The Trade Union Movement and the Negro

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The first aspect of the problem, namely, discrimination by trade unions against Negro workers, takes many varied and variegated forms. Twenty-two international and national unions, for instance, flatly and frankly exclude Negro workers by constitutional provision. Other trade unions limit Negro workers to certain types of work, certain shops in which to work and to certain locals. For instance, the Blacksmiths' and Helpers' Union which, though permitting auxiliary locals of Negro helpers, insist that they shall not be promoted to blacksmiths; they shall not transfer except to another Negro helpers' auxiliary, and that they shall not be admitted to shops in which white helpers are employed. There are unions such as the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees and the National Rural Letter Carriers' Association that admit Negro members, but definitely bar them from representing themselves in conventions or holding office. Negro workers are not excluded by constitutional provision from the Electrial Workers', Sheet Metal Workers', Plumbers' and Steamfitters' or Flint Glass Workers' Union, but they are simply not taken in as members, or rather, they discourage Negro workers joining them. The encouragement of Negro workers to join certain unions is quite generally unusual, although some unions, while not making any direct effort to organize Negro workers, will accept them. Separate locals are generally provided for Negro workers by the International Hotel and Restaurant Employees' Alliance and International Bartenders' League, the Journeymen Barbers, the Laundry Workers and United Textile Workers. Mixed and separate local unions include Negro workers in the Longshoremen, the Hod Carriers and Common Building laborers. The only unions that require Negro workers to join mixed locals are the United Mine Workers' and the Garment Workers' organizations. These existent forms of discrimination against Negro workers are not denied, but sometimes excused by trade union officials on the tenuous grounds that Negroes are only happy when they are to themselves, or that Negro and white people don't get along so well together. But the American Federation as-