Houston Defender masthead and part of story: "Negro Workers' Plight Pitiable"

              PRICE: 5c PER COpy
-Trim!! No ~ltn To Catch tbe Passing Breeze; Wee Nt) Doubtfal FJa8." ~
THE HOUSTON DEFENDERt
THE SOUTID\'EST'S FOREMOST WEEKLY
8intered as second-class matter October 1'. 1930. at the postoffic8
at Houston, Tens. uDder the Aet of March 3. 1879
PubUshtld every Saturday by the Houston Defender Publishing Co.. 1423
West DaUI\8 A.venue, Houston, Texas.
C. F. RICHA.RDSON .Editor-Publisher
C. lI'.RICHARDSON, Jr., . . . .. ..'.. .. . ... ... .. ... .Associate Editor
LEONA. RICHARDSON .Busines. Manager
Telephone ,. ........ .....'.... . ,......C-04J&
NEW RUBSCRIPTIONRA.D8:
Olle year ~ .~.~ '2.50
Bb: mouth, '1.60
Make all checks. drafts, lllonE-1 orders, etc., payable to THE HOU-STON
DEI'ENDER. and address ai; -ommunic:ations in a similar manner.
A.li matters 1ntended for inserUon" in the current issue of THE HOUSTON
.D'mFENDER, must reach our office by Wednesday. 3 p. m., each week.
I.
HOUSTON, TEXAS, SATUkDA Y, AUGUST 12. 1939
NEGRO WORKERS' PLIGHT PITIABLE
Judging from many of the recent trends and actions in labor
circles throughout the country, including Houston, the plight of
the Negro worker appears to become more pitiable and menacing
with the passing of each. week.
Just a few weeks ago all of the Negro employes in the dining
service of the UnioI;l Statio~ at Washington, D. C., who allegedly!
had joined an affilii;lted union of the American Federation of La- J
bor, were discharged en masse and their jobs given to membersJ
of the dominant race who had no union affiliations, according to~
information received from rather authentic sources.
At last account, no effort had been made by the American Fed-eration
of Labor to regain these jobs for the discharged Negro
"unionists," and they are still unemployed and bewailing their sad'l
and bitter fate. '
Coming closer home, take the case of the striking Negro work-ers
at He~e and Pillot stores here, some of whom reportedly went,
on a strike several days ago upon the assurance that members of
the bakers' and butchers' unions, employed by the same local
grocery firm, would join them in the walkout and picketing. ~
Unfortunately, the poor, misguided and duped Negro employes
:staged their strike and then, it is reported, the bakers and butch-ers
asked for another twenty..four hours to decide upon What
j
-course their respective unions would take.
The upshot of the entire fiasco is that the few striking Negroes
are on the outside looking in, even though engaged in picket duty,.
while the members of the bakers' and butchers' unions at the
.same stores are on the inside looking out and maybe laughing up I
]
'their sleeves at the plight of this handful of striking colored em-ployes,
who had become "unionized" some weeks ago and joined'
forces with a local affiliate of the American Federation of labor. ~
Just how successful these erstwhile Negro employes of Henke 1
and Pillot will be in their strike, The Defender does not attempt 1
to hazard a guess, neither does this paper essay to take sides in I
this l~b()~ contr9ver~y; but w~" ~~I!tion t~~e t~£..incid~~~s at
s