Strikers' Statement

Before we arrived the tramway employees had been on strike, and before we left the "radio announcers at all major stations in the city were out, with the usual pickets on duty. We even had the experience of seeing our hotel picketted during one lunch-hour, because Schwellenbach, the United States Secretary of Labour, was to address a group of business men there at luncheon. A line of pickets marched past with placards asking, "Schwellenbach, are you Secretary of Labour or Management?" I was particularly interested to see negroes in the picket line, One handed me a duplicated sheet, from which I quote in part: "Brother Unionists!

"The undersigned Trade Union members and the leaders call upon you to join them in a picket line to protect against labour being baited by the Secretary of Labour. . . . Schwellenbach is one of those 'liberals' who has betrayed the memory of Roosevelt. These liberals' rode to power on the coat tails of Roosevelt and the people's movement. . . . Schwellenbach has recommended that the employers have the right of 'free speech.' That means the Wagner Act shall be amended to permit the shipowners and all employers to intimidate the union members and dp anything they can to scare everybody out of the unions. Right now this is prohibited by the Wagner Act ... he raved and ranted that the unions should not have the right to elect anyone who might be suspected of being a Communist. As a matter of fact lie even called for outlawing the Communist Party. Union men know that anyone who fights milltantly for labour is labelled a "Red" by the employers and stooges in Congress. Labour knows that red-baiting will not bring down high prices, build houses for our veterans, will not keep the country from going into an economic tail spin. The unions must be preserved, labour baiting and red baiting is unAmerican. Schwellenbach is coming to speak in San Francisco today.... He will spew some more of his poison there. Join us in a protest."

This sheet is signed by ten union leaders—including one from the Brewery.