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disappear. He would always turn up again perfectly safe and sound. Nobody knew ever where he'd been. There was never the slightest evidence that he'd done anything wrong or dishonest, but there was this feeling of suspicion about him, that he couldn't be trusted, that you didn't know what he was up to. That, of course, was really one of the most disturbing things in this whole board.

In the end Wolmen and Kelley practically settled everything, because Byrd could never be depended upon, either for a reasonable attitude and vote if he was present, or to be present. There would be a hearing on a particular set of grievances with a dozen or twenty people to be heard on a particular day and Byrd wouldn't turn up. The organization was not complete enough so that they could elect a substitute.

It went along like that for a long time. Collins really had to present the cases. There again you had the total lack of trade union experience on the part of the workers. In spite of the fact that Collins was not interested in mechanical matters, and that he had no sympathy with those who were, he proved to be quite a good organizer for them. He did bring order out of chaos. He got the beginnings of a small organization that was really organized and really knew what they belonged to.