The Program and Policies of the CIO
| Author | James B. Carey |
| DOI | 10.1177/000271624222400105 |
| Published date | 01 November 1942 |
| Date | 01 November 1942 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
25
The
Program
and
Policies
of
the
CIO
By
JAMES
B.
CAREY
N
THE
years
preceding
the
forma-
I tion
of
the
CIO
in
1935,
the
Ameri-
can
Federation
of
Labor
was
torn
by
internal
strife
over
the
issue
of
indus-
trial
unionism.
Many
persons
within
the
AFL
felt
that the
manner
in
which
American
industry
had
developed
made
necessary
a
revision
in
the
old-line
meth-
ods
of
unionization.
This
group
felt
that
the
pattern
of
industry
offered
a
more
natural
line
of
division
than
the
particular
craft
t
or
occupation
of
a
worker.
The
leading
proponents
of
in-
dustrial
unionism
fought
long
and
hard
to
break
down
the
opposition
within
the
AFL
to
this
form
of
organization.
In
November
1935,
therefore,
a
group
of
eight
men,
acting
in
an
unshakable
belief
that
the
cause
of
the
millions
of
unorganized
American
workers
could
best
be
advanced
by
unionism
on
a
broad,
industrial
basis-rather
than
on
a
narrow,
restrictive
craft
basis-met
and
formed
a
committee
to
encourage
industrial
organization
in
the
mass
pro-
ducing
industries
in
America.
These
men
represented
unions
with
a
member-
ship
of
over
a
million,
affiliated
with
the
AFL.
It
was
the
intention
of
this
or-
ganizing
committee
to
continue
to
func-
tion
within
the
AFL.
This
it
was
found
impossible
to
do.
Therefore,
in
November
1938
the
Committee
for
Industrial
Organization
held
its
first
constitutional
convention
in
the
city
of
Pittsburgh,
forming
a
permanent
body,
to
be
known
later
as
the
Congress
of
Industrial
Organiza-
tions.
By
that
time
the
industrial
or-
ganization
movement
represented
by
the
CIO
had
grown
to
a
membership
of
over
three
and
a
half
million.
OBJECTIVES
OF
CIO
The
CIO
had
four
main
objectives.
They
are,
as
written
into
the
constitu-
tion :
First.
To
bring
about
the
effective
organization
of
the
working
men
and
women
of
America
regardless
of
race,
creed,
color,
or
nationality,
and
to
unite
them
for
common
action
into
labor
unions
for
their
mutual
aid
and
pro-
tection.
Second.
To
extend
the
benefits
of
collective
bargaining
and
to
secure
for
the
workers
means
to
establish
peaceful
relations
with
their
employers,
by
form-
ing
labor
unions
capable
of
dealing
with
modern
aggregates
of
industry
and
finance.
Third.
To
maintain
determined
ad-
herence
to
obligations
and
responsibili-
ties
under
collective
bargaining
and
wage
agreements.
Fourth.
To
secure
legislation
safe-
guarding
the
economic
security
and
so-
cial
welfare
of
the
workers
of
America,
to
protect
and
extend
our
democratic
institutions
and
civil
rights
and
liberties,
and
thus
to
perpetuate
the
cherished
traditions
of
our
democracy.
Effective
organization
The
entire
program,
policies,
and
functions
of
the
CIO
have
proceeded
upon
the
basis
of
carrying
out
these
four
objectives.
Each
year
since
1938
a
constitutional
convention
has
been
held,
and
at
each
of
these,
consider-
able
progress
has
been
reported
in
organizing
the
unorganized
workers
of
America.
Currently
the
CIO
is
carry-
ing
on an
extensive
organizational
pro-
gram
throughout
the
United
States.
This
program
is
concentrated
first
in
the
aircraft
industry,
in
which
remark-
able
progress
has
been
made
by
the
CIO
in
the
past
year.
Extensive
organizing
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