The Daily Worker Newspaper, April 18, 1925, Page 3

(f the thousands of miners are in open' . cilliation .board were invariably lost i ee EOEEeee—————ee THIS PAGE Is Devoted to the Activity and Interests of the . Trade Union Educational League (T, U. B. L.) North American Section of the RED INTERNATIONAL OF LABOR UNIONS (RE L. U.) THE T.U.E.L. Represents the Left Wing of the Labor Movement. its Purpose Is to Strengthen the’‘Labor Unions by Amalgamation of Existing Unions, Organization of the Unorganized, and by Replacing. Reactionary and Class Collaboration Policies with a Unified Program for the Trahsformation of the Unions Into Organs of Revolutionary Class Struggle for the Overthrowal of Capitalism and the Establishment of a Workers’ and Farm- ers’ Government. DISTRICT ONE, MINERS TURN TO ‘PROGRESSIVES uve * Reject Traitors and Con- eye ae ciliation By PAT TOOHEY. Scranton, Pa.—Miners of District 1, United Mine Workers of America, largest of the three anthracite dis- tricts, will go to the polls in June to vote for officers to replace the pres- ent administration headed by Rinaldo Cappellini. He who promised the min- ers so much two years ago and was elected as a radical on a radical pro- gram, has now degenerated into noth- ing more than a servile and depend- able tool of the syndicates who con- trol the anthracite coal supply. For many years the anthracite re- gion has been a hotbed of discontent. The bosses have consistently robbed “the miners all these years, while the men have no redress with the ex- ception of turning their case over to their district officers to fight for them. District officers of District 1, past and present, do not differ from district of- ficers of other districts, being usually spineless job-hunters and easy prey for the employers. When a case is referred to the district office for ad- justment, usually the miner sighs and gives up in defeat long prior to the “hearing” of the grievance. A Bitter Lesson. S6 often, and with impunity, do the, bosses violate the contract and at- tempt to compel the miners to work under damnable conditions that griev- ances by the hundreds arise and keep arising without adjustment. The con- duet of their district officers in the past, in “fighting” these grievances, supposedly representing the interests of the miners, have taught the rank and file a’bitter lesson. They have been taught that before they will get the wages due them for work done, satisfactory adjustment of their ‘grievances, and to make their organjzation an economic weapon to fight’ their battles and not a meal ticketand source of income for a select crew of quacks and fakers they must select men from their ranks, militant miners who have a thoro un- derstanding and knowledge of their conditions and unhappy lot. A Demagog Unmasked. This awakening was but dim two years ago when Cappellini, the quack and demagog, realizing that in order to get himself elected district’ pres!- dent was to suddenly become a fighter for the miners, exposing the corrup- tion of the district, recounting their many lost grievances and suggesting his general grievance committee for closer unity between the membership. Not being able to see thru the faker the men hailed him as their savior and elected him by a 10,000 majority over Brennen, the Lewis candidate. Cappéllini swore by every saint in the calendar that if he was elected) he would make ‘Alex Howat one of his organizers. His conduct’ during the past two years have shown him for what he is. At the present time rebellion. Their grievances are still unsettled or those that have been »heard”,and decided upon by the con- and the decision in favor of the op- erator, ‘ Another Strike Rumored. a ‘The outlaw strike of the 12,000 men ofthe Pennsylvania Collieries was be- ‘cause of unsettled grievances. "Ri mors are that the men of Glen Lyon have set a time limit of 15 days for settlement or they strike. a} The grievances of the miners are heard by the conciliation board, com- posed equally of miners and operators and a referee. It is the same medium of grievance adjustment that Roose- velt instituted in the great 1902 strike. Grievances presented to the board from tyo months to five years remain unsettled. The conciliation board is very beneficial to the operators and it is the miner who usually loses. A most striking example of this fact was recently when the board handed down its decision in the case of the Wanamie local, prohibiting the focal from specifying the amount of cars to be loaded by an individual miner, The Progressive miners ticket, headed by Bernard Zaleskas, con- Textile Trust Drops Pretense of Caring for Workers’ Welfare (Special to The Daily Worker.) LAWRENCE, Mass., April 16.