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CHICAGO NEGRO LABOR
BLACK

Negro American Labor Council as a national and local organization has black leadership trained to demand, to organize, to struggle, to arbitrate and to negotiate at the bargaining table in its own self-interest without jeopardizing the economic self-interest of its white union-brother. This potential has not been utilized in the interest of civil rights and to that extent the civil rights movement has been deterred in its goal of full equality. It has not been able to garner or to sustain the strength around purely moral and constitutional convictions. It has not really been able to bring the adversary to the bargaining table with respect as an equal. This can only be done when the adversary feels that he has something tangible to lose such as a business, money, or economic and political position. The threat of losing prestige or losing face can no longer move the power structure to give up anything of importance. The fact of the matter is that as far as the rest of the world is concerned, the United States has lost face and has little prestige to lose. The civil rights movement has embarrassed the U.S. all out of proportion to the gains it (the movement) has made. The battle for tangible human justice must be won in the economic and political power arena. The black organized worker must provide the means and the leadership for such a battle. In other words someone must already be prepared and equipped to "bring the bacon home."

Such men as A. Philip Randolph, the first president of the Negro American Labor Council, and the present president, Mr. Cleveland Robinson, provided the experience, the devotion and the leadership in labor and minority group problems to match that of Dr. Martin Luther King, Floyd McKissick and Stokely Carmichael in the civil rights arena. On the local level we also have excellent leadership. The call to action of all Negro trade unionists under the banner of the Negro American Labor Council is a natural call both locally and nationally. Again the Chicago situation sets the stage. All during the past three years civil rights activists in Chicago have been in motion on school and housing issues, among others. There have been boycotts, picketing, street marches, large and small. When one looks at the picture realistically little has been changed or gained.

On the other hand in consort with CORE and SNCC, the Chicago area chapter of the Negro American Labor Council took the leadership in attacking the Motorola Corporation on issues of racial segregation and discrimination from a civil rights point of view. We never picketed or boycotted. We only threatened to do so. The threat was enough. Motorola changed its policy; more than 1,500 Negroes

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