Ministers Forum
Supports Strike
By Blind Workers
BY W. K. LEE JR.
The Greensboro Ministers Pul-
I pit Forum, charging the man-
lagement at Industries of the
1 Blind, Inc., with losing sight of
I its fundamental purpose, came'
support Wednesday of
e r s involved in a strike
| there.
In a statement approved at a
neeting Tuesday, the Forum
:ook to task the Lions Club, the
I press and the police, as well as
I the industry's management, for
I their actions during the three-
I week-old strike over wages and
I working conditions.
"Apparently," the statement
I said, "the Skilcraft Industries Of
1 Greensboro, which is one of the
1 Lions Club's most favored pro-
I jects and possibly serves as one
* *'; 'showcases,' has lost sight
I of its fundamental purpose
I which is to improve the lot of
| blind people."
THE STATEMENT said that
in an effort to increase produc-
I tion and profit the firm had
1 assumed the climate and atti-
I tude of big industry.
"Subsequently, workers are
I subjected to exploitive wages,
I fwced to work under horrible
I and dangerous conditions, de-
I nied seniority rights based on
I work efficiency and black work-
suffered wide-spread racial
:rimination," the statement
The statement, written by
I Rev. Julius T. Douglas and
I signed by him and by Pulpit
I Forum president Rev. Prince
I Graves, commended the L i p n s
I Club for its role as a cham-
I pion ^"unfortunates, but charged
e la b e r s with inaction dur-
I ing the s t r i k e, which/
fecting approximately 52 work-1
"What is disturbing and dan-1
gerous to the racial harmony I
and goodwill in our community, I
is the number of intelligent I
members of the Lions Club who I
have assumed a negative stance I
and silence in the face of this I
terrible wrong," the statement I
said.
THE STATEMENT went on to I
say that media coverage of the |
strike has been limited.
"It is very strange indeed that I
this flagrant abuse of hopeless I
(See Ministers: B-ll, Col. 1) •
B I S Greensboro Daily News, Thursday, Nov. W, 1970
Ministers Forum
Supports Strike
| From IM|
citizens has gone unnoticed and
unchallenged by the news media," it said.
The statement also referred to
recently published charges of
public transportation for non-
strikers and harassment of strikers and said:
"If this (the transportation issue) is true as claimed by the
strikers themselves, this great
travesty upon justice and the
misuse of public employes and
funds must immediately cease."
"The intimidation of b 1 i n d
workers and their supporters in
peaceful picketing is a scandal,"
the statement said.
MEANWHILE, Mayor Jack I
Elam Wednesday called a press |
I conference for this morning t
report on a city investigation I
into the charges against the I
I police department.
T u e s d a y, the police denied I
they were attempting to disrupt I
" i strike by transporting non- I
strikers to work and harassing |
Elam when he h e a
charges Monday, ordered the I
city to investigate. City Manag- T
er John Turner, has been i
charge of the probe.
Doudas Wednesdav dismisse
the police claim of having trans- I
ported only two workers to the I
Industries of the Blind plant as I
a service to them after the I
workers had received threats I
and. as a result missed their |
bus.
"We just don't accept the po-1
lice version of that incident," |
Douglas
