Farrell Dobbs

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authored a pook cauea 1eamster the party's founder. strike: in 1972. He wrote four books Dobbs quotes Harry DeBoer, about the history of the Teamone of the strike leaders, as sters in Minneapolis, collaborasaying, "We couldn't have done ting with DeBoer and Ray Rainit without a disciplined revolu- bolt, another revolutionary trade Dobbs wrote that DeBoer's book is Teamster Rebellion.

correspondent FARRELL DOBBS died Pinole, California, on October at the age of 76.

He was a member of the team that made Minneapolis a union town during the labour struggles of the 1930s in the United States.

The leaders of that team were Carl Skoglund and Ray Dunne, trade union revolutionaries and followers of Leon Trotsky. The two men were members of the Communist League of America, the forerunner of the Socialist Workers Party.

Skoglund is considered the architect of the 1934 Minneapolis Teamsters strike, one of the most important strikes in the history of the United States.

Together with Ray Dunne, Skoglund mapped a massive organising campaign in which tens of thousands of workers became involved. The strike was ann and the mninn Innol K71 won anu bit uvu — Insai vex _ won recognition. It paved the way for large-scale expansion of the Teamsters, which up to that time, had been a small, relatively ineffective union.

Dobbs became active during the strike, and afterwards, was elected the union local's secretary treasurer.

During the strike he joined the Trotskyist party. In 1972, Dobbs Rebellion, which is about the tionary party." statement is "a broad political generalisation about Local 574's victory that is hard to improve upon."

Following the strike, Dobbs was a member of the team that organised the truck drivers in eleven midwestern states including Minnesota.

Workers joined the Teamsters in large numbers. They recognised that the union's militant leadership group was prepared to fight for the workers, and win decent conditions. And the reputation of the union spread.

Dobbs was a Teamster organ¡ser until he became labour secretary of the Socialist Workers Party in 1939.

Dobbs was one of 18 people connected with the Teamsters, convicted under the Smith Act in 1941 for sedition. The act was later declared unconstitutional. It was invoked against the Teamsters in Minneapolis by President Franklin Roosevelt who was determined to wipe out the anti-war sentiment reflectea in tne team toat naa urgan- 1-JI- dL- dance dad had sorona ised the union.

Dobbs served 13 months in prison. When he got out, he returned to New York, serving in several capacities for the Socialist Workers Party and running for President on the Socialist Workers Party ticket four times. He became national secretary of the Socialist Workers Party, succeeding James P. Cannon, Dobbs retired from the SWP unionist. Dobbs' best-known Farrell Dobbs with James P Cannon is 1941