Carrol:
The following URL will take you to a UAW website and its "Timeline" of UAW history. Note how it barely acknowledges the existence of R.J. Thomas, while Reuther's name enters from the beginning. And no link to any account of Thomas.
http://www.reuther.wayne.edu/ward/uaw-timeline.htm
^^^^^ CB: I had thought that Thomas was of Arab descent, "Thomas" being a common taken name. But no mention of it below, though he was born in "Palestine", Ohio. Keeran also discusses Thomas, indicating he was friendly to the CPUSA.
R. J. Thomas
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Roland Jay Thomas
R.J. Thomas at a union meeting at the Dodge Chicago Plant, 1944. <http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b4/Rjthomas.jpg/350px-Rjth omas.jpg> Enlarge R.J. Thomas at a union meeting at the Dodge Chicago Plant, 1944.
R.J. Thomas was born in East Palestine, Ohio on June 9, 1900. He grew up in eastern Ohio and attended Wooster College for two years. The need to help support his family caused him to leave college and go to work. In 1923 he moved to Detroit, where he worked in a number of automobile plants.
He became active in efforts to organize the automobile industry and was the president of Chrysler Local 7 when it affiliated with the UAW in 1936. He was a leader of the 1937 Chrylser sit-down strike and that same year was elected a vice president of the UAW. He assumed the presidency in 1938 after the president, Homer Martin, was ousted.
He was president until 1946 and during this period, the UAW developed into a dynamic, stable union. He lost the presidency to Walter Reuther in 1946, but was elected first vice president. However, he lost that office in the election the following year. In 1947 he was named assistant to CIO president, Philip Murray, and with the merger of the AFL and CIO in 1955, he served under George Meany until his retirement in 1964 due to ill health.
He was married to Mildred Wettergren on August 7, 1937 and they had one child, Frank. R. J. Thomas died in Muskegon, Michigan on April 18, 1967.
Preceded by: Homer Martin UAW President 1938-1946 Succeeded by: Walter Reuther Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._J._Thomas"
See Keeran's discussions of Thomas:
The Communist Party and the Auto Workers Unions (ISBN: 0253157544) Roger, Keeran Bookseller: Better World Books (Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.) Price: US$ 1.00 [Convert Currency] Shipping within U.S.A.: US$ 2.99 [Rates & Speeds] Book Description: Indiana Univ Pr. Book Condition: Used - Good. Former library book. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Shipped to over 500,000 happy customers. Support Literacy! Your purchase benefits Room to Read!. Bookseller Inventory # DK-001-998
