The Daily Worker Newspaper, April 15, 1925, Page 4

Page Four Organize the Steel Industry Proposed Steel Workers’ Program (Continued from page 1) ident Mike Tighe has become the per- Sonification of this reactionary stand- patism. The progressive members of the Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel and Tin workers must temedy this deplorable condition. They must produce better leadership for the un- ion, initiate more effective methods, instill it with a spirit of militant strug- gle ready to pit against the ruthless suppression, wage cutting and exploi- tation by the steel trust the organized power of the workers fighting for steady improvements for their class and the ultimate establishment of “working class power. This tremendous task demands as a first step an intensive campaign of organization by the Amalgamated As- so¢iation of Iron, Steel and Tin work- ers until it embraces all the workers within the steel industry. History Shows Betrayals. The recent history of the officials of the Amalgamated Association is one of failure to respond to the needs of the steel workers and at instances even deliberately betraying the principles of solidarity of labor. During the drive tO organize the steel industry in 1919, in the month of May, this officialdom led by Mike Tighe, of the national committee of organization, made. a separate bid for peace with the U. 8. Steel corporation in a letter addressed to Judge Gary. When the steel strike broke out the] All Progressive elements in the Association had contracts in certain mills covering only the skilled mem- bers. The officials ordered all work- ers from these mills, who had joined the union, back to work, thus seriously crippling the strike. They revoked charters of locals in Cleveland, Ohio, which refused to obey this ruling. All this went on in the name of sanctity of contract with the employers, but how about the contract and solemn agreement entered into with the other organiations when the Amalgamated Association became a part of the na- tional’ committee? And how about the outright violation of the principle of labor solidarity? » In the words of Mike F. Tighe, tes- tifying before the senatorial commit- tee of investigation, the secretary of the Amalgamated Association issued 160,000 dues cards during the period of the organiation drive. While the rank and file members gave whole- hearted support the officials acted as a brake and quit the drive before it was over. This one time large mem- bership has now dwindled to the re- ported 11,232 on Dec. 30, 1924, be- ing reduced to a point below that reached in 1882 when the membership numbered 16,003. Reduction of Wages and Loss of Members. The officialdom has shown a com- plete bankruptcy in all its activities. Their methods of participating in a so-called campaign of organization of the steel workers, conducted by the national committee of the American Federation of Labor and carried on mainly inthe Calumet Region, Indiana, brought no result whatever and not ome new recruit into the Association. Instead of increasing its numbers it has been constantly losing in member- ship. The last year, despite the un- Precendented boom in the industry, shows a net loss of 313 members. Not only are the ranks decreasing, but conditions won by the struggles of the past are disappearing. While the cost of living is rapidly increasing, wages in the steel industry have long ago struck the toboggan slide and wage cuts have become the order of the day. ll thinking members of the Amalgamated Association are because— on its subscribers. issued in this country. \ 1118 W. Washington Bivd. For the enclosed Forces TOT vem months tor City: .. aware that the blame for this situa- tion must be laid at the door of the present officials who desire to rule as Czars and try to brand all criticism as disruptive. But it has come to a point where a change must take place if complete disaster is to be avoided. Class Struggle is Here, We Cannot Escape. We are today engaged in a desper- ate and bitter struggle of the classes —the capitalist class on the one side and the working class on the other— let us not deceive ourselves on this question, There is no escape from the struggle, but we must carry on until the working class becomes victorious. The present reactionary officialdom of the Amalgamated Association in- stead of recognizing this class struggle are preaching that illusive and dan- gerous doctrine of class collaboration, which in plain English means, that the interests of the workers and em- ployers are one and the same. But the very opposite is true. Our in- terests are in direct confilct with those of the capitalist class. Where they want long hours and low wage the workers want higher wages, sho: er hours and better working condi- tions and the ultimate end of all work- ing class organiation mugt be to take control of industry and do away with the system of wage slavery. Launching of National Organization Drive. Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel and Tin Workers must combine their forces to oust from its present pedestal this reactionary bureaucracy, which is draining the life blood of the organization, and proceed to build a powerful union comprising all work. | ers in the steel industry. We propose that the Amalgamated Association im- mediately prepare to launch a drive for the organization of the whole stee! industry, on a national acale, taking in all workers, manual and clerical, employed in or about the mills, to be conducted on the following basis: 1. There shall be established a Department of Organization with full power to conduct the campaign. 2. The establishment of District Committees in each important steel district and the strengthening of these committees where such exists, each A working class magazine can live on neither advertising nor dealers’ sales alone—it must depend almost entirely Otherwise it cannot exist. For this reason effort is made not only to give the sub- scribers every consideration in price but also in prompt- ness in delivery—which is the reason subscribers receive the very first copies off the press. You should take advantage of these reasons in addition to receiving the very best working class magazine ever As we mentioned before, the subscription rates are $2.00 a Year---$1.25 Six Months This blank is for your convenience The Workers Month EPCOS sasscncnseecsscnnncrensieseseersunesbiconsvnsovessersnsessemennnnnsssssevenneneene to establish a Department of Organiz- ation for the District. 3. All national organizers to be elected at the annual convention, and district organizers to be elected by the district membership. 4. A uniform initiation fee as low as $1.00 per member to be established. 5. All workers employed in the steel mills to be brought into the Amalgamated Association regardless of craft or skill, race or color. 6. A period of intensive propagan- da covering the whole steel industry to precede the actual organization, the propaganda to be conducted under the following slogans: A One Hundred per cent organised industry. The complete establishment of the eight-hour day with abolishment of double shifts. No further wage reductions, but in- creases of present wages, Abolition of the speed-up system. Standard scale of wages for all steel workers to expire at the same time. One day rest in seven. Abolition of Company ions, Abolition of the blacklist, physical examination and finger print system. The industry to support its unem- ployed. Industrial Form of Organization. The steel industry is highly trusti- SE a TTT TTT TTL LLL LLL LLLLLLLLLLCLALEELLLLLLLLCMCLLLLL cc In Answer to Many Questions— This ls Our Explanation: The subscription price to THE WORKERS MONTHLY is so extremely modest ($2.00 a year, $1.25 six months) even tho we are forced to charge 25 cents a copy— Fs and controlled by one combine es- gablishing one complete monopoly. he gigantic steel corporations are a whit in the struggle against the work- erg, unitedly fighting all their efforts tojorfanize. Still the unions within this industry persist in carrying on their antiquated craft form of organ- ization which fitted in well to the in- dustrial system at the time when the De Witt locomotive passed the first railroad tracks laid in this country, but now should be put into the muse- um alongside of that engine. The or- ganizations of the workers must be built so as to be able to cope with the organizations of the owners of indus- try, and be able to meet their attacks successfully. The industrial union is the only possible form of organization in the steel industry which may ade- quately ‘protect the interests of the workers, The convention of the Amalgamated Association at Warren, Ohio, 1923, and Pittsburgh, Pa., 1924, went on record endorsing the industrial form of or- ganization. The constitution reads that all men and women working in and around the iron and steel mills, shall become members of the Amal- gamated Association. The officials have made no move to carry this form of organization into effect but have done their utmost to maintain the HAWAIIAN SENATE IN DOUBT ABDUT| SUN YAT SEN BEING COMMUNIST ‘ HONOLULU, Aprif 13.