The Example of a Successful Strike Leader

KCLabor.org (excerpt)
by Charles Walker

When labor faced awesome challenges in the Depression years, a new, militant leadership in 1934 dramatically transformed an obscure Teamsters local union in Minneapolis. This leadership gained the ranks’ confidence in its ability to use the union’s power to serve the members’ aims and aspirations. Seeing that the union meant business, workers flocked to join it by the hundreds. In short order the union won several strikes, gaining union recognition and wage increases. That was simply astounding, since not a single strike had been won in the city in many years. In time the union helped organize thousands of workers throughout the general trucking industry, and unorganized workers were given a new sense of hope in unionism.

But before it could achieve all that, the union had to prove it had the right stuff, and that meant taking on the city’s bosses, who were determined to keep “their” city, Minneapolis, Minnesota, an open-shop citadel of low wages and intimidated workers. From the city hall to the police department to the local press the bosses maintained a tight grip. When they saw that the Teamsters union, Local 574, had come to life, the bosses attempted frame-ups and red-baiting, they planted stoolpigeons inside the union, they kept in line any firm that might withdraw from their united front, and they got the authorities to deputize armed thugs, who, with the cops, were used as scab herders and strike breakers.

Try as they might, the bosses couldn’t whip the Teamsters local union. And no wonder. The union had discarded the failed policies of the past, and replaced them with policies that were based on the democratic and independent mobilization of the ranks. Those successful policies and methods, tactics and strategies of the union’s new, militant leadership, later were laid out and explained for all workers in a series of four book by Teamster leader Farrell Dobbs entitled Teamster Rebellion, Teamster Power, Teamster Politics, and Teamster Bureaucracy.

Dobbs said the “mainspring” of the revitalized union local’s strength was rank and file control over the union’s policies. There was full freedom of expression for all viewpoints, and on all questions the final authority was the general membership meeting, held twice a month. There were elected stewards at all job sites, and stewards were charged with seeing that the contract was enforced, and the members’ rights were defended. Further, “opposition candidates were accorded equal rights with the incumbents.”

Officers were elected for one year, so that “members had a frequent opportunity to review their performance and decide whether they should be reelected or replaced.” Moreover, all full-time officers and staff were paid the going rate for truck drivers, so that “there was only one class of citizenship in the local.” The result, Dobbs reported, was that Local 574 developed a unique “oneness, which enabled the union to go forward as an effective combat force.”

When it was necessary to strike, a large elected strike committee had full say-so over the strike, with the union’s executive board part of and subordinate to the strike committee. Since the strength of a strike lies in its ability to halt business and profit making, no strike, as a general rule, is stronger than its picket lines, which primarily aim to keep scabs from taking the strikers’ jobs. That means that picket lines have to be organized as a combat force, and just as massive as necessary to make sure the picket line is respected alike by bosses and scabs, as well as judges and cops used as stooges for the bosses. The Minneapolis Teamsters were determined to make sure their picket lines were “respected.” Kept in reserve were mobile units of strikers ready to reinforce a threatened picket line or to halt a truck that slipped through.

Unlike so many of today’s union “leaders” who advocate labor-management partnerships and who whittle down members’ demands to meet the corporation’s competition, the 1934 Teamsters repudiated the class partnership schemes of their time. As Dobbs put it, “The law of the jungle prevails under capitalism. If the workers don’t fight as a class to defend their interests, the bosses will gouge them.” It was the new leaders’ understanding of the diametrically opposed interests of workers and bosses that set them apart from union bureaucrats who insisted that workers must be “responsible” and make sure that the bosses make a “fair” profit so that the boss can pay a “fair” wage.

Today’s union ranks, especially in the wake of new concessionary contracts, often wonder what the union tops get out of it. The answer, said Dobbs, is this: “Bureaucrats don’t look upon the labor movement as a fighting instrument dedicated solely to the workers’ interests; they tend rather to view trade unions as a base upon which to build personal careers as ‘labor statesmen.’ Such ambitions cause them to seek collaborative relations with the ruling class.”

JOHNNY MORRIS TEAMSTERS LOCAL 115. 1 of the Greatest leaders EVER. Phildelphia Pa. Joint Council 53 president and
Pa.Conferance of Teamsters President. R I P We really miss you

WELL I HAVE TO AGREE EVEN THOUGH JOHN GOT CRAZY OVER THE PAST TEN YEARS HE STILL WAS ONE OF THE GREATEST LABOR LEADER TO EVER LIVE. I DON´T THINK MANY PEOPLE CAN DISPUTE THAT WHO HAVE ANY KNOWLEDGE OF JOHN P. MORRIS.... HE ALSO WAS A TREACHOUS INDIVIDUAL AT THE SAME TIME. HIS WRATH SCARED MANY PEOPLE BUT IF WE HAD MORE LIKE HIM OUR LAWS WOULD BE BETTER, GW WOULDN´T BE PRESIDENT AND JC 53 WOULD STILL BE A FORCE TO BE RECONED WITH...........

