The Daily Worker Newspaper, May 3, 1924, Page 7

- By J. W. JOHNSTONE. N this month of May, conventions of three principal unions fn the cloth- ing industry will take place. On May 2 5th, the International Ladies’ Garment : Workers’ Union opens its biennial convention in Boston; on the 12th, the Amalgamated Clothing Workers meet in Philadelphia; whfle on the same date the Furriers af@ called to meet in Chicago. In these three un- ions, in one of the most advanced sec- tions of the labor movement, will be fought out three phases of the battle for progress in the trade unions. It is the Furriers’ Union that pre- sents the most extreme form of re- action in the needle trades. Altho the rank and file of the union, in large majority, are progressive and revolu- tionary, yet the administration of Kaufman, supported by the machine of the Jewish Daily Forward . still keeps the Union committed to right wing policies and ruled by right wing elements. The methods by which this has been accomplished are well known. Thugs and gunmen have been called in to break up local. union meetings to prevent action against Kaufman and his coherts. In the elec- tions, all the left wing candidates were arbitrarily ruled off the ballot. Notwithstanding the fact that, by this arbitrary rule of force, the re- actionaries will control all “officially recognized” delegates, they are still so fearful of the militant rank and file that the Convention, instead of being held in New York, center of the un- ion forces, is taken to Chicago, where «| there is but a small and conservative local. Even the reactionary delegates with the mandate won by exclusion of all rivals from the elections, must be carefully segregated—from the influ- ence of the rank and file. In the Furriers we thus have the most extreme type of reaction in pow- er. It rules by brute force, the ex- clusion of opposition from the elec- “tions, and by alliance with the reac- tionary forces in the other unions. It is bold and unashamed, and makes no pretenses of working class democracy. Ruling by such methods over a rank and file that is naturally revolution- ary, this bureaucracy is headed direct- ly for a smash-up. It is possible that their boasts of complete control of the Chicago Convention may be made e good—but the downfall of the Kauf- man machine in the not distant fu- ture is guaranteed by the primitive nature of its methods of rule. It can- not last. The progressive forces must and will organize their rank and file support, which is in a vast majority, and take over the Furriers’ Union. Ladies’ Garment Workers and Expulsion. The I. L. G. W. U. has been, for the past year, a scene of battle be- tween the left wing elements, led by the Trade Union Educational League and the right wing administration, led by the Forward—S. P. alliance. The left wing has been fighting for amalgamation of all needle trades un- ions, the right wing for craft separa- tism; the left for an altinclusive La- bor-Party, the right for an exclusive §S. P.—bureaucratic collaboration; the bd left for the shop delegate system of - union organization, the right for con- tinuation of the present cumbersome local forms; the left for militant struggle against all reductions in wages, the right for compromise and collaboration. When, a year ago, the left wing was sweeping into power in the principal local unions thruout the country, the reactionary general adminstration launched a war upon the left, in a desperate effort to stem the tide of progress, Expulsions, disfranchise- ments, and discriminations, were the principal weapons relied upon, altho even in the I. L. G. W. U. strong-arm men were occasionally brought in and at the famous Chicago protest meet- ing, shots were fired at Wm. Z. Fos- ter. The I. L. G. W. U. officials be- came the principal exponents of the } tactics of the Amsterdam Internation- i s al, expulsions and splits to destroy od the left wing; and the Boston Conven- tion on May 5th, will have this ex- pulsion issue as the main question be- cer, iT “Repudiate the expulsion policy” /U. to take a leading part in this amal- has been the slogan of the elections to this convention, The membership has rallied to this issue very decided- ly. In spite of the fact that all mem- bers of the Trade Union Educational League have been removed from -the ballots, and the most arbitrary ob stacles set up against any effective protests being made, still the reports from all the large centers of the trade show that a majority of delegates are pledged to repudiate the repulsion policy, and to restore the right of free propaganda for amalgamation, the La- bor-Party, the shop delegate system, etc. Altho opposition to the expulsion policy does not mean support of all left wing issues, yet every one recog- nizes that it is. really all the pro- gressive measures that are at stake, and not an abstract question of “rights.” : The absurd charge of, “dual union- igm” against the T. U. E. L. has been completely exploded. How such a charge can still be made at the con- vention, after the expelled Chicago members lave been placed in respon- sible posts in the strike now going on. and again proved that they are among the best fighters even while they are ofiicially “outside” of the union, will be hard for the delegates to under- INDIAN SIGN ON ME stand. The expulsion policy will be ‘ndefensible before this convention. That it will be repudiated, all the ex- pelled members reinstated, and the I. L. G. W. U. brought back into the path of progress is a result to be ex- pected. The majority of delegates so far elected as this is written sive prom‘se of a real battle for ttis re- sult. Upon this issue there can be no compromise. Amalgamation Is Burning Issue. The question of uniting all needle trades unions into one industrial or- ganization thru amalgamation wifl be a most vital issue at the Convention. Even tho the avowed amalgamation- ists have been deprived of their rights as délegates, still the facts of life itself will force amalgamation upon the attention of the delegates. In Chicago the strike now going on shows again the necessity of amal- gamation. The dressmakers are bat- tling bravely alone, with the other branches of the needle industry ex- pressing their sympathy. All recog- nize that a defeat for the dressmak- ers is a defeat for the entire indus- try. But loose alliances do not give the necessary strength to do battle with the well-organized employers. Another