1

Couzens for municipal ownership of street cars. A meeting of New York Auto Workers on strike was addressed by August

Local 127 also took action as being unalterably opposed to the use of returned soldiers as strike-breakers by ordering all members who were members of the American Legion to resign from the Legion within thirty days or pay a fine of $100, and forbidding any members of the union to join the Legion on penalty of a fine of $100. The recommendation was

made that those who desired to belong to a service organization join the private soldiers' and sailors' legion. "The amendment was adopted," we are told, "after it had been alleged that the Legion had been used to break the strikes of the Boston policemen, Kansas miners, and New York longshoremen, and also because Legion Posts had taken action that 'violated the constitutional right of free speech and assemblage.'

One of the objects of the Auto Workers' organization is, "To endeavor to replace strikes by arbitration and conciliation in settlement of all disputes concerning wages and

1. Auto Workers' News, March 18, 1920.

2. "Report of Organizer Rohan," The Auto Worker, Jan., 1920. 3. The Auto Workers' News, March 11, 1920.

4. "Detroit Local News, The Auto Worker, January, 1920.

conditions of employment."1

It is obligatory upon all Local

2

Unions to insert an arbitration clause in all contracts." However, there is no carefully worked out machinery of arbitration, such as is found in the garment trades.

The official journal of the Auto Workers prints regularly a declaration containing this clause: "We make absolutely no claim as a revolutionary organization, nor do we promise workers the world with a wire fence around it if they will join our organization." William A. Logan, the General

President, says: "We do not claim that we are going to remodel society or usher in the dawn of the co-operative commonwealth. We have no social revolution ready to hand the workers for a 13 five-dollar initiation fee and a few months' dues. ganizer says, "We make no windy promises, but the results gained make a noise in the envelopes of the workers."4

An or

Nevertheless, the general constitution begins by recognizing, "That there can be no peace in industry as long as the present system of distribution of the products of Labor exists; that any system that makes it possible for a small non-producing class to amass millions, while the large producing class eke out a bare existence, is unfair; that these conditions can be changed; that a more equitable and democratic distribution of the wealth created by Labor can ..5

be established.

1. Constitution, @ 4.

2. Ibid, e 74.

3. William A. Logan, "Who and What We Are.

4. "Report of Organizer Ben Blumenberg," The Auto Worker

February, 1920.

5. Constitution, Preamble.