STRANGE INTERLUDE now Page ACCION Friday, January 17, 1947 OFFICERS, UPW CIO LOCAL 713 Francisco Arauz UPW CIO INTERNATIONAL EXECUTIVE President JUNIOR CIO Graham Lewis BOARD HEARS PANAMA REPORT. 1st Vice President Alfonso Alexis. 2nd Vice Pres.
By HUGH ADAMS BOB WEINSTEIN, INTERNATIONAL DIRECTOR OF Teodoro Nolan Secretary Treasurer ORGANIZATION PRESENTS STROBEL REPORT In the November issue of Cespedes Burke. Recdg. Corresp. Secy.
the NEGRO DIGEST Orson INTERNATIONAL REPRESENTATIVES NEW YORK, January 13. The UPW CIO highest Welles give his impression of legislative and authoritative body, the International Executive American discrimination. He Strobel International Vice Pres. Board, today heard a comprehensive report on its Panama Ca stated that the American people Edward Cheresh. Regional Director nal afiliate, Local 713, written and forwarded by International have been making trouble right Vice President Strobel through their entire history in ACCION The report was presented by Robert Weinstein, Internatio the field of social justice.
nal Director of Organization of the UPW CIO, as one of the They deliberately took away Published every week by Local 713, most important problems to receive the attention of the 29 the Negro from his native land United Public Workers of America, CIO man Executive Board which is composed of the Union top and placed him in bondage.
leaders throughout the United States.
They also have the Chinese and Teodoro Nolah. Acting Editor The Executive Board is expected to order full steam ahead American Indians on their cons Frank Thompson.
Circulation on Canal Zone problems and to instruct the officers to place cience. One of the gravest Aptdo. 1709, Panama, Drawer Balboa, their major concentration on the solution of the miserably low forms of this discrimination is wages and intolerable working and living conditions of the the lynching of Negroes in the Vo! PANAMA, No. UPW brother members in the Panama Canal.
South Bob Weinstein, who is coming to Panama in person Ja In the Canal Zone the discriEDITORIAL nuary 16th to speak at the Atlantic and Pacific side mass minating system is desired for meetings, will give a full report on this matter to the mem the purpose of ensuring what The Sanctity of the Home a term used bership of Local 713.
is called white supremacy. Let give Director Weinstein a real welcome by turning however, this must be stopped.
quite often in circles where people have learnt to regard their hovels or penthouses as the one out 100 at the parades and mass meetings in the Canal Zo Ia two letters appearing in the ne on Open Forum Of place where each may enjoy a decent measure the Panama Tribune, of privacy in this busy and busybody world, is Jan. 5, one writer stated she somehow rather foreign to several persons in was ashamed to be an Ameri.
the employ of the Government in these can citizen while another departs. Some of these persons are in responsible The Christian custom of ob In several units the ncunced the theory of superiopositions and have been known to be guilty of serving the birth of Christ has foremen have been in the habit rity. In this last the statement was made that such nonsense at violating certain of silver workers rights in spread so far and so wide that of making some attempt the matter of housing.
most of the world population sharing the Xmas spirit with would be easily seen through Particular reference is now made the have entered into the spirit of the Silver workers. For ins when equal education is provided for all the occasion and generally look tance, the gold supervisors male and female bachelor quarters on the Canal forward to that time for the and foremen of the Panama As one of the many instanis Zone. Generally, the system employed in the as purpose of greeting each other Canal Storehouses o nthe Paci ces in which this theory signment of quarters to unmarried workers pro affectionately and presenting fic Side contributed from their Sugar Child Robinson, year private funds towards holding vides a wide avenue for dissatisfaction by its ab gifts to those they esteem. spree for the storehouse old Negro boogie woogie pianormal contribution to the maladjustment of so strange things do happen. In Silver employees. It is said nist, whose salary is many of the workers. An applicant is unaware of many sections of the country that there was much merriment 7, 500 per week.
the life he or she may be forced to lead since he in many business houses enter at the affair and that those our foremen and variably shares a small room with someone whom into the spirit of the occasion attending did succeed in ap by all of This myself.
