15 December 1945

Soldiers Cheer Striking Workers

Written: 1945
Source: Prometheus Research Library, New York.
Transcription/Markup/Proofing: John Heckman, Prometheus Research Library.
Public Domain: Encyclopedia of Trotskyism On-Line 2006/Prometheus Research Library. You can freely copy, display and otherwise distribute this work. Please credit the Marxists Internet Archive & Prometheus Research Library as your source, include the url to this work, and note the transcribers & editors above.

From the Workers’ Forum section of the Militant, 15 December 1945. Dick Fraser worked briefly with the Socialist Workers Party’s Newark branch at that time.

A couple of days ago we were distributing the Militant on a corner close to the Hyatt Plant in Harrison, N.J. The pickets in front of the plant were marching in file with their placards raised high. There was a meeting of the union to be held shortly and the workers were either just arriving or standing around before going into the meeting. Besides this group, the Crucible Steel Local was to have a meeting about a block away. This made quite a crowd of workers along the street, and what with the pickets marching, and my comrade and me distributing the Militant, and the workers milling around, there was quite a little activity.

Now the Pennsy (Pennsylvania R.R.) runs on an elevated track right by the plant. And just at this time along came a troop train from New York loaded with GI’s who had debarked from Europe and were on the way to separation centers. As the train passed the plant the GI’s threw open the windows and gave a tremendous cheer, as only the GI’s on their way home can, and waved to the pickets. The pickets waved their placards back, and an answering yell rose up from the workers across the street near the hall.

The striking workers got a great kick out of this event and I wish that all G.M. strikers could have witnessed it. And the next best they can do is to read about it in the Militant which is why I am writing this.