He successfully led the labor movement that pushed for equal treatment of labor workers’ despite the terrible economic condition. John L. Lewis. I have had prepared for me an analysis of the actions of the San Francisco convention upon all matters upon which they took action. [33] As I talk to you now, 21,000 of our members are on strike in the State of Alabama – not on strike, they are locked out, and the operators will not accept wage increases negotiated in the Appalachian Joint Wage Conference, which they are obligated to do. [8] On page 28 of the Executive Council’s report we find that 226 local trade unions were organized during the year and forty-six Federal labor unions were organized during the same period, making a total of 272 – 272 new unions against 586 that died gives you a mortality, net, of 314 Federal labor unions. The majority members of that Council say that that is their understanding and interpretation of the resolution passed at San Francisco. He successfully led the labor movement that pushed for equal treatment of labor workers despite the terrible economic condition. Now, when he goes down there he goes as the representative of perhaps three and one-half million American working men. There is a perfect answer why none of these things was done. John Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020) was an American politician, statesman, and civil rights activist and leader who served in the United States House of Representatives for Georgia's 5th congressional district from 1987 until his death in 2020. The economic well-being and the dream of the future of millions of Americans are involved in the question of whether the American Federation of Labor will be able to devise policies that will permit it to function in a manner that will achieve its own objectives, not the objectives of someone else, but the declared objectives of the American Federation of Labor since the first day it was organized – the objectives of organizing the unorganized. For six days and almost six nights the Committee on Resolutions at San Francisco wrestled with this problem, and earnest men, in equity and in good conscience, applied themselves to the proposition and the problem of compromising what had seemed before to be two extreme viewpoints. 2001-present, Bella Abzug [37] How long does anyone think the United Mine Workers of America will be satisfied with that policy? [28] Well, a year ago at San Francisco I was a year younger and naturally I had more faith in the Executive Council. Quoting from page 95 of the report of the Executive Council, under the sub-heading, “Progress of Organization in Mass Production Industries,” the following appears: “One thousand, eight hundred and four Federal labor unions were organized during the past two years.”. JOHN L. LEWIS, “SPEECH AT THE FIFTY-FIFTH ANNUAL CONVENTION OF THE AMERICAN FEDERATION OF LABOR,” (16 OCTOBER 1935) Mr. Chairman and delegates of the convention – I rise to support the minority report as presented to this convention by Delegate Howard. And I might say to you that because of circumstances in Alabama prevailing in several counties there is no adequate system of public relief there or Government relief, and our people are suffering, and they are suffering, in its final essence, by the fact that the American Federation of Labor, for some reason or other, has failed after all these years of experimentation to organize the iron and steel workers and establish collective bargaining in that industry. [23] I happen to know that in the rubber industry there are literally thousands of men employed who either were former members of the United Mine Workers of America or are the sons of former members of the United Mine Workers of America and who believe in the industrial form of organization because they were reared in that atmosphere. The Executive Council report says that is has done so because there has been turmoil in the Amalgamated Association, an organization of six or eight thousand men. [49] Is it right, after all, that because some of us are capable of forging great and powerful organizations of skilled craftsmen in this country that we should lock ourselves up in in our won domain and say, “I am merely working for those who pay me”? There is the answer. 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