Waiting For Lefty

It’s 1935. Union leader Harry Fatt, a large man who is “well fed and confident,” is reaching the end of his speech (5). He is addressing a gathering of taxi drivers, represented by a diverse group of about six men. A gunman stands downstage, watching. Fatt urges the union workers not to strike, reminding them of the unsuccessful textile and steel strikes. Fatt insists that President Franklin D. Roosevelt, recently inaugurated in 1933, is prioritizing their interests, unlike previous president Herbert Hoover. Fatt proclaims, “Because we gotta stand behind the man who’s standin’ behind us! The whole country—” (5). A voice interjects, “Is on the blink!” (6). The gunman stands at alert, and Fatt demands that the “damn red” make his identity known (6). No one comes forth and Fatt exclaims that he’s watching them, that any reds (communists) in the union will only ruin their lives and run. One voice pipes up, “Says you!” (6) and is threatened by the gunman.

Fatt suggests that they all go home to their “hot suppers” (6). Another man asks, “Where’s Lefty?” (6) The men repeat this, chanting the question. Fatt mocks