160 Negro Migration 



game. Numerous instances of individual plant strikes have 

 occurred and the large colored membership of the coastwise 

 longshoremen's unions in New York struck with the others 

 in 1920. This case is, however, complicated by the fact that 

 Negroes are among the strikers and among the strikebreak- 

 ers. The latter are of the strikebreaker element which 

 exists among both white people and Negroes. The question 

 which arises is: How are Negro leaders to reach this ele- 

 ment and teach them that though they are justified in taking 

 places from which they have been barred by discrimination, 

 they have not so much ground for stepping into the places 

 vacated by unions which they could have joined had they so 

 desired ? The fact that white labor organizations have been 

 so unsuccessful in reaching this element of their race after 

 such long continued effort does not hold out much encour- 

 agement to Negro leaders in seeking to answer this riddle. 

 In the meantime the Negro strikebreaker, whether justified 

 or unjustified in his moves, will continue to cause the maxi- 

 mum amount of friction in the North. 



The best course would, therefore, seem to be for the col- 

 ored man to stick to the open shop in industrial plants and 

 to form the habit of depending upon his own leaders for 

 aid in adjusting grievances ; and when this fails in industry 

 to push for plant organizations of the type of the employees 

 of the National Cash Register, and the Goodyear Rubber 

 Company employees ; to enter locals in the building trades 

 and similar occupations, when this course is possible, or to 

 form his own locals and convince the white labor leaders 

 that they can play the game as long as its decent rules are 

 observed. Regardless of fair promises from the national 

 labor leaders, as long as prejudice is so widespread among 

 local unions, it would seem that the best plan is for the 

 Negro to steer clear of them except in cases where he is 

 convinced of the sincerity of their overtures or is in posi- 

 tion, by sheer weight of numbers, to get a square deal. Even 



