July to September, 1956, 1956

The major issue in the papers during these months is the alleged "deal" made by the Louisiana State Labor Council to secure repeal of the state's Right-to-Work Law by excluding agricultural workers from the repeal. On this subject, see a 21-page maw report entitled "Dateline for a Deal" (Aug 20), Mitchell's draft pamphlet (Sept. 5), a WDL memorandum (Sept. 21), and a letter from George Meany on the AFL-CIO Executive Council's decision in the controversy (Sept 18). There are several reports from Galarza on the situation in Louisiana (July 22; Sept 3, 6, n.d. [Sept]), as well as his account of a meeting of the AFL-CIO Industrial Union Council in Denver at which he brought up the subject of the "deal" (July 17, 19). Galarza's report on the bracero problem in California entitled Strangers in Our Fields was published in July; the papers include a copy of the report (July 29) and several letters from California growers' associations and from the Department of Labor protesting supposed errors in the booklet (Sept 11, 20, 26, 28). The NAWU began negotiations with the Amalgamated Meat Cutters Union about a possible merger; see Mitchell's correspondence with AMC Secretary Patrick Gorman and his memorandum on the proposed merger (July 7)