Congress of Industrial Organizations

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Congress of Industrial Organizations

United States 1938

Synopsis

Formed in 1935 as a group within the American Federation of Labor (AFL), the Committee for Organization (CIO) clashed with its parent organization for the next several years. The leaders of the CIO felt that the organization must begin to recognize the masses of unskilled workers in large industries such as steelmaking and automobile manufacturing, whereas the AFL remained committed to its craft unionism approach, in which only skilled workers were organized. These ideological differences gradually were accompanied by a power struggle between leaders of the two groups. The AFL leadership finally expelled the CIO and its member unions in 1937, opening the way for the CIO to create its own federation. At a constitutional convention held in Pittsburgh from 14 to 18 November 1938, the CIO changed its name to the Congress of Industrial Organizations and took its place as a significant national labor federation.

Timeline

1922: Published this year James Joyce's novel Ulysses and T. S. Eliot's poem The Waste Land will transform literature and inaugurate the era of modernism.
1927: American inventor Philo T. Farnsworth demonstrates a working model of the television, and Belgian astronomer Georges Lemaître proposes the Big Bang Theory.
1932: In German elections, Nazis gain a 37 percent plurality of Reichstag seats, raising tensions between the far right and the far left. On a "bloody Sunday" in July, communists in Hamburg attack Nazis with guns, and a fierce battle ensues.
1937: Italy signs the Anti-Comintern Pact, signed by Germany and Japan the preceding year. Like the two others before it, Italy now withdraws from the League of Nations.
1937: Japan attacks China and annexes most of that nation's coastal areas.
1937: Stalin uses carefully staged show trials in Moscow to eliminate all rivals for leadership. These party purges, however, are only a small part of the death toll now being exacted in a country undergoing forced industrialization, much of it by means of slave labor.
1937: In the middle of an around-the-world flight, Amelia Earhart and her plane disappear somewhere in the Pacific.
1937: Crash of the Hindenburg in Lakehurst, New Jersey, kills 36 and ends the brief era when rigid airships promised to be the ocean liners of the skies.
1937: Pablo Picasso paints his famous Guernica mural dramatizing the Nationalist bombing of a town in Spain. Thanks to artists and intellectuals such as Picasso and Ernest Hemingway, the Loyalists are winning the battle of hearts and minds, even if they are weaker militarily, and idealistic young men flock from America to join the "Abraham Lincoln Brigade." Yet as George Orwell later reveals in Homage to Catalonia, the lines between good and evil are not clear: with its Soviet backing, the Loyalist cause serves as proxy for a totalitarianism every bit as frightening as that of the Nationalists and their German and Italian supporters.
1942: Axis conquests reach their height in the middle of this year. The Nazis control a vast region from Normandy to the suburbs of Stalingrad, and from the Arctic Circle to the edges of the Sahara. To the east, the Japanese "Co-Prosperity Sphere" encompasses territories from China to Burma to the East Indies, stretching deep into the western Pacific.
1947: The Marshall Plan is established to assist European nations in recovering from the war.
1952: Among the cultural landmarks of the year are the film High Noon and the book The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison.

Event and Its Context

Background of the AFL-CIO Split

The American Federation of Labor (AFL) had been butting heads with the Committee for Industrial Organization (CIO) since the formation of the latter in 1935. The CIO was founded as a result of the AFL's failure to organize unskilled workers. Prominent members of AFL member unions, particularly John L. Lewis of the United Mine Workers of America (UMW), thought the time was right to organize under the banner of industrial unionism. This prompted the committee's founding members and its staff to act with an underlying urgency. With the creation of the CIO, national union membership was no longer restricted to skilled tradesmen or craftsmen. The CIO accepted unskilled workers; furthermore, it assisted in organizing among marginalized groups, specifically new immigrants, African Americans, and women. Union prohibitions against admitting members of these groups were otherwise conventional. "The CIO was clearly the most rigorous, expansive, and inclusive force that the mainstream labor movement had produced in over fifty years," wrote Robert H. Zieger.

The AFL executives, according to Walter Galenson, saw the CIO as "a challenge to the supremacy of the American Federation of Labor." Despite this perceived threat, AFL leaders, including William Green, the organization's president, remained steadfast in their conviction that industrial unionism was a waste of time and resources. Lewis was just as determined to see the CIO succeed.

By the fall of 1936, the AFL tired of the upstarts in what was supposed to be a union committee. At a UMW convention that same year, Lewis said the CIO would not back down from organizing. "[A]ll the members of the Executive Council of the American Federation of Labor will be wearing asbestos suits in hell before that committee [CIO] is dissolved." The executives took the challenge.

Unions Rebuked, then Revoked

Attempts to negotiate a truce between the factions were short-lived. All the CIO unions were expelled from the AFL in March 1937 for "betraying the union cause." CIO founding members Charles Howard and David Dubinksy had hoped for reconciliation with the AFL. Each group wanted to be dominant in the event of a merger. "The issue was no longer, if it ever had been in reality, industrial unionism versus craft unions. It was a contest for power," wrote Rhea Dulles Foster and Melvyn Dubofsky. "The welfare of labor as a whole was sacrificed to the rivalries of stubborn self-willed ambition."

