Letter from International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Chauffers, Warehousemen, and Helpers of America to Alton Lennon about opposition to the anti-riot bill

Letter from International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Chauffers, Warehousemen, and Helpers in Detroit to Alton Lennon about opposition to the anti-riot bill (1967/07/17). They express strong opposition to the anti-riot bill and claim to see potential applications of the bill resulting in the legitimate activities of unions and other groups. They stress that they see no way in which the dangers could be eliminated from the bill short of its total rejection. The letter continues that the bill makes it a Federal crime to travel across a State line with the specific intent of causing a riot if resulting in violence, and that there is no doubt that union members and organizers often move in and use the facilities of interstate commerce. It goes on that it is a union�s business to advertise grievances and the way it advertises is the picket line, �We abhor violence� but sometimes it does occur due to the extreme anti-union feelings that a picket line often generates� this bill could apply to labor union organizers who clearly do cross state lines with the intent to set up a picket line with the knowledge that a public disturbance is always a possibility�. They add that it has been suggested that the sentence already in the committee report (or the addition of specific language to the bill) would exempt legitimate union activities, but no specific exemption could be written for all the activities supported by unionism. The letter goes on to state that the effectiveness of the union organizer depends on his role not being publicly revealed, and one need only look to the anti-union feeling in some areas, and even sometimes specific local ordinances attempting to bar union activity. It writes that publicly revealing the role of the labor organizer as a price for his exemption from the bill is unacceptable. The letter emphasizes the fact that many activities they support reach beyond the traditional fields of unionism and into new areas where there is a need for organized expression of grievances, ��we support organization of community unions to service the economic needs of the unemployed and welfare recipients�and we actively support many civil rights activities� which could be endangered. Their overall and fundamental opposition of the bill is due to the fact that the basic premise of the bill is false; it rests on the idea that riots are caused by �professional agitators who roam from state to state� but they believe that the riots are caused by �slum conditions and the hostilities and frustrations which those conditions breed�. The Teamsters Union favors constructive measures to eliminate slum housing, inadequate education, unemployment, and lack of equal opportunity, and they believe that the anti-riot bill is not a constructive measure. In closing, they stress that no possible amendment could significantly rectify the bill and alter their position of fundamental opposition, and they strongly urge Lennon to vote against the passage