National Union of Social Justice Quotes
I believe not only in the right of the laboring man to organize in unions but also in the duty of the Government which that laboring man supports to facilitate and to protect these organizations against the vested interests of wealth and of intellect.
The founder was Charles E. Coughlin, 1891-1979, a demagogic Catholic Priest who drafted the principles and invited others to join him. Hundreds of thousands did in this organization which began in idealism, and ended in scandal and hate mongering, so much so that Father Coughlin was ordered off the radio and out of politics by the Catholic Church. The National Union in 1936 had morphed into the Union Party which ran Presidential candidates in the 1936 election. There was no National Labor Relations Board in those days and the Federal Government did not protect many of the rights of labor which became a major reform of the FDR administration.
National Union of Social Justice, Organizing Principles, November 11, 1934
Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations
He had squads of thugs that he would “rent” out to other gangsters for their enforcement activities and to unions to protect themselves from goons and intimidate non union workers. However, he would not let his men work as goons and strike busters or for companies—despite huge pay offers—to keep their workers in line, a common practice at the time.
At the time there was very little such legislation or regulation, and the little there was only occurred after massive lobbying efforts by organized labor. In modern times, often it takes a horrible tragedy to occur before the political will can be mobilized to cope with issues of occupational health and safety.
Vladimir Lenin
Morgan supported the strikers because they were abused, paid unfair wages, and were made to work in unsafe conditions. However, she believed that reform was needed and not class warfare which pitted workers and laborers against the bosses and owners. However, at the time the bosses and owners did not believe that there should be any reform and the nation was in decades of class warfare that has diminished but not ended into the 21st century. The clothing workers finally were offered higher pay and somewhat better working conditions but the owners would not recognize their union and their right to collectively bargain. At this point Morgan ceased supporting the workers actively.
This opinion was written very early in his career when he was an Ohio Judge in Cincinnati.
The National Union for Social Justice (NUSJ) was a United States political movement formed in 1934 by Charles Coughlin, a Catholic priest and radio host. It heavily criticized communism, capitalism, and the administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt, while also advocating for the nationalization of utilities and banks. The organization dissolved in 1937 after the political party it sponsored, the Union Party, drew less than two percent of the popular vote in the 1936 United States presidential election.