The AFL executive council formally revoked the charters of the UMW; the Mine, Mill, and Smelter Workers; and the Federation of Flat Glass Workers in January 1938. That April, the charters of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America (ACWA); the Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel, and Tinworkers; the United Textile Workers; the United Automobile Workers (UAW); the United Rubber Workers; and the Oil Field Workers were revoked by the AFL. The International Ladies' Garment Workers Union (ILGWU) charter was not.

In its first two years, the CIO had made marked achievements in organizing. It had decided in 1937 to abandon what were considered militant actions, such as sit-down strikes. Instead, its leaders began to rely on legislation from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to gain new contracts. Also, late that same year, Lewis reorganized the union executive office. Many of his family members were given key roles within the union administration. This obviously gave more credence to the statement, "John L. Lewis is the CIO." But he was losing interest in the organization he had helped create and was actually spending more time on UMW activities.

The CIO was moving toward the creation of a new labor federation, thanks to its rift with the AFL. The leaders of the ILGWU were upset. They pointed to promises made by the CIO to "seek every means … to compose the rift in the ranks of organized labor." The ILGWU was also concerned about how effectively it could organize in smaller communities, particularly in nonindustrial areas.

In May 1938 the CIO became an independent union. Lewis was reportedly the only founding member unconcerned about this split with the AFL; rather, he saw it as a chance for the unions and their members to chart their own destinies. Two of the founding unions—the ILGWU and the Cap and Millinery Workers—decided to remain with the AFL, which stepped up organizing drives, asserting to workers that it was a conservative alternative to the radical CIO.

The Specter of Communism Provokes an AFL Witch Hunt

John P. Frey, president of the AFL metal trades department, and other AFL members repeatedly rejected attempts to broker a peace with the CIO by making allegations of communists operating within the CIO. The charges were accurate. Communists and sympathizers were indeed active in unions, including the Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers; the Maritime Union; and the Woodworkers of America. Some rose to top positions within the CIO. Lewis said he could ignore people's politics in exchange for their help in promoting industrial unionism.

Paul W. Ward, writing in the Nation, described Frey as the "chief backbiter of the American labor movement," keen on "sabotaging the very unions [he] is supposed to lead." Ward painted Frey as an overwrought fraud, characterizing his speeches before AFL conventions as filled with "vast venom and a stupefying array of irrelevancies. It took hours for Frey to get to the point."

But Frey was persistent and passionate in his diatribes against the CIO. He also testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee, beginning on 13 August 1938. He listed 280 people—all organizers in CIO-affiliated unions—who were members of the Communist Party, thus perpetuating his contention that the CIO was essentially a communist front. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was incensed that the committee proceedings had turned into little more than Frey's denouncement of the CIO. He demanded Frey's testimony be ended. "There is no menace here in Communism. The great menace in this country is in Nazism and fascism," Roosevelt purportedly said. "The AFL is tory and reactionary, but John L. Lewis is the most progressive, liberal labor leader I've known in my life."

These debates attempted to turn public sentiment against the CIO, regardless of the president's opinion. Publications such as the conservative News Letter and Wasp, circulating in San Francisco (ca. 19 August 1938), openly said the union's communist ties, no matter how loose, would bring about an end to the CIO. "Americanism will hold sway from now on, due to the co-operation with the A.F.L., of the American Legion and the Americans who have had the courage to fight on in the face of repeated set backs."

Lewis pressed forward with his plan to bring industrial unionism to every worker regardless of how political or popular opinion might cast shadows on his intentions. He remained focused on the single goal of unionizing the nation.

More Unions Affiliate with the CIO

The timing of the break with the AFL was not auspicious. The country was still in a recession and on the brink of a war in Europe. But several unions, many fairly new, did choose to affiliate with the CIO. These included the National Maritime Union; the United Electrical and Radio Workers of America; the American Newspaper Guild; the Transport Workers of America; and the International Woodworkers of America. These unions often faced competition from AFL members unions such as the International Brotherhood of Carpenters, in the case of the woodworkers. Workers in specific niches within industries gravitated to one or the other union.

The CIO held its constitutional convention on 14 November 1938 at Pittsburgh's Islam Grotto. Lee Pressman, an attorney, drafted the constitution. The dues structure decided upon helped the young organization greatly. The CIO charged 5 cents per capita dues. This enabled the creation of an active central organization and, in turn, more resources to use for organization. Lewis was elected president of the new CIO. Philip Murray and Sidney Hillman were elected vice presidents, and James B. Carey was elected secretary.

