegates.
Nothing would please the soto discipline all workers engaged sure on the company in face of in socalled unauthorized strikes such an attitude from their own ing speech from Homer Martin, must be coupled with a campaign than a patch up on the top. Not After a long, windy, bluster off the attacks of General MoAnd further, this policy called Communist party better sitdowns, slowdowns, stop leadership?
in which he indicated that he for rank and file control of the that they want unity for the sake pages, etc.
To this is added a On the other hand, local union was ready to make peace with UAW. That such a group is not of a fighting policy and rank rider. After the union militant meetings were deluged with op: the Unity Group, a the Unity Group has been abund and file control. Just the conis fired by the company, he is to timistic reports of progress stooge made a motion to adjourn. antly demonstrated at the Gen trary. Gebert in the October be expelled by the union! Failure made in negotiations. On the Once again Anderson threw a eral Motors Conference and the Communist writes that policy of to comply with this provision is very day the General Motors monkey wrench into the calcula entire period following the con the Communist party is against deemed sufficient reason for im Conference opened, the United tions of the machine by a motion vention.
unauthorized strikes. This is mediate a hrogation of the agree Automobile Worker, official or to continue the conference for a ment. No duex are to be collected kan of the UAW, appeared with third day and settle down to tors disciplinary powers in the reactionary in the UAW con The letter giving General Mo the shield behind which every or members solicited on company the statement that negotiations cases. And once again Walter plants sent by the Executive cealed his real class collaborapremises. The corporation deter between the union and the cor: Reuther saved Martin and Co: Board on September 15th was tion program. If any one group the unions, specifically excluding where. tentative agreement on personal influence to carry a which includes the two leaders strikes, says Gebert, it is the salaried employees and other the main points in the amend motion to give Martin and the of the Unity Group, Walter Reu Lovestoneites. This should make categories from the scope of the ment of their contract been GEB the power to call another ther and Windham Mortimer. a horse laugh. The entire camagreement. Employees are to be reached.
conference within 60 days.
permitted to settle their grievhardly possible that The issue of the Conveyor, organ paign against shop action in the ances individually with foremen Martin and Co. expected to cram Conference Results in of the West Side Local, appear UAW was wholeheartedly aple ing immediately before the proved if not instigated by the or even directly with the manage the above mentioned agreement Sit Down Wage conference gives back handed Lovestoneites.
ment. If space permitted, we down the throats of the delesupport to the letter. No conwould go indefinitely enumer gates. The truth of the matter The adjournment of the Gen. cessions, it declares, granted Rank and File Movement.
ating the outrageous features of is that Martin himself was as: eral Motors Conference without to the company should become efthe contract. But before we leave tonished at the agreement. The the adoption of any concrete pro fective until the entire agreement Necessary it, we will call the reader atten entire tenor of his remarks to posals is far from a victory for is ratifed. This applies particu The Lovestoneites have stoogtion to the section which states: the conference was that of the the Martin bureaucracy. True, larly to the letter. Louis Spisak, ed for Martin and Frankensteen The union agrees during the maiden who had been misled and the fact that the auto workers Pres. of Fisher Body Local 45 of in every reactionary policy in the existence of this agreement no betrayed. An examination of the must fend for themselves in face Cleveland and leading member recent period. They approved Authority of the International that they banked on their newly since the strike, will create con chorus declaring that the letter papers, applauded his letter toi Union.
acquired respectability as a siderable hardship. But the re was the most practical move we General Motors, defended Martin At the Milwaukee convention means of wangling some conces pudiation of the corporation could have made. United Auto for drawing a gun on a rank and of the UAW, George Addes and sions from the corporation. And contract takes a millstone off bile Worker, Nov. 13th. file delegation and denounced the ather leading members of the the inevitable complement of a their necks. With the letter to delegation as irresponsible hood United Group combined with the policy of currying favor with the General Motors consigned to its Martin and Reuther lums, etc. etc. etc. The Stal Martin clique to put this clause bosses is lying to the workers to proper place the wastebasket Make Up inists covet the Lovestoneitar in the constitution over the op keep them from strike action. the auto workers are now free positions and given half a chance position of a group of militant to repel the company attack in Throughout the entire fall the would go to such length members led by Bert Cochran of Move to Dismiss preparation for the time when season when the plants were as to make Martin present Cleveland. Why did General MoCommittee they can make a concerted na working on the 1938 models and stooges look like progressive tors insert this clause into its tion wide counter attack. GM could not afford a strike, unionists.
Agreement when it was already The reception given the report The change in the situation Martin policy of respectabili The rank and file can expect in the UAW Constitution? Ob of the committee stewardship was immediately apparent. No ty and responsibility was sup nothing from the Unity Group viously because the union bureau was inevitable and deserved. sooner had the conference ended plemented by the restraining but new capitulations. Certainly cracy is too feeble to enforce this motion by John Anderson, than a renewed outbreak of sit hand of the Unity Group whose it can expect no policy of strug.
odious proptsion. In this case militant representative from downs made the front pages of deliberate policy was do nothing sle. The resistance to General General Motors becomes the pol Fleetwood, to dismiss the bar the local press. At the time of until the elections were over. Motors and the organization cemen of the UAW constitution. gaining committee, met with this writing, over 17, 000 work Rumors were rife during the two the Ford Motor Company depende What morg proof is needed to thunderous applause. rebuke ers are involved in a strike in day conference that Martin in great part upon a strong rente how that in the final analysis it of this kind would have re estab Pontiac. In the last few days, was about to patch up his quarrelland file movement based on pre economic pressure from the lished the power of the rank and some 3, 000 workers were affected with Reuther. Indeed Martin Igressive militant principles.