Previous | Next
Part: 123456789 Session: 1 Page na123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495050a51525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135136137138139140141142143144145146147148149150151152153154155156157158159160161162163164165166167168169170171172173174175176177178179180181182183184185186187188189190191192193194195196197198199200201202203204205206207208209210211212213214215216217218219220221222223224225226227228229230231232233234235236237238239240241242243244245246247248249250251252253254255256257258259260261262263264265266267268269270271272273274275276277278279280281282283284285286287288289290291292293294295296297298299300301302303304305306307308309310311312313314315316317318319320321322323324325326327328329330331332333334335336337338339340341342343344345346347348349350351352353354355356357358359358359360361362363364365366367368369370371372373374375376377378379380381382383384385386387388389390391392393394395396397398399400401402403404405406407408409410411412413414415416417418419420421422423424425426427428429430431432433434435436437438439440441442443444445446447448449450451452453454455456457458459460462463464465466467468469470471472473474475476477478479480481482483484485486487488489490491492493494495496497498499500501502503504505506507508509510511512513514515516517518519520521522523524525526527528529530531532533534536537538539540541542 of 542
unexpectedly and without any kind of notice, either to Green in the AF of L, or to anybody in the Department of Labor, suddenly burst forth with a program of organizing in the southern textile factories. They adopted what was then a completely new technique. At least, it was new to me, and I think, from the reports I had from our conciliators who had every kind of a strike in the past, that it was new to them. It was called a flying wedge. Really, hardly more than a handful of people - men and women - would go into a mill. They would arrive in an automobile cavalcade. Five care would be enough for a cavalcade - a leading car, and then a v-shaped following, two cars and then two more cars.
They would come into the mill yard with horns blowing, honking, every kind of a noise that as automobile can make, combined with singing and shouting, the waving of hands, flags and banners by the occupants of the cars. They would sort of make an organized and sudden assault upon a mill. The mill would be totally unprepared for it, with no guards, no nothing. They would rush in, would rush through the plant, saying, “Here, here, jcin. Join the union. Get better wages. Get square with the boss. Follow us out into the yard. Come out and show your colors.”
In the meantime, the confused, excited and irate representatives of management would be rushing around,
© 2006 Columbia University Libraries | Oral History Research Office | Rights and Permissions | Help