Union Dues Bring Union Blues

At the time of the convention, the CIO was in poor health, thanks largely to the recession. Dues were not being paid. Employers were still balking at union activity. Organizing in industries such as steel and textiles had slowed appreciably. The UMW remained the CIO's most solvent and stable member union CIO. Of its 4 million members, the CIO collected dues from just a third. The UMW not only paid most of the dues it did collect, it also footed the bill for the CIO staff at $30,000 per month. Overall, it was estimated to be responsible for 43 percent of the CIO funding—83.4 percent between 1936 and 1937—and the CIO also owed the UMW $1.2 million in loans. The ACWA was the other major financial contributor, followed by the ILGWU, which also loaned $100,000 to the union. With the departure of the ILGWU in late 1938, gone, too, was 12.5 percent of the CIO membership. The other stable income source was subscriptions to various CIO publications. Overall, the union was not fiscally healthy.

The union's finances were further complicated by the absence of a budget or cohesive spending plan. Lewis and the UMW controlled the budget; thus, they also dictated the CIO agenda. This led to problems such as ineffective expenditures—for example, drives to organize small groups of workers, such as communications and technical workers. The net to the CIO, in terms of both membership and finances, was negligible.

Additional problems resulted from power struggles within unions, notably the young UAW. Between 1937 and 1940, the UAW split, thanks to personal and ideological differences. Because the union could potentially bring more than a million members into the CIO fold, Lewis and the CIO executives decided to become involved in that specific union's political turmoil. By 1939 two separate UAWs existed: one affiliated with the AFL, the other connected to the CIO. Still, the squabbling continued.

Despite harsh criticism from the AFL, the CIO continued to grow. Its membership passed 2.65 million by 1940. Although CIO members were vocal and dynamic, their numbers would never surpass those of the AFL. Nonetheless, by the time of its 1955 merger with the AFL, the CIO counted five million members.

The AFL experienced a renaissance at the end of the depression. Workers perceived this more established organization as a moderate alternative to the CIO. Unions, including the Teamsters, Machinists, and Carpenters unions, allied with the AFL as a result. The AFL had also softened its hard-line stance on organizing unskilled laborers. Some locals went so far as to adjust membership criteria; most notable among these was the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Unionization in the service industries, such as the hotel and restaurant industries, swelled the AFL ranks even more. AFL membership was about five million by 1940.

Key Players

Carey, James Barron (1911-1973): Born in Philadelphia, Carey worked for the Philco Radio Corporation and Philadelphia Storage Battery Company, where he became involved in unionism. He was president of both the Radio and Allied Trades National Labor Council (1933-1940) and the United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers of America (1936-1941). He served as the CIO secretary from 1938 until 1973 and as its secretary and treasurer from 1942 to 1973. He was also involved with the AFL-CIO after the unions merged in 1955.

Dubinsky, David (1892-1982): Dubinsky is best known for his lengthy tenure as president of the ILGWU. He started working in his family's bakery in Poland at age 11 and first participated in a strike at age 15. In the United States he became involved in union activity within a ILGWU local. In 1932 he undertook the monumental task of reorganizing the union. He remained active in union politics until his retirement in 1966, after which he served on public and private sector boards until his death in 1982.

Frey, John Philip (1871-1957): Born in Mankato, Minnesota, Frey was a teenager when he began working, first in a lumber camp, then as a grocery clerk. He became an apprentice iron molder in 1888. He joined the International Molders and Foundry Workers Union in 1893 and quickly ascended to union leadership roles. He became involved in AFL activities beginning in 1909. He was named head of the AFL metal trades department in 1927 and maintained this post until his retirement in 1950. Vocally opposed to industrial unionism, he orchestrated the suspension of all CIO unions from the federation and lobbied against the CIO.

Green, William (1873-1952): Green was vocal in his opposition to the CIO, which was formed while he was president of the AFL—the second since its founding (he succeeded Samuel Gompers). Despite his position, he was not a part of the union's inner circle, as were individuals such as William Hutcheson and Daniel Tobin.

Hillman, Sidney (1887-1946): A founder of the CIO and head of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers, Hillman was also instrumental in the founding the Non-Partisan League of the American Labor Party, the political party that provided union endorsement for President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1936. He served on the National Defense Advisory Council during World War II.

Lewis, John Llewellyn (1880-1969): The son of a Welsh coal miner who immigrated to the United States, as a young man Lewis worked in various jobs, including coal mining, before becoming a labor organizer. He was United Mine Workers of America (UMW) president and was active in the American Federation of Labor (AFL). Known as a fiery orator, he peppered his addresses with quotations from both the Bible and Shakespeare. He is said to have read those works in addition to classics such as the Odyssey and theIliad and such authors as Oswald Spengler, Karl Marx, and Friedrich Engels as he crossed the country, organizing workers. He resigned from the AFL to form the Committee for Industrial Organization in 1935, which reorganized in 1938 as the Congress of Industrial Organizations. He served as its president from 1935 to 1940.

Murray, Philip (1886-1952): Born in Scotland, Murray was a leader of the United Mine Workers of America (UMW) and a founding member of the CIO. He was the chairman of the UMW's Steel Workers' Organizing Committee. Murray became the head of the CIO when Lewis resigned in 1940. He is often acknowledged for his work in seeing the union through World War II, a rough period for organized labor.

Bibliography

Books

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