Some of the things I read seem to indicate Bogart lost his job and then joined the Black Legion, he screwed up on the job and was replaced for being incompetent and was manipulated by others to take advantage of the situation.
shareI just watched it on TCM. Bogie joined the legion before losing his job. It was the legion's running Dombrowski out of town that got Bogie the foreman job that he felt he had been cheated out of by the foreigner.
shareIt's a shame you missed the point. I think the point is that the kinds of people who join let alone start things like the Black Legion (or, in reality, the KKK) are typically idiots. They have some amount of brains, like in this case - Bogart's character wasn't incompetent. He was just careless. He thought everything was owed to him, because he's "pure, white 100% American", when in fact some things everybody has to work to get and to keep. These kind of people are selfish too, which often leads them to dumping on others to get what they want.
I think the point that you seem to have missed is a judgment of the character of these kinds of people. Also, it gives you a greater insight into the situation. He didn't lose his job because undeservedly because he isn't in the marginalized community. I mean, he didn't get the promotion because he wasn't committed/hard-working enough. But again, not being in the marginalized community, he turned to a hate group to edge out the man who did get the promotion and who, due to his racial background, is in a marginalized community. Later, Bogart loses the job anyway out of incompetence, you said. I'd say it was more that his focus was getting to muddy. He was getting washed up in the Black Legion lunacy and neglected his job, but he was perfectly competent to perform the tasks required of him.
Brilliant film. I think if he had lost his job unfairly, the power the film wields would be slightly jeopardized. It would be robbing from Peter to pay Paul if he, too, was in a marginalized group.