he does not know. If there is any indication that and we know of one such store preciating the gesture.
where the employee gets 00 appreciation was voiced in a much unpleasantness will be experienced with for each year of service in ad written note to the supervisors But, as a follow up to this that person he has the alternative of refusing dition to anyone of the many by one of the silver repre expression of pride in the good acceptance of the quarters, regardless of his im articles on sale. There is no sentatives in which it was hoped work produced by the silver mediate needs. Worst still is the fact that, after doubt as to the effects produ that the gesture of friendliness workers, only 44 of approximately 317 of them were recomhaving lived in any of these rooms for a long ced on the worker by such hu would continue.
Interviews When the note was placed on mended for wage increases; period of time, one must be subjected to similar held with the management the bulletin board it bore ad that is, less than 15 of them anxiety over the possible acquisition of new there revealed that no labor ditional notes from the Super were doemed eligible for ad roommates under the assignment system. In this trouble has ever been expe intendent and one of the Super ditional pay.
he has no voice. Long experience has taught us rienced there and no complaints visors, which read as follows: Is this not a strange interluhas ever been registered that. However, it appears that this problem and by Superintendent: de indeed any customer against any of We are proud of our emploothers arising out of this condition are not the workers. On the other hand, yees for the good work they enough. The inconveniences suffered in this di the Panama Canal has never been doing and hope they conrection have been rising in so strange and sud been known to extend a word continue. Happy New Year to den and a crescendo that certain colored female of greeting to the thousands Supervisors: What To Do With The sentiments expressed by bachelors are definitely ill at ease since they have vitally tied up with the operathe Supt, is generally reflected reason to fear the avenues from which protecYour ACCION tion should be forthcoming.
It has been reported that the female occu plained that it was the habit of this official to First you buy it: that is pants of House 920, La Boca are enjoying the enter the rooms whenever it struck his fancy and the only way in which you can.
minimum of privacy ever since they were herd that on one ocássion he ordered the janitor to dis that is the only way in which ed in from other emergency quarters. This house pose of some food intended to be used for supper you can own it honestly.
is jutted in between the La Boca Commissary and by one of the occupants. Another reported that Then you read it for if you a long line of male bachelor quarters. The win a white policeman entered the building and de don t, you wouldn know dows open either into the wonderfully crowded manded information on why she did not keep what going on in the Union.
thoroughfare or to the inspection of the male her door closed, while yet another tall, white man friends who are union bachelor. So it is that the girls find it impossible lost no time in absconding when he pushed open members; those who are mem.
to aid the poor ventilation by using their win a door and found the occupant at home.
bers already have theirs. The dows. This is a serious matter and provides no We suppose some persons are probably hav foremen on the job are some end of embarrassment.
ing fun at the expense of these defenseless woof the people you can pass For several days these women have had to men. However, there is more seriousness in the know about you just as much your ACCION to. He needs to use the bath facilities on one floor while those matter than meets the eye. The continuance of as you need to know about on the other were being repaired. The stairs are such incidents is something this Union cannot him.
all on the outside of the building and in full view afford to pass without notice. Then, the intrud4. Then you let your editor of the public. All this in a recently reconstructed ers who are probably suffering from some form know you you feel about your building: of anxiety over the quarters should realize that what you like about it and The walls in each room are used by the Dis there is also danger in the situation as regards improvement.
trict Quartermaster as bulletin boards on which their personal reputation. In view of the fact large NO COOKING signs are placed, while that sex maniacs, cleptomaniacs and other perthe focks on the doors can be opened by all the sons suffering from abnormal desires come in keys on the building with little effort. One girl various sizes, shapes and ages, one cannot be quite BUY YOUR COPY complained that the District Quartermaster or certain of the motives of officials who regard OF ACCION one of his agents removed a special padlock she their duties to the extent that they interfere WEEKLY had installed on her door, while another com with the privacy of others.
not BIBLIOTECA NACIONAL ERNESTO CASTILLERO