A strike may last for weeks, perhaps months.

Are we in a position to stand that?
And as for smashing the unions, let us once and for all put such a thought out of our minds.

These unions have all international affiliations.

It is absurd to imagine that we here in Blackwater could smash a single union." Fiercely McGinnis made reply.

"I want to tell you right here and now that I am prepared to close down and go out of business but I will have no outside committee tell me how to run my job." But no one took this threat seriously, and no one but knew that a shut-down for any of them might mean disaster.