Carlo Giardino (Ashley Barre)

Damage Control: We need a peaceful solution

Thesis: At the very most, a short and successful strike could be good for the community,
but a long strike would be detrimental because we are already poor and do not have the
resources to hold out.

Hello Paterson,

Thank you for joining me today. I'm sure you all know of the current labor issues
occurring in this town. I know I am not involved directly, but I do know everyone in this
town. I think I have a good point of view on the issue and think I would be a good
mediator or at least someone that you can all listen to and reason with. We need a
peaceful solution to the minimal pay and poor working conditions suffered by a majority
of the Paterson workforce. A strike can bring both positives and negatives to this
community, so in order for one to succeed we must stick together.
My store is the center of the Italian community, and I also see some of you nonItalians browsing my shop everyday. I speak to you all and understand what the workers
are going through. I think you all took the right steps necessary in this situation by
attempting to speak to the mill owners before you took any serious strides. Yes, I do
believe that you workers are over worked and receive very minimal pay for the quality of
work you all perform, but you must also realize that you should be striving for improved
conditions in the least destructive way possible. I know that a short strike could
potentially strengthen our community together by forcing people to relay on each other in

order to reach a common goal. However, there's also a chance that this strike could
continue too long, and we cannot afford to have this happen. Must of us townspeople can
scarcely scrap up enough money as it is in order to feed our families and ourselves. How
would we be able to sustain and provide for our families if we went without pay for a
prolonged period of time? I do have ways to help support this community, but not enough
for everyone and certainly not enough for everyone over an extended time. There's also a
chance that this strike could become violent and detrimental to the community. Even if
things seem to be under control they can turn south very quickly. Take, for example, the
Paint-Creek Cabin Strike just last year in West Virginia. The strike started off organized
and civil, but after a few months the workers became aggressively violent and it will
probably be forever known as one of the bloodiest labor disputes in history (Paint-Creek
Cabin Strike). You all went to the mill owners together and talked this out, but they still
did not listen.
You've voiced your concerns as civilized citizens of this town, so now it's time to
take a stand - in a civil manner. I did not want it to come to this, but since it has I must
accept it as a citizen of this town. You've all called for a strike, so now you all must see it
all the way through until you see that the mill owners are listening and responding to your
list of grievances. Workers, you need everyone backing you in order to succeed in this
strike. Together is the most important thing you need to take from this speech. Without
unity it will be difficult to get anything done in this town. Become close in the
community and help each other. This is going to take everyones support if the workers
want a solution. And mill owners, you should probably start listening or you will likely
lose your entire workforce and all of your production. We all know that you all worked

hard to get to where you are today, but also remember that we want good for all as a
community.
With all this said I think it is obvious where I am putting my support. After seeing
this occur from a somewhat neutral position I will put my backing behind who I think is
right in this situation. Don't get me wrong - I know that I've put a lot of time into talking
about the negative impacts of a strike. However, you've all already made your decision
and regardless of what I say the inevitable is happening - a strike is occurring in Paterson.
I will give you all I have workers. Mill owners, you've already pointed out to me that I
will not be able to make a living either if the workers go on strike, but hear me out: you
have already been paying them minimal wages. The workers cannot afford to pay the fair
prices that I try to provide them with. The only way that this community is going to see
any real sustainability is when the workers are treated and paid fairly. I will use the funds
allocated to me as Treasurer for the Sons of Italy to help support the workers and
community in this time of desperation and standing for workers' rights. While I support
you workers and townspeople, it is crucial that we solve this problem swiftly and
efficiently. Rabbi Leo has devised a promising plan called "The Third Way" that seems to
currently be our best bet for gaining the attention of the mill owners. After all, the Rabbi
is a man of the Lord and happens to be probably one of the most neutral citizens of this
town. He recently declared that he wants to "find a peaceful solution to all these
problems." Rabbi Leo's plan entails electing representatives from all factions in order to
give everyone in the town an equal voice in the labor discussions. This is crucial because
right now a lot of us have no voice due to the fear of being imprisoned by the police chief
who is controlled by the corrupt mayor of this town.

It's going to be a long a difficult road in order to get what you all want and
deserve, but it's not unlikely for you all to gain better working conditions. Just seven
years ago The International Typographical Union struck successfully for an eight-hour
day, so your goals are attainable (The Industrial Revolution and the Progressive Era:
1877-1913). Again, I want to stress that I want what is best for this community. I was
really hoping for a resolution without a strike, but we can't always get what we want so
we must take the positives away from what a strike will bring and we must try to avoid
the negatives. I know that I may suffer for a while along with the rest of the community
during these hard times. However, mill owners, your argument that I cannot afford a
strike is irrelevant because I cannot continue living the way I am currently with little to
no income from my store because of the minimal wages you give to your workers. And to
the workers: everyone in the community must stick together.

Goals:
I believe that I met most of my goals. During the first game session I made sure to
talk to all the townspeople and the workers and mill owners in order to gauge where
everyone stood in this dispute. I also let a few select people know that I had funds
available to me that I could use to support them. The next game session though, is when I
think I decided to allocate my funds to helping the townspeople and workers. The
workers were being suppressed by the mill owners and by anyone else who had power in
the town. The mayor had close connections with the mill owners and the police chief so I
decided to help the workers. In the final game session I was finally able to put my funds
to good use. The workers' relief fund needed $100 in order to be able to negotiate with

the mill owners but they were $28 short so I donated the rest to them. I truly believe that I
only funded the people who were worthy in this dispute: the workers and the
townspeople. At the end of the game I had $16 left in my personal funds and $22 left in
my funds as Treasurer for The Son's of Italy.

Annotated Works Cited

Barkey, Fred A. "Paint Creek-Cabin Creek Strike." e-WV: The West Virginia
Encyclopedia. 13 September 2013. Web. 31 March 2015.
I used this source to provide a negative impact of striking. I used it directly in my
speech to help provide an example of a labor dispute that went wrong. I was
necessarily opposed to striking, but I knew it could go wrong. I discovered this
source by searching for labor disputes that were failures.
"General Strikes: A Brief History." General Strikes: A Brief History. N.p., n.d. Web. 23
Mar. 2015.
I used this source to find some background information on strikes in general
during this time period. I found this source by searching for background
information on strikes during the Industrial Revolution.
"A History of Labor Unions from Colonial Times to 2009." Mises Institute. N.p., n.d.
Web. 23 Mar. 2015.
I used this source to help me gain some background knowledge on labor
unions during the early 20th century. I obtained this source by searching for
background information on labor unions during the early 20th century.

Mannheimer, Leo (@rabbi_leo). "Hoping we can all be find a peaceful solution to all
these problems! #silk1913". 11 March 2015, 6:56p.m. Tweet.
I used this source in my speech to offer insight to the workers of a plan that
was being proposed by one of the townspeople of Paterson, Rabbi Leo
Mannheimer. I found this source through the networking sight of Twitter.

"The Industrial Revolution and the Progressive Era: 1877-1913." Illinois Labor History
Society. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2015.
I used this source to provide some motivation to my audience of workers and
townspeople. I pointed this example out specifically to show them that if they
stick together and work in a civil but dedicated way then they could see
positive results. I discovered this source by searching for labor disputes that
were succesful.
"UNIONS & LABOR." Labor Quotes. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2015.
I am using this source to gain some knowledge as to how labor union
supporters motivated workers to buy into their beliefs. I basically just searched
"labor union speeches" in Google to discover this source.