—The ques- tlon of whether Dr. Sun Yat Sen was a Communist arose in the ter- ritorlal senate during the discussion of @ resolution to adjourn until Mon- day out of respect to Dr. Sun. Senator James Russell declined his support on the ground that Dr. Sun was a Communist, but the sen- ate adopted the resolution. Senator Tavares insisted that Dr. Sun was born in Hawaii and was a true pa- triot. into a union. The remedy must be the establishment of a workers’ gov- ernment. bor party movement by the entire of- ficial family of organized labor the progressive steel workers see the need of united class’ political action by the industrial workers and exploit- ed farmers. We'pledge ourselves to carry on the struggle for independent class political action by labor as ¢ eraft outlook. We propose that the Amalgamated Association become an industrial union in the full sense of the word on a modern centralized basis and to be departmentalized according to the re- quirements of the industry. We pro- pose as an illustration the establish- ment of the following departmentaliza- tion: 1. Blast Furnace. . Open Hearth and Bessemer. 3. Rolling MUL 4, Sheet and Tin Mill. 5 Wire Rod, Pipe Mill. 6. Maintenance. % 7. Clerical. Shop Committee Organization as of Union. No union can live and function ef- tectively without job control. The basic strength of all working class or- ganization must be established in the shop where the workers toil and from whence.grows their grievances and as- Dirations. We therefore demand that a completo system of Shop Committee Organiation, taking in all workers in and around the iron and steel mills, organized and unorganized, be estab- lished, as a preliminary to union or- ganization and supplementary to the union. The Shop Committee must be repre- sentative of all workers in each mill, and composed of delegates elected by the workers from each department, re- gardless of craft or skill. Each Shop Committee shall elect its own officers and spokesmen and have full power junction with the union take all steps necessary to protect the interests of the workers. It shall carry on educa- tional activties for the building and strengthening of the union. The shop committees of each particualr district shall be combined on the same basis as the local unions. The so-called Shop Committees now existing in some mills composed joifitly of workers and the management or- ganized by the employers are tools of the bosses to protect their inter- ests and help enslave the workers. They have nothing to do with the wel- fare and the aspirations of the work- ers. These committees should be fought until’ they are replaced by committees composed of workers only. Unity, Nationally and Internationally. The capitalists of the United States are solidly united in their common efforts to keep the workers in submis- sion. Their organizations are united through interlocking directorates. Capitalism is also international in scope and the the working class must likewise unite internationally. We propose therefore, first, that there be formed a rea’ fighting alli- ance betwen the coal miners, railroad workers’ and steel workers’ unions. Not only for the purpose of extending sympathy with one another but to actually join forces for united action and to fight side by side in times of strike. Secondly, we propose to give the utmost assistance possible to the efforts now being made by the Red International of Labor Unions to create one united working class Inter- national comprising all labor unions of the world. 5 Inedependent Political Action. Nowhere has the relations between the employers and the government be- come so brutally clear as in the steel industry. Time and again the govern- ment has shown itself as an instru- ment of the employers to help keep the workers in submission—as a cap- italist government, courts, police, sol- diers and every means at the disposal send THE WORKERS MONTHLY of thjs ,capitalist government have been used to attempt to crush the ef- forts of the steel workers to organize Philadelphia, Notice! Weber Printing Co. 350 N. FIFTH STREET, Philadelphia, Pa. Eat at the GLOBE » CAFETERIA ‘Best Foods at Moderate Prices. 14th STREET, COR. IRVING PLACE (Opposite New York Party Headquarters) means of the establishment of a work- ers’ government. Recognition of Soviet Russia. The Russian workers, through their heroic struggles have abolished cap- italist exploitation and taken control of the industries which are now be- ing run in the interests of the workers. The Russian working class republic is in need of the things we produce in this country. We therefore demand the unconditional recognition of and establishment of trade relations with Soviet Russia, not only as a means of stimulating industry in this country, but as an act of solidarity with the Russian working class. Class Struggle Against Class Collab- oration. We have already pointed out that the working clas#’and@ the capitalist class have no interests in common. It has been effectively proven to us during ali the struggles of the past. On the basis of thése ®xperiences we propose that the officials of the Amal- gamated Association~ recognize the class struggle andoframe and execute the policies of the.,organization ac- cordingly. Our slogans must be: “Re- lentless struggle against the oppres- sive methods, wage cuts and the ex- ploitation by the steel. corporations.” “For the organization of a powerful union in the steel industry ready to fight for the interegtg)of the working class—a union whivhwill become one | Despite the base betrayal of the la- . i of the battalions ofsemancipation of the workers.” pals We submit this, program to the steel bers of the Amalgajiiated Asociation in particular. We challenge criticism and invite suggestions for further im- provements. We suggest that the col- umns of the official Journal of the As- sociation be openeff‘for discussion of this program and for the problems of the organization as°a whole. We pro- pose that all contributions submit- ted by individual members or lodges, be printed in full without any censor- ship, so that we tidy find the best possible means of constantly building and strengthening thé union. We urge all progressive, thinking members of the Amalgamated Associ- ation of Iron, Steel and Tin Workers, to unite for the building of a bigger and better union—a working class union covering the whole steel industry. PROPOSED BY THE TRADE UNION EDUCATIONAL LEAGUE. Our Readers’ Views NORWOOD, Mass., April 6—To the DAILY WORKER:— Enclosed. please find our check for $100.00 “To insure the DAILY WORKER for 1925.” In our party meeting, it was un- derstood that the Finnish branch in Norwood has somewhat failed to par- ticipate in our campaign to support the central organ of the party. As the members of the Finnish branch in Norwood are also a majority in local co-operative movement, so we decided to give part of our 1924 profit to the DAILY WORKER, May I also say that we ought to get the co-operative societies a real part of the party. The DAILY WORKER to take up all grievances of the work- ers with the management and in workers: in general and #eAhe mem: ject. If we get the co-operative so- cleties to participate with the Com- munist movement as a whole, then it’s worth while to work for them. Fraternally, United Co-Operative Society of Norwood, Mass. 0. E, SAARI, Mai er Coal Oil Lamp Explodes. LIMA, Ohio, April 18.—One child was burned to death and another per- haps fatally injured when a coal oil lamp exploded in the home of John Mamp today. Albert, aged 16 months, was dead when firemen reached him after they had battled thelr way thru the flames. Harry, aged 4, aped from the house when the explosion occurred, Gets Cold as “Cal.” * a blanket of snow. The mercury slid down to 35 degrees above 1% and gone was the balmy weather of Has- ter. should publish an urticle on this sub- | 3 BOSTON, April 13—This part of || New England today was covered with || | A TA ON THIS. IMPORTANT MATTER Once More We Quote Wm. Z. Foster: “Here, in the building up of the circulation of the DAILY WORKER, lies a field for the development of Communist 6rgan- ? izers, which is open to every member of our party. In the per- formance of the systematic work necessary to the effective sale of DAILY WORKER subscriptions, and for that matter the sale of any of our party press subscriptions, there is called into play the qualities which go to make real organizers and pro- pagandists. “In building the DAILY WORKER circulation we approach non-party workers, workers who are not class conscious. We tell them about the DAILY WORKER and ask them to subscribe. We must explain to them at least the main essentials of the class struggle. We must overcome objections, prove the ad- vantages and necessity of organization, of working class mili- tancy, of struggle against the bossand. his pliant tools, the trade union bureaucrats. We must exploit the growing revolt of these workers. We must connect.up our paper and our party with these workers by making the DAILY WORKER the spokes- = man and champion of their grievances. All this must be done z upon the most far-reaching scale and in the most systematic manner possible. “Such work is getting down to fundamentals. It means real contact with the masses. By carrying it on aggressively and = persistently we build up our self-confidence and our ability to give expression to Communist principles. ~In other words, we = develop ourselves into organizers.” From the article “The DAILY WORKER—a Communist Builder” by Wm. Z. Foster in Jan. 13 issue of the DAILY = = WORKER, ~ : And While You Build the Labor Movement— For every $6.00 worth of subs ($8.00 worth in Chicago) we will gladly send you a leather binder with patent clasp making all sheets detachable; with pocket for receipts and note paper for your use— containing a full descriptive catalogue of all Communist books and publications—an. efficient tool for the Communist Builder. | THE DAILY WORKER | . 1113 W. Washington Blvd. Chicago, Illinois — NEW SUBSCRIPTION TO BUILD THE DAILY WORKER NAME STREET.