Prologue: The Strike Meeting

The curtain rises on a union meeting, already in progress. Harry Fatt. the union leader, is addressing a group of workers sealed before him. A six- or seven-man committee sits in a semicircle behind him. Fatt speaks forcefully against a proposed strike, noting the failure of several recent strikes, and arguing that such tactics are both unproductive and unnecessary. He expresses confidence that the President is "'looking out lor our interests," and suggests that those who wish to strike are communists ("reds"), out to destroy everything Americans hold dear. Despite his confidence and heated rhetoric, Fail's message is not well-received. Throughout his speech the voices of workers rise in opposition and defiance, while the ominous presence of a '¦gunman," who menaces the hecklers, suggests that Fatt's leadership has less than honest democratic origins.

From the workers comes an enthusiastic call for Lefty...