fact that forces considcra- tion of the proposal to amalgamate the unions, and forces the IL L. G. W. ORDERS FROM MOSCOW gamation,. is the growing centraliza- tion taking place in the industry. The factories hitherto confined to mak- ing men’s clothing are beginning to take over production of women’s gar- ments. The section system is being applied to cloak making. What may be expected ‘soon is indicated by the fact that Hart, Schaffner & Marx, large producers of men’s clothing, are now turning out 800 women’s cloaks a day in Chicago. If there is to be any effective control of this change that is going in the industry, to pro- tect the interests of the workers in- volved. it can only be done by unit- ing the two unions with jurisdiction over the two fields that are thus be- ing united in the industry itself. There is but one alternative to amalgamation to solve this question— that is to engage in a war of juris- diction between the two unions. This would be destructive of all unionism in the needle trades. It is a method that cannot be defended even by the blackest reactionary. There is not one argument against amalgamation left. The I. L. G. W. U. at its Boston Convention will be called upon to en- ter into a movement for unity in the needle trades. In the Amalgamated Clothing Work- ers, in common with all unions in America, the issues between right and left wings have become more acute. The line-up on policies, for class col- laboration by the right wing and for class struggle by the left, is becoming clearer all the time. But this ideo- logical struggle has not taken on the same destructive character of open warfare against the left wing and its rights in the A. C, W. such as oc- curs in the other unions. The atti- tude of the administration has, on the whole, assisted in preserving the A. C. W. from wholesale right wing dis- ruption, But distinct danger-signals have ap- peared also in the A.C. W. The ad- ministration group has been catering to the reactionary elements in New York City, a most dangerous course, tor it thus invites them to begin emu- lation of the Sigman-Perlstein tactics of warfare, tactics that would be fa- tal to the A. C. W. as a militant un- ion. This tendency to the right was shown in the appointment of Wolf, a reactionary, as manager of the N. Y. Joint Board. The election in Local 2, where the right wingers stole the election, while the administration looked the other way—if it did not assist—is another warning to the left wing to be on its guard. Participation in the June 17th Con- . |THE NEEDLE TRADES SITUATION vention for the formation of a Farm- er-Labor Party on a broad national scale, inclusive of all class elements ready to unite upon a common pro- gram—this will be one of the major issues before the A. C. W. of A. Con- vention in Philadelphia. Notwith- standing the action of the Convention of 1922, which favored an all-inclu- sive class Farmer-Labor Party, the administration carried out only the letter of the resolution, but not its spirit. It did not play a responsible and active role in the great July 3rd Convention, at which was formed the Federated Farmer-Labor Party. Fur- ther dallying on the issue, now that the Farmer-Labor movement is ap- proaching the critical months of a general election, should not be al- lowed. It will be a major task of the left wing in the A. C. W. Convention to fight for a whole-hearted instruc- tion to throw the Amalgamated into the political battle in a united front with all class forces willing to co- operate in a mass Farmér-Labor Par- ty. This means full endorsement of and participation in the June 17th Convention in St. Paul. In the Journeymen Tailors’ Union. The general referendum taking place in the Journeymen Tailors’ Un- ion for general secretary-treasurer, show the same line-up between prog- ress and reaction witnessed thruout the needle trades. There are nu- merous candidates, but the real strug- gle is between Max J. Sillinsky, back- ed by the left wing, and T. J. Sween- ey, present incumbent, backed by the reactionaries. The issues are excep- tionally clear. Sillinsky has been endorsed by 35 local unions; in his letter of accept- ance he states the program upon which he solicits the vote of the membership; this contains, in addi- tion to the purely trade issues, amal- gamation, the Labor-Party protection of the foreign-born; recognition of Soviet Russia, and organization of the unorganized. Sweeney, on the other hand, is a follower of Gompers. He voted against amalgamation in the A. F. of L. Con- vention at Portland, altho his own un- ion is in favor of amalgamation. He voted to unseat Bill Dunne, an act that aroused high resentment among the tailors. He has made a personal organ out of the official journal, to slander his opponents. He is calling for the support of every reactionary element. The writer has never met Sillinsky, but has watched his record in a num- ber of conventions and in the move- ment generally. _Sillinsky had made a consistent record of voting and fighting for progressive measures even when they are decidedly unpopu- lar. He was one of the few that vot, ed for all the progressive measures in the Portland A. F. of L. Convention and against the expulsion of Dunne. He has no affiliations with any or- ganization, but the Tailors, but by his record he has won support of the left wing and of all progressive tailors. If all the elements actively support him, Sillinsky stands a good chance of election. The next few weeks will be a per- iod of intense interest in the needle trades. Prospects are good for a de- cided left wing advance, repudiation of the expulsion policy in the I. L. G. W. U., participation in the June 17th Convention by all the unions, parti- cularly the American Garment Work- ers, endorsement of amalgamation by the L. L. G. W. U., adoption of the shop delegate principle of organiza- tion, election of Sillinsky in the Tail- ors’ Union—all or any one of these will mark a great advance in the la- bor moveinent. In all unions the left wing will be fighting militantly for these, and for many other measures, particularly for measures against un- employment, Victory on all of them is quite possible if the whole left wing strength is thrown into a real fight for them,. because they represent the Pressing life-needs of the needle trades unions today. The left wing is fighting with history on its side. Let every militant needle trades worker do his part.