—The American Woolen Co., has abolished its labor (welfare) department and hereafter will handle its labor pro- blems without gloves. The welfare program began in 1919 after the great strike and thru its Americanization courses, company farms and welfare camps, cafeterias, visiting nurses and employes’ maga- zine The Booster sought to minimize the friction that attended a low wage, speed-up policy in the mills. The plan was instituted under the presidency of William M, Wood but his successor as president of Amer- ican Woolen, Andrew G. Pierce, con- cluded that the 20 welfare employes made too high an overhead and of the farms and other equipment of the de partment Pierce tersely said, in dis continuing the welfare program, that he was a manufacturer and not a farmer. Union Pleased The United Textile Workers’ Union does not regret the passing of the welfare work, The union has never supported this paternalistic system of camouflaging exploitation and it has always opposed the espionage features of the welfare program. “When the textile workers are given enough money in their pay nevelope they will make enough for their own welfare,” says a.union statement. “They will not need any, workers’ wel- fare department.” eR Me eer ae Hear J. E. Snyder and Tom Matthews, Sunday (Special to The Daily Worker.) CLINTON, Iowa, April 16.—On Sun- day afternoon, April 19 at 2:30 p. m., J. B. Snyder and Tom Matthews will speak to a gathering of trade unions at the Clinton Memorial Temple, 613 So. Second St. on Marxian science. The trade unionists of Clinton will be especially interested in this lecture, as they have had a good share of ex- perience with “labor political action.” In explaining the science of Marxism, these speakers will show the differ- ence between real working class politi- cal action and the mere election of “good men” to office. No admission will be charged at this lecture. demns the conciliation board and stands for its immediate abolition and tor the direct adjustment of grievanc- es by the miners and operators with the rank and file representatives present at these settlements, while demanding the settlement of all grievances within sixty days from the date they arise. Lewis has ordered the dissolution of the general grievance committee, orrather his “commission” has, which is about the same thing. The gener- al grievance committees are the only mediums of rank and file expression. Lewis and his cohort, Cappellini, does not want the men to have any ex- pression and calls attention to a very innocent looking section of the dis- trict constitution wherein it states that all locals are forbidden to affiliate with any group or organization not endorsed by the district executive board. Progressives to Retain Grievance , x Committees. Lewis held this club over the heads of the men until now. The committees had to be organized, for Cappellini spewed so much about them during his campaign that the rank and file, determined to organize them. Now, Cappellini, founder of the general grievance committees, safely in the band wagon of Lewis, also orders their dissolution and refuses to recog. nize them officially. The Progressive platform demands the retention and development of the general grievance committees for the better expression of the rank and file. To develop these committees under a militant leadership to fight for the rank and file is the object of the Pro- gressive miners, | Boss Painters’ Weaken WASHINGTON.—Striking painters see signs of weakening of the | the Master Painters’ association, | bosses announce that they iy import strikebreakers, since ey get plenty of them at home, ._— FIGHTING LOCAL AT CHARLEROI SITS ON FAKERS Refuses to Consider Framed Charges (Special to The Dally Worker) PITTSBURG, Pa—District No. 5 miners’ officials wrote charges against progressives and had one of their tools sign and present them to Local 4546 of Charleroi, Pa, Failure in their first attempt to secure an expulsion in McDonald they now turn to the local from where the call for the March 15 conference originated, At the last meeting of Local 4546 the following charge was preferred against Jim Oates, “Violating Article 18, Section 3, and Article 13, section 2 of the district constitution” on the basis of a resolution passed at the last district convention which is a sense prevents miners attending a movie show if the officials see fit. The charges were signed by