Take It Easy, But Take It

In 1937, Harry Bridges was named West Coast director of the C.I.O. in exchange for the West Coast longshoremen joining the C.I.O. The International Longshoremen's Association Pacific Coast District joined the CIO just months before they broke off from the ILA and chartered as the International Longshoremen's & Warehousemen's Union C.I.O.  This pamphlet, advocating Industrial Unionism, comes out of Harry Bridges West Coast C.I.O. headquarters the year the ILWU was founded. This pamphlet holds the AFL leadership to account for their hypocritical stance on Industrial Unionism.

"Being fully aware that the conflict between capital and labor grows with intensity from time to time and tends to work disastrous results on the working millions unless we combine for mutual protection and benefit, and realizing fully that the struggle to better our working and living conditions is in vain unless we are united to protect ourselves against the organized forces of the employers and exploiters of labor, and Knowing full well that the old craft and isolated local forms of trade union organizations are unable to defend effectively the interests and improve the conditions of the workers, THEREFORE, WE, THE WORKERS ENGAGED IN THE CANNING, AGRICULTURAL, PACKING AND ALLIED INDUSTRIES form an organization which unites all workers in our industry on an industrial and democratic basis, regardless of age, sex, nationality, race, creed, color or political and religious beliefs, and pursues at all times a policy of aggressive activity to improve our social and economic c...

C.I.O. publication no. 4 from the Committee for Industrial Organization, published March of 1936. One year before the committees unions were expelled from the AFL for advocating industrial unionism and 2 years before the formal creation of the Congress of Industrial Organizations. The flag in the drawing reads "Don't divide us! Mass production workers belong in industrial unions" The 8 unions that comprised the committee at this time were: - United Mine Workers of America - International Typographical Union - Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America - International Ladies Garment Workers Union - United Textile Workers of America - Oil Field, Gas Well and Refinery Workers of America - United Hatters, Cap and Millinery Workers International Union - International Union of Mine Mill and Smelter Workers