SAM DOLGOFF In 1970 100,000 rank-and-flle teamsters in the mldwest and west coast, tor the !irst time in the history of the Teamsters Union, revolted and staged a massive wild cat strlke, rejecting the contract signed by their natlonal leaders. After a 12 week strike, the insurgents won their demands and forced the leaders to re-negotiate the agreement. In the winter of 1971, the General Motors Lordstown, Ohlo, plant, was seriously disrupted by workers, causlng General Motors to lose productlon of thousands of Vega small cars and Chevrolet trucks. Most of the workers were under 25 years or age. Wages were good. A variety of new types of power tools and other automated devices eliminated much of the heavy physlcal labor. Clearly, the rebellion stemmed from somethlng deeper than the honored issue of wages. It raised the questlon, which promises to be the majar issue in the labor movement, a «new» trend: workers' demand for a volee in how, and under what conditlons a job is to be done; the issue or «workers' control>. Coal mlners revolt O NE oF THE GREAT achievements or the sweeping rank-andfile movements in the trade unions is the victorlous revolt of the coa! miners which Jed to the overthrow of the entrenched, corrupt, class-collaboratlonist and criminal reglme of the United Mine Workers Union dictator Tony Boyle, convlcted for plottlng the murder of his rival Jack Yablonski and members of his family. When confronted by his accusers, BoyJe replied that he was only faithfully following the example and perpetuatlng the pollcies of his deceased mentor, John L. Lewis, the despot, who for 40 years (1920-1960) ruled the Unlon. The despotism over the membershtp was lnstltutlonallzed and as Sidney Lens (veteran labor offlcial and wrlter) polnts out «sanctlfled In the constitutlon or the UMW>: «... the Constttution provldes that the president 'may suspend or remove any International Officer or appointed employee ... for Just and sufficient cause . . . may appoint such organizers, field and 1 (3) Workers' Control. Vintage-Random House (reader). 102
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