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Moe FonerMoe Foner
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I say, “Well, the way we see it playing is that the governor would have to intervene and make a very firm pledge that he would support -- he can't pass it, but he would make it as a campaign promise that he's going to pass the bill in the next session.”

Q:

What exactly was the bill?

Foner:

See, the bill excluded voluntary non-profit institutions from coverage under the state labor law. The state labor laws were modeled after the Wagner Act, so it covers everybody, except that it has an exclusion. So if you're excluded, that's it. That's why the hospitals weren't breaking any law when they didn't deal with the union. The law didn't mandate that they should. So that's to remove the exemption, to amend the law.

He says -- and it's a legitimate question -- he says, “This strike is in the hands of the city. The governor cannot move in over the heads of the city, because if we do, they'll settle it, because they're not going to let us get credit for it.”

So we say, “We have made it clear to the city what our demand is. Our demand is impossible for them to meet.” And we told them.

He says, “No, they can't give you that.” I say, “We will stay with that. We will not move from that so that they can't settle it.” He says, “How do we get the governor in? The governor can't just walk in.”

I said, “What if we provide and prepare a climate for the governor to move in?”

He said, “What do you mean?”

“What if we got every newspaper in New York City to editorially demand that the governor step in to prevent this thing from becoming a race riot, you know, exploding thing?”

He says, “Well, that would be good. Can you do it?”

I said, “We'll try.” Well, obviously, I first called Jimmy Wechsler and Evans Clark -- no, no, Evans Clark was no longer there. I think he's dead by that time. Abe Raskin is then on the editorial board of the Times, and Jimmy Wechsler. I go to Jimmy and say, “What do you think?”

He says, “Try Abe first. I'll call Abe also.”

So I call Abe, and I say, “This is what it is. What do you think about the Times?”





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