Part: 123456789         Session: 1         Page na123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495050a51525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135136137138139140141142143144145146147148149150151152153154155156157158159160161162163164165166167168169170171172173174175176177178179180181182183184185186187188189190191192193194195196197198199200201202203204205206207208209210211212213214215216217218219220221222223224225226227228229230231232233234235236237238239240241242243244245246247248249250251252253254255256257258259260261262263264265266267268269270271272273274275276277278279280281282283284285286287288289290291292293294295296297298299300301302303304305306307308309310311312313314315316317318319320321322323324325326327328329330331332333334335336337338339340341342343344345346347348349350351352353354355356357358359358359360361362363364365366367368369370371372373374375376377378379380381382383384385386387388389390391392393394395396397398399400401402403404405406407408409410411412413414415416417418419420421422423424425426427428429430431432433434435436437438439440441442443444445446447448449450451452453454455456457458459460462463464465466467468469470471472473474475476477478479480481482483484485486487488489490491492493494495496497498499500501502503504505506507508509510511512513514515516517518519520521522523524525526527528529530531532533534536537538539540541542 of 542

I don't think much of it. They're not regular labor people. They're on the fringe. They're the froth.”

Jouhaux is a bona fide trade unionist and a good one. In the unions where they had good solid membership, real membership, they'd been very successful with it. He didn't like this business of taking in all these fly-by-nights. But they were even then enlarging the organization. They'd taken over the next building and were breaking through the walls to make new offices, more room.

I said to him, talking about it, “How did they happen to do this? This strike was a queer thing to do. Why did they stay in the shop? Where did they get the idea?”

He said, “Well, it's very natural. It is the weak and incompetent and ineffective who do a thing like that. If they had walked out, the employers could hire anybody they wanted to the next day. They had no organization, no union, no agreement. They would have employed people off the street and they would have been running the store. That would have broken the strike. It wouldn't have lasted. They've struck before and it never lasted. But when they stay there, what can the employers do? There they are, right there. They won't do any work,