October to December, 1954, 1954

Negotiations continued with AFL and CIO officials on arranging a joint organizing drive for agricultural workers and on stopping the encroachments of the UPWA on NAWU territory. For a running account of the dispute with UPWA, see the correspondence between Mitchell and Galarza during October and November and the exchange between Mitchell and Meat Cutter's Secretary-Treasurer Patrick Gorman (Oc.t 8, 19). The CIO called a strike at the South Coast Sugar Corporation Sugar Refinery at Mathews, Louisiana, and Galarza went to Mathews to help out; see his lengthy memorandum and letter to Victor Reuther complaining about the CIO handling of the strike (Nov. 16, Dec 8). On the Louisiana sugar situation, there is also a memorandum by Mitchell on "An Organizing Program in South Louisiana" (Dec. 16) and an exchange with New Orleans Lawyer C. Paul Barker on Galarza's plan to set up an independent union for sugar workers supported by the Catholic Church (Nov. 30; Dec. 2). At the union's request, the NLRB conducted elections in a number of Louisiana rice mills; see especially Mitchell to Arthur C. Churchill, enclosing a tally sheet summarizing the election results (Nov. 24)