Thos, Winn who is a brother-in-law to Frank. Fee- han a former president of this district. His motion was seconded by the sub- district board member's brother. A Plain Frame-Up. In the discussion, Winn admitted that the charges were written by the district officials and that he signed them. So flimsy is the basis for the charge, the local refused even to ac- cept them and have a trial. And the officials, knowing that they have no leg to stand on, do not trust to one specifie charge but rather draw up a document of them, hoping that at least they could induce the local to accept one of them. It must be remembered that this local is the one that in Feb. 15, held a mass meeting of miners in Charleroi to which they invited the district of- ficials to answer charges of misappro- priation of the miners’ money. A Fighting Local Not one of the officials were pres- ent at the meeting, but instead carry on a policy of disruption and expul- sion. This same local is also calling for a special district convention fo take up misappropreation of the min- ers’ money by the district officials, malfeasance of office, investigation of the funds expended in the Fayette county field in 1922, present grie- vances that are piling up and rallying the entire organization for the release of the men imprisoned at Mound- sville. The officialdom knows that the lo- cal and Oates have the goods on them, they are afraid the membership will get to know the truth of their meth- ods. Oates at one time was an organ- izer and has had an opportunity to get a close look at their activity. He was very active in the organization of the Alleghany Valley and securing conditions for the miners at a time when Van Bittner wanted the strike in that region called off. ae, Feeders Threatened with Wage Slash; Berry for Arbitration George L. Berry, president of I. P. P. & F. U., visited Chicago recently to urge upon the members of Frank- lin Union No. 4 the necessity of sub- mitting the question of their wage demands to arbitration. The bosses are trying to reduce our wages $4 a week. In his arguments in favor of arbitration he told the membership that the union was too weak to strike, but that as soon as “his” union locat- ed at 181 W. Washington St., had or- ganized the pressrooms of Chicago then they could get anything they wanted. This union on Washington St. is a peculiar outfit. The members in that union work 48 hours a week and re- ceive whatever wages they can get, while the members in Locals No. 3|- and 4 work a 44-hour week and have a regular union scale of wages. The members of Franklin Union were not very much impressed with the vision of the Washington St. un- jon organizing the city when they were unable to force the bosses to live up to the union scale. However, Berry thinks it a fine idea to keep six of his organizers in Chicago looking after that union. To the members of Fraiklin Union the Washington St. outfit is nothing more than a scab out- fit. Berry had to admit that he was not very welcome in Chicago. Perhaps he remembered when in 1918 Franklin Union No. 4 was successful in signing up most shops for a $5 a week in- crease he came in and told the bosses that $2.50 a week was sufficient of an increase for a pressfeeder, with the result that Franklin Union got only a $2.50 raise. After listening to three hours of Berryism (arbitration, no strikes and co-operation with the bosses) the union decided to hold a referendum on the question of strike or arbitration. Miners’ Institute Free of Debt. COLLINSVILLE, Ill.—The $140,000 building housing the Collinsville Min- Jers’ Institute is free of debt, following the burning of the mortgage April 1. Locals 264, 685, 826, 848 and 4398, »| United Mine Workers, have been as- sessing themselves earnings since 1916 to wipe out the 1 per cent of their: \ THE DAILY WORKER Pr sive Party “Caucus in graphical 16 On Sunday/ April 12 the Progressive Party in Chicago Typographical Union No. 16 held @ caucus to choose candi- dates for the coming local elections, About seven hundred members attend- ed. The qualification for admittance was the possession of a paid-up card in the local. No speeches from candi- dates were allowed. Canvassing took the form of whispered conversations as to the qualifications of the candi- dates—and the main qualification of all of them appeared to be that “he is a good fellow,” The candidates of the Progressive Party in the» May elections will be: for president, Hedger; for vice-presi- dent, DeWolf;. for organizer, John {>} English; for executive, Aus: » Carl-| mf : oer ete, {bodies