Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

To: SkyDancer
Most big universities have someone who teaches history of labor unions and courses like that. One such teacher, Jefferson Cowie from Cornell University wrote a book about the labor history of RCA, entitled, Capital Moves: RCA's 50 year quest for cheap labor.

I had a series of email exchanges with him, pointing out some of the fallacies in his book, starting with my grandfather and what happened to him. My grandfather was the top tool and die maker at RCA. He was what they called the model maker, the guy who made the prototypes. He loved his job, working directly with the top design engineers on all the newest and most important advances in radio and tv, as well as government contract work for the war effort.

My grandfather was the VP of the radio and tv workers, when in 1949, he was elected to be the first president of the Electrical workers and Machinists at RCA. The CIO had gotten without a strike and the men elected my grandfather, but the CIO bosses were not happy and requested that RCA move my grandfather into management so that he could not serve. My grandfather turned down the offer. Money wasn't a big deal to him. He loved his job and he loved politics. He had some differences with the CIO bosses, though. My grandfather wasn't a racist.

A few months later, before he could even take office, he and my grandmother were run down by a hit and run driver as they stood on the curb in front of their home.

RCA responded by closing the plant in Camden, NJ, and moving out of the area, before my grandfather had even fully recovered.

The people of Camden County responded by electing my grandfather as the new Camden County State Assemblyman.

The CIO responded by reporting my grandfather as a communist to the HUAC. There evidence was that someone had once seen him perusing the headlines on a Communist newspaper at the news stand by his bus stop.

9 posted on 07/01/2011 9:13:13 AM PDT by Eva
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies ]


To: Eva

Thanks for sharing that.


14 posted on 07/01/2011 11:47:36 AM PDT by SkyDancer (You know they invented wheelbarrows to teach FAA inspectors to walk on their hind legs.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson