Volume 6 Issue 46…Dedicated to the Dialogue on Race…November 21, 2003

By John Burl Smith

"If I could have convinced more slaves that they were slaves, I would have freed thousands more."-- Harriet Tubman

As a slave descendant, the most difficult reality for me to accept has been the fact that "I may never breathe a breath of free air." In the US, freedom is an absolute. One is either free and enjoys its benefits to the same degree as all other similarly situated individuals or one exists in some lesser state. Whatever that status, it has restrictions that do not apply to people outside those limitations. Mathematically, if freedom equals 1, then anything less than freedom is some fraction thereof. In the USA that lesser state is defined by the Constitution in Article 1 Section 2, the 3/5 Compromise, which is the socioeconomic and political definition of slavery.

This is an absurd idea to most Americans, black and white. Vociferously denying this claim, they insist, if blacks were not free, they would not be living as they are today. Right, my point exactly. Dot M. Smith's chasm analysis (1981) demonstrates a relatively stable gap exists between blacks and whites when measuring such variables as educational attainment and earnings, access to credit and interest charged, insurance coverage and benefits, Social Security taxes paid and recipients' life span, as well as, health care and life expectancy.

A relatively stable black/white welfare gap exists throughout US society. It is most pronounced when measuring the dollars blacks command relative to whites for identical work performed in the labor market. Smith's analysis shows that relative unemployment rates for blacks vis-a-vis whites limit median family income and dictate lower lifetime earnings. Blacks historically experience rates two times that of whites. Smith's analysis provides an empirical means of calculating the resultant welfare gap. Moreover, if expressed as a ratio, this chasm of inequality mimics the 3/5 Compromise.

Used properly, numbers describe object reality. The gap in black/white welfare has the same relative impact on blacks today as it did on slaves. While it is clear the economic bondage blacks experience today differs from the reality of chains and lashes before emancipation, failure to repeal the 3/5 Compromise provides "strict construction judges" a constitutional claim of "reversed discrimination," while supporting institutionalized racism in the marketplace for goods and services. Documenting the chasm of inequality offers irrefutable proof the 3/5 Compromise is reality. Ipso facto, it is the law of the land that blacks receive a fraction of the freedom their white counterparts enjoy.

Accepting this reality is very difficult for many people. Mis-educated and inured of the system, blacks are convinced they are free and live in a democracy; so, they maintain this freedom facade. It is only when we accept the fact that we are still slaves that we can begin struggling against the socioeconomic and political bonds of slavery. Physically, chains and white absolute power over life and death decisions left no doubt that our forefathers were slaves. Following the Civil War, the trick was to convince blacks they were free. Today, proof to the contrary exists, yet we continue teaching our children old lies about the pilgrims' first Thanksgiving and Santa Claus. Accepting reality in the US is only difficult, if you are black and believe in Santa.

The Dark Knight-Batman/White Ninja/Zorro is forever resourceful when it comes to getting something he wants. A fifth grade student indoctrinated to believe Santa holds the key to toys and all manner of largesse at Xmas, he is already pulling strings. In a conversation on the commercialization of Christ’s birthday, the Dark One/Ninja/Zorro blurted, "I believe in Santa Claus."

Jerome (Jerry) Wurf (1919-1981)

Jerome (Jerry) Wurf was born in New York City on May 8, 1919. Son of Sigmund and Lena Wurf, he was struck by polio at four and underwent a number of painfully futile operations. In 1940, Wurf received his B.A. in Economics from New York University. He worked as a cafeteria cashier during the early 1940s and was active in the Young People's Socialist League.

Wurf become an organizer for Local 448 of the Hotel and Restaurant Employees Union (1943) and administered the local's welfare funds. In 1947, Arnold Zander, first president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), hired Wurf as an organizer for the New York District Council 37. Wurf joined AFSCME Local 924.

In July 1956, Wurf became regional director of Council 37. Collective bargaining became the union's major concern. Under Wurf, AFSCME began winning elections that eventually made it the strongest public employee union in New York City. In response to AFSCME pressure, New York Mayor Robert Wagner signed an executive order (1958) granting collective bargaining rights to unions representing city workers. From this point forward, AFSCME pushed harder for collective bargaining laws in states across the nation.

By 1959, Wurf served as both president of Local 924 and executive director of the New York council. In 1961, President John Kennedy issued Executive Order 10988 that legitimized collective bargaining for federal employees and helped create a less hostile atmosphere for similar demands from all public sector employees.

At the 1964 AFSCME Convention, Wurf won a closely contested election to succeed Zander as head of the international union. Wurf campaigned on a platform of aggressive organizing, pursuit of collective bargaining rights, and union reform/union democracy. A year later a special convention re-wrote AFSCME's constitution, which included the first ever 'Bill of Rights' for union members. Under Wurf's leadership, union membership soared, and by the end of 1965, several states had enacted collective bargaining laws. AFSCME and other unions achieved notable success at bargaining for wages and benefits better than those of non-union workers.

Another watershed point for the union and Wurf came with the 1968 Memphis Sanitation Strike. At the height of a more militant period, the union's struggles became intricately linked with those of the civil rights movement. On April 16, AFSCME announced that Memphis Mayor Henry Loeb had conceded to the union's demands, ending a 65-day strike that began on February 12. Wurf and the 1,300 members of Local 1733 succeeded in bringing down barriers of racism and discrimination that had existed before Reconstruction in the Deep South. For the black community and sanitation workers that marched carrying signs proclaiming "I am a Man," the celebration was marred by the April 4, 1968 assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Wurf became vice-president of the Industrial Union Department of the AFL-CIO, a vice-president of the AFL-CIO (1969) and member of its executive board. Throughout his life, Wurf fought for workers' rights. A humanitarian, his voice could be heard among those fighting for equal opportunities, full employment and a range of other domestic political issues, especially within the Democratic Party. An outspoken leader in both New York and Washington, D.C., where AFSCME headquarters were located, Wurf's name appeared on the White House Enemies' List compiled by members of the Nixon Administration. Wurf died December 10, 1981. According to biographer Joseph C. Goulden, Jerry Wurf was Labor's Last Angry Man. (Sources: www.afscme.org and www.reuther.wayne.edu)

Giving Thanks

For the hay and the corn and the wheat that is reaped,
For the labor well done, and the barns that are heaped,
For the sun and the dew and the sweet honeycomb,
For the rose and the song and the harvest brought home

--Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving!

For the trade and the skill and the wealth in our land,
For the cunning and strength of the workingman's hand,
For the good that our artists and poets have taught,
For the friendship that hope and affection have brought

--Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving!

For the homes that with purest affection are blest,
For the season of plenty and well-deserved rest,
For our country extending from sea unto sea;
The land that is known as the "Land of the Free"

--Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving!

About Me: Author "Unknown," this poem at www.jeannepasero.com/Thanksgiving/giving.html, a web site dedicated to Thanksgiving poetry, was chosen for its expression of gratitude for those whose labor provides the bountiful harvests and aesthetics with which this nation has been blessed. This Thanksgiving, we should all show our appreciation to the men and women that toil in fields, factories, malls and fast food restaurants for little more than minimum wage and meager benefits.

Unintended Consequences

By John Burl Smith

Participants in Turn Out 75 %: the 1968 Memphis sanitation workers' strike continues to produce unintended consequences. Last week (11-12-03) the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) endorsed Howard Dean for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination. Back in 1968, ASFCME was fighting for its life after demanding recognition as a labor union. Memphis Mayor Henry Loeb, heir to boss E. H. Crump's political machine, and the Memphis City Council were determined to preserve the city' reputation as the "toughest town in the South on union organizing."

Committed to crushing the upstart union, Loeb fired striking sanitation workers and brought in scabs, non-unionized replacements, to kept garbage trucks rolling. Loeb's repression forced the ASFCME to resort to true militancy to convince strikers the union was fighting on their behalf. Backed against the wall by court orders and arrests, union leaders faced the moment of truth. Jerry Wurf, president AFSCME, and William Lucy, regional coordinator, understood stopping the garbage trucks was a matter of survival. They asked the black community for help. The Invaders, a youth group I organized, supported strikers by harassing pickup crews and hampering garbage collections.

Totally unexpected, striking workers embraced the Invaders' militancy. An unintended consequence, a nonviolent coalition, Community on the Move for Equality (C.O.M.E.), tried to reverse this militant trend and urged Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to come to Memphis and march on behalf of striking sanitation workers. No longer just about improving conditions for sanitation workers, racism and segregation made the strike a popular movement. Equally unintended, Dr. King's assassination, the overt black pride and Invader defiance captured the mood of the people and purchased a future for AFSCME.

The movement that gave voice to workers also brought a community together. Certainly, an unintended consequence of trying to improve conditions for workers who were treated like slaves, a community bowed by lynching stood and broke the back of segregated employment and repression.

Challenged by history, Dean must show the courage and foresight of Jerry Wurf, if he is to justify AFSCME's endorsement. He must come to the black community and ask for help. Wurf did not shrink from possible consequences of identifying with black and poor working people. Back in 1968, Wurf realized the fate of blacks and AFSCME were inextricably tied. Job creation and protection were fundamental principles of Democratic Party politics. Hopefully, AFSCME's endorsement of Dean is a rededication to jobs and justice for the poor and not another opportunistic unintended consequence.

Tubman's Posthumous Pension

Harriet Tubman, a genuine heroine, escaped her Southern bondage and returned numerous times to assist others as a "conductor" on the Underground Railroad. During the Civil War, she spied for the Union Army. For her relentless service, this courageous freedom fighter received nothing in the way of recognition.

According to an Amsterdam News story, the US government denied Tubman's request for a pension. However, she did receive a widow's pension after the death of her husband Nelson Davis, who served in the US Colored Infantry. Tubman received an $8 per month allotment from June 1890 until January 1899, when Congress authorized a widow's pension of $25 per month for the rest of her life. However, Tubman only received $20 per month until her death March 10, 1913.

Thanks to the research and perseverance of Albany students, the Tubman oversight was brought to the attention of New York Senator Hilary Rodman Clinton, who has introduced a resolution under an interior appropriations bill to posthumously pay Tubman's estate an estimated $11,750. Since the bill has to be approved by the full House and Senate, there is no guarantee the posthumous pension will be paid.

On Labor Exploitation

By Dot

Kenyans won the November 2nd New York Marathon, but rap mogul Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, who raised more than two million dollars for charity, stole the show. Combs' list of sponsors reads like a who's who of corporate, media and entertainment personalities. Organizations to benefit from Combs' philanthropy include Children's Hope Foundation, Daddy's House Social Programs and the New York City Public Schools. Basking in the media attention, P Diddy promised to continue supporting children causes long after the marathon through his music and clothing line.

Days before the marathon, Combs unveiled his Sean John fashion line amid allegations that the rap star exploits workers in a Honduran sweatshop. Sean John workers earn less than a dollar an hour producing his shirts, which will retail for $40 each.

According to the National Labor Committee, the New York-based workers' rights group responsible for blowing the whistle on Combs, the Sean John fashion line is one of a growing list of US companies from The Gap to Wal-Mart that exploits non-union labor in Third World countries. If the allegation is true, Combs is just like every other profit-driven entrepreneur.

The biggest overhead cost is labor, so to improve the bottom line, labor cost is reduced as low as possible. And, the most cost effective way to do that is to employ the services of Third World non-union sweatshops where workers' rights are non-existent and wages are a pittance. In true capitalistic fashion, Combs is lifting a page from Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton's captain of industry playbook. Ironically, his multimillions will be made on the backs of poor women and their children.

The discount retail chain Wal-Mart is a non-union operation; its merchandise is purchased dirt cheap from sweatshops in Third World nations. The biggest private-sector employer in the US, Wal-Mart has taken on organized labor and won, and in the process, has taken the US standard of living down a notch. But, Wal-Mart's stockholders are pleased, because profits are up.

Combs' action should be placed in proper context. He is just following the tried and true path to personal riches; it is the free enterprise way to exploit labor. Combs should not be subjected to any more or less criticism than Wal-Mart, the biggest exploiter of all.

Disgruntled feels: Ironic! In 1959, times were tight in Memphis and my family ranked among the working poor. Destitute, my family qualified for a Thanksgiving basket. It appeared on Thanksgiving eve on the back of a garbage truck! Dressed in work overalls, the sanitation worker lovingly laid the box of food on the kitchen table. At once jubilant and ashamed, the irony of getting Thanksgiving dinner from a garbage truck stayed with me long after eating the delicious meal my parents prepared.

Disgruntled says: A Democrat and former governor of Georgia, Senator Zell Miller has voted more than 90% of the time with Republicans and consistently supported the domestic and foreign policies of the Bush administration. During last week's filibuster over judicial nominations, Miller stood on the Senate floor and lambasted his fellow Democrats for "lynching" conservative judge Janice Brown, by refusing to vote on her nomination. Likened to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, Brown is vehemently opposed by most black organizations. Black women in Georgia did not miss Miller's blatant hypocrisy. As governor, he did nothing to address the real lynching of black women in Walton County.

Disgruntled wants to know: To say Democrats have been a disappointment would be an understatement. As the country's goodwill and treasure are squandered by a well-documented liar, rather than shrilly voicing their disapproval and working to effect his removal, they are "tiptoeing through tulips" to avoid crushing his ego. During his campaign for office, which he gained via a court coup, Bush promised to use a litmus test for his judicial nominations called "strict construction." So, why are Democrats biting their tongues when explaining Bush defined his preference for a judicial philosophy that is antithetical to the views of the Democratic base?

Email www.csmonitor.com Bush arrived Tuesday in the UK for a three-day state visit that will include Buckingham Palace banquets and Downing Street discussions. Tellingly, there are no walkabouts planned. The planned speech before Parliament has been scrapped to avoid the embarrassment Bush suffered when booed last month in Australia. With security tight, Bush will meet the bereaved families of British soldiers killed in Iraq and address a vetted audience in Sedgefield. Demonstrations are planned for all three days of the visit.

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