of Minneapolis and Seattle. son, Cooper, Powers, White; delegates to I. T. U. convention, Chapp, Tatge, Oblinger; sergeant-at-arms, Jack Canty. As compared with the Wahneta clique in the Typographical Union the Progressive Party is very much pref- erable. At least the Progressives have broken Joose from the hide-bound conservatism, that characterizes the Wahnetas. But there is a lack of any fundamental program on the part of the Progressives. Among some Progressives, however, the healthy sentiment against arbitra- tion-with the’bosses and for amalga- mation is a good sign, and should be seized upon by the adherents of the Trade Union Educational League to develop the forces that are out to develop the strength of the union to its maximum. COURT DECISION HELD BIG BLOW AT RAIL BOARD Held Aid to Voluntary Arbitration By LAURENCE TODD, (Federated Press Staff Correspondent) WASHINGTON, April 16.— Pros- pects for the Barkley railroad labor bill in the Rew congress are distinct- ly improved’ by the supreme court’s decision, in ‘the Kansas industrial court case—that compulsory arbitra- tion of labor disputes is unconstitu- tional. Hence thé ‘railroad labor board must go, and"¢ompetent voluntary ma- chinery for dé@aling with rail labor dis- putes must BS arranged. That is the purpose of the Howell-Barkley meas- ure which was throttled by the Long- worth-Gillett-Snell organization in the house during the past year. See Efficiency of Bosses’ Rule. There are cynical persons who ob- serve that the supreme court of the United States. nullified the principle of compulsory arbitration only when the organized: employers had become more efficient in swaying public opin- ion than the,organized workers. Or- ganized business had become strong enough, class, conscious enough, and sufficiently united under aggressive leadership,.to;get more for itself from a free fight than from state compul- sion. They point to the fact that in the capital, on the day this decision was rendered, some 70 building contrac- tors signed a compact to stand by one another in the refusal to grant wage increases to the building trades; that only four firms stayed out of this agreement; that the sub-commit- tee which engineered the deal includ- ed Vice-President Robertson, of the Associated General Contractors of America, and: officers of the Building and Manufacturers’ Exchange, the Op. erative Builders and the Builders’ Exchange. Not a word of protest from the White House or from Secre- tarles Davis or Hoover. Hope for: Howell-Barkley Bill. Administration press agents, how- ever, declare that the ruling of the supreme court ‘shows that organized labor has lost none of its standing, under a conservative political regime; that if labor has the power to drive a good bargain with the employers, it surely has the legal right to do so. What they do not mention is la- bor’s utter lack of means of carrying its message to the general public, so that trade union membership will cease to be a matter for half-ashamed explanation, as it is becoming in neighborhoodsand classes affected by conservative propaganda. Railroad men see in the decision a bit of real ement for their plan of volufitary arbitration. The Howell-Barkldy bill will be brought forward, next.December, with vigor- ous determination, Will Favor “Friendly” Banks. WASHINGTON, April 16.— By a vote of 39 to 6 the Washington cen- tral labor union has voted its ap- proval of a plan for selection of 6 or more local banks as being “friendly,” from the 47 td whom letters of inquiry as to their policy toward the building trades strike’were recently sent. It {s recalled that when one of the local banks was identified, some years ago, as hostile to union then on strike, some $200,000;of its deposits were af- tected, ud _————- Does ie friend subscribe to the WORKER? Ask him! LEFT WING TAILO PROTESTS POLICY OF EXPULSIONS Reds Life of Union, Says Sillinsky The Journeymen Tailors’ Union has become, under the brazen-faced office stealing régime of Thomas Sweeney, as reactionary as any other of the unfons. Sweeney, thru his control of the official organ, The Tailor, has had} the policy of loudly applauding all the illegal and disruptive attacks made on the Communists in the central Finally, a left winger has managed to get a letter into the publication, op- posing such expulsions and pointing out the real issue, class struggle ver- sus class collaboration underlying the question. The letter is written by Max P. Sillinsky, a Cleveland pro- gressive, and is as follows: “Cleveland, Ohio, March 23, 1925. “It