The two mass political parties of the left, the Communist Party and Socialist Party, and the massive trade union federations participated in the rally. Originally called in defense of civil liberties in general, following the government crackdown on the Ligue Communiste it became more and more focused as a protest against the dissolution of the Ligue.
The breadth of the defense came as a surprise to the government, which had no doubt expected a far smaller reaction from the mass working-class organizations. Speakers at last night's rally represented major components from the Union of the Left as well as civil liberties organizations.
Francés largest labor federation, the CGT (Confédération Générale du Travail - General Confederation of Labor), was represented by René Buhl. Buhl described the "large scale antiunion offensive shown by an escalation of deliberate repression. We don't think that you can substitute repression for political debate. The Ligue Communiste has the right to exist."
July 14, 1948
America's soft coal miners have again set an example of
militant struggle for all labor and have chalked up their
greatest wage victory in the face of the new Taft-Hartley
Slave Labor Law.
Refusing to be intimidated by this infamous law, the miners showed their readiness to close down the pits by their preliminary 10-day strike prior to July 1. A full scale walkout was averted on July 8 only when the leading coal magnates capitulated to the full wage demands of the AFL United Mine Workers.
Of special significance is the contract clause wrested from the operators to protect the UMW from employers' damage suits for alleged violation of contracts, particularly in case of strikes. This clause designed to sidestep certain restrictions of the Taft-Hartley Act, provides that the contract is operative only "during such time as such persons (employees) are able and willing to work."