It´s idiots like the above poster that got Joint Council 53 and Local 115 in the mess we´re in now. Now they´re sorry that that they wrecked the union. Do you have any idea how many jobs you destroyed and how many lives you wrecked? Look at Kurz-Hastings: they´re down to 60 employees from 120 when you lied about those time stealers. There is ony four women left in the entire plant and the whole third shift is GONE! You happy? We´re NOT happy. Look what you´ve done with your lies and stupidity.

Darn you ED!!! Another PRO-LABOR posting!!!

Are you trying to tell us we have to get off OUR dead asses?

I agree. Real gains are won by a fighting active membership.

Nowadays most gains are minimal and given without much of a fight. Thats because employers like to make the "business unionists" look good. This way militancy can´t take hold.

Gives new meaning to "working together" doesn´t it?

JOHN P MORRIS WAS ONE OF THE IF NOT THE GREATEST LABOR LEADERS IN THE HISTORY OF THE LABOR MOVEMENT HE WAS FEARED BY MANY IN PHILA PENNA ESPECIALLY THE OTHER UNIONS AND POLITIANS SINCE HE PASSED ON THE PHILA TEAMSTERS ARE ALL BROKEN DOWN AND WEAK JUST LIKE THERE POOR EXCUSE FOR A LEADER FRANK GILLEN

I GUESS WHEN YOU TELL THE TRUTH YOU BECOME AN IDOT.......

AS A MEMBER OF JC 53 AND AN OFFICER FOR ALMOST 15 YEARS I THINK I HAVE SOME QUALIFICATIONS TO SPEAK ABOUT JOHN MORRIS.

IF JOHN WOULD OF KNOWN WHEN TO RETIRE EVERYONE OF YOU WHO HAVE BEEN POSTING BS WOULD OF BUILT A STATUE OF HIM. BUT ALONG WITH HIS POSITIVE CAME NEGATIVES AND MANY PEOPLE FELT THE WRATH OF HIM INCLUDING TWO OF HIS CLOSEST PEOPLE -- JIM SMITH AND JOE YEOMAN.

JOHN WAS A GREAT LABOR LEADER BUT HIS TACTICS NEVER CHANGED WITH THE TIMES AND THEREFORE HE FELL HARD. I HOPE ONE DAY OUR GREAT COUNCIL AND CONFERENCE HAS A LEADER WITH SUCH VISION AND POLITICAL SAVY TO MAKES US THE POWER HOUSE WE ONCE WERE.. REMEMBER PEOPLE ARE IN PLACES FOR REASONS AND WHEN THE REASONS ARE FULFILLED NEW PEOPLE WILL COME INTO PLACE. TO GO FROM MORRIS TO GILLEN IS FOR A REASON.... JUST THINK ABOUT THERE PERSONALITYS. WHAT WE NEED TO GUIDE US INTO THE FUTURE IS SOMEONE WHO CARRIES A BIG STICK LIKE JOHN DID, BUT AT THE SAME TIME IS QUIET AND MELLOW LIKE GILLEN.
NOW THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH GILLENS DEMEANER BUT WE ALL KNOW HE DOESN´T CARRY A BIG STICK..

PAY ATTENTION TO THE PRESENT SO YOU MAY MAKE THE RIGHT DESICION ON WHO CAN CARRY US INTO THE FUTURE......

ANOTHER JC53 OFFICER

WHO POSTED THE LAST POST JC 53 AGENT???
JOUINT COUNCIL 53 NEEDS A LEADER LIKE BOBBY RYDER WHO LEADS BY EXAMPLE NOT SOMEONE LIKE FRANK GILLEN WHO YOU CAN NOT GET A STAIGHT ANSWER FROM
ANY OFFICER OR MEMBER OF JC 53WHO THINKS GILLEN IS DOING AGOOD JOB AS JC 53 PRES WILL GO DOWN WITH HIM

how so true bob ryder leading by example is true
ryder has at least 100 members at every local meeting
local 463 has equipment ready at a moments notice for strikes and political functions local 500 couldt match this
all this reverts back to gillen and keyser and the way they lead by example does anyone out there acually thinks that FRANK GILLEN IS A POWERFULL LEADER????????

BOB RYDER FOR JOUINT COUNCIL 53 PRESIDENT

What about Dobbs?

PAY ATTENTION TO THE PRESENT SO YOU MAY MAKE THE RIGHT DESICION ON WHO CAN CARRY US INTO THE FUTURE......

they are you can take that to an up state bank

No Opinion, Slant, etc... Just the facts, ma'am!

How can anyone deny the man credit for what he did for fifty years?

http://www.myspace.com/phillyteamsterpride