was with a great deal of interest that I read the news items in the col- umns of the several recent issues of |The Tailor that told of the expulsion of Communists and Reds from the Cen- tral Labor Unions of Seattle and Min- neapolis. “My activity in the trade union movement is of many years’ standing, and all those years I have been sub- ject to the same experience. This ex- perience has been, that the so-called ‘Reds,’ those in the unions that are really progressive, that really believe in the struggle of the workers for a betterment of conditions, as well as for the eventual emancipation from wage slavery, these Reds were always in the forefront in all our union work, were constantly helping to build up the unions and accepting the most Chicago Pressmen’s Election Gives the Berry Gang a Gain In the election in Chicago Press- men’s Union No. 3 held Saturday, April 11, the adherents of Geo, L. Berry succeeded in winning the posi- tions of president and organizer. Pres- ident Moran (Berryite) was re-elected and Organizer Van Artzen (anti- Berryite) was defeated by 3 votes by Seppi who can be trusted to use his office for the good of the Berry ma- chine, The result of the elections leaves the anti-Berry administration forces with a majority in the local executive. Pressmen’s Union No. 3 has taken a leading position in the struggle against Berry for many years. It was this local that charged Berry with embezzlement of International Union funds some years ago. The Berry forces have done all in their power to gain control of the local but have not yet succeeded. The progressive forces in the local now see the necessity of consolidating their forces in order to prevent the loss of the gains they won only after many hard battles. The defeat of Organizer Van Artzen was a blow at the anti-Berry forces, but they are confident of winning in the next elec- tions because of this experience. JOHNSTON BEING SNOWED UNDER BY THE MACHINISTS First Run Vote Shows Heavy Defeat The first run of votes in some of the Chicago locals of the International dangerous posts when the union was | *8sociation of Machinists shows a on strike. “In certain localities, among some unions, a novel idea seems to be gain- ing ground. This is the’idea of class peace. Labor leaders, here and there, are boasting about their friendship with employers, paying more atten- tion to building banks and apartment houses and other profit making enter- prises, than they are in gaining higher wages and better working conditions for the workers. The recent, trouble the miners’ union had with the loco- motive engineers’ organization and its nonunion mines in West Va., is a clear case in point. “The idea of class peace will lead us only to one end, a continual weakening of our union, lower wages and worse working conditions, For a labor union to give up fighting is equal to playing into the hands of the open shoppers. There is no more effective weapon the workers have than a strong union, ready and able to fight when necessary. We should organize and amalgamate so as to be able to use our power more effectively. “When I read of suspensions from central bodies of the real fighting ele- ments, I am convinced a wrong step is being taken. To weed out the real fighters from the ranks of labor is a grave mistake. I am never afraid of labor becoming too radical, there is greater danger in labor becoming too conservative—Fraternally yours, MAX J. SILLINSKY.” Building Trades in Boston Vote on Strike Settlement BOSTON, Mass., April 16.—Striking building trades local unions and oth- er building trades unions not yet on strike are voting on the proposal of the building trades employers’ asso- ciation for a 3-year agreement, with present wages to stand until April 1, 1926, and the wage scales for the re- maining period of the pact to be set- tled by arbitration. The building trades council commit- tee has accepted the proposal but it must be ratified by the trades to be effective. Final results will not be known until the end of the month when the voting will have been com- pleted, Painters, plumbers, lathers and gas fitters are on strike for $1.25 an hour. The strike is effective against all building trades employers’ associa- tion jobs. Some independent firms have yielded to the union. “Right of Contract” Covers Too Much Ground for Workers NEW HAVEN, Conn.—The Elm City Laundry company of this city is similar to many other such con- cerns in forcing its drivers to sign a “yellow dog” contract which says in part: “Said party of the second part fur- ther agrees that he will not at any time while he is in the employ of the said party of the first part, or with- ing one year after leaving its service, for himself or any other person, per- sons or company, engage in the laan- dry business.” This is used also in a warning to other laundries not to “interfere” with the Elm company’s drivers, This pro- perty right over the lives of employes is partly responsible for the union- izing campaign being carried on among the laundry workers here, tremendous swing away from “B.&O.” Johnston to Anderson. Voting con- tinues in all locals for two consecu- tive meetings, so the figures given be- low are incomplete, representing only tie votes cast at the first meeting. All left wing members should re- port the votes of their locals to the T. U. E. L., 1113 Washington Bivd., Chicago, Ill. Local Johnston Anderson 83 96 84 40 113 69 126 299 128 11 134 47 185, 25 199 75 337 62 366 29 390 4 1528 + The Anderson slate is running strong in District 8, and in fact the whole country as well as can be told at this writing. New York City and San Francisco are reported going against Johnston by about two to one. The Left Wing Committee in Chicago visited many locals explain- ing the left wing position in qualified support of Anderson. Collective Bargaining Turned Wrong Side Out by Boss Bakers NEW YORK CITY.—Bill Green's fondness for “collective bargaining” has been taken up in a new quarter, that is to say, by the Specialty Bakery Owners’ of America, the Master Bak- ers’ Jewish organization fighting the Jewish Bakers’ Union for “the right to organize.” The spokesman for the bosses says in accents pitiful that “The Jewish Bakers’ Union insists on being an association of .workmen to protect their interests. They insist on making individual employers sign agreements with the union and refuse to permit the employers’ association to repres- ent the master bakers. This we are determined to no longer tolerate, Un- less at an early date the union grants collective bargaining and an agree- ment calling for arbitration, we will close our shops and lock out our workers.” The matter of forcing arbitration by such a “collective” agreement is par- ticularly distasteful to the union men. The association does an annual pur- chasing business of $200,000,000, SHOE WORKERS PREDICT VICTORY WHEN JUDGE FREES UNION STRIKERS NEW YORK, April 16—After list- ening to all that the owners of the United Shoe Rebuilding corporation had to say regarding the high crimes and misdemeanors of Pascal Cos- grove, organizer of the Shoe Work- ers’ Protective Union, and Mike Tesky, one of the pickets in the strike for recognition of the union in the “United” shops, the judge in the Jefferson court dismissed the cases without even calling Cosgrove to the stand, The failure of the boss in this case has convinced the union that they are on the road to complete victory, and that this boss will soon have to deal with the Shoe Workers’ Protective Union if he desires to do any shoe repairing In his seven New York shops, Page Three WHAT WERE THE PRE-WAR UNION INTERNATIONALS? Losovsky Tells Their Lack of Unity By A, LOSOVSKY (General Secretary of the Red Inter. national of Labor Unions) In the trade union sphere of the pre-war period we have the Interna- tional Secretariat of Trade Unions, which was created in 1902. Its confer- ences usually were connected with the international soc st congresses, as delegates to the latter congresses. This international secretariat was not jan international organization in the |sense which especially we, the Com- | munists, understand it. | it was not an organization for strug- gle; but an international organization for the exchange of information. We could easily call it an “international information bureau,” an international bureau for sending statistics to each other, an international post-office box, or anything but an international labor union. It lacked the character- istic of a real labor international; that is, the domination of interests of the class as a whole over the interests of separate parts of the international. The Internationals of Industries Besides the International Secret ariat of Trade Unions, there were in- ternational units of trade unions—or internationals—by industries: The International Textile Union, the Metal Workers’ Union, the Wood Workers’ Union; the Barbers’ Union; the Cap Makers’ Union, the Needle Trades, etc., over twenty international unions, which could be more correctly called a semblance of international unity than real unity. In fact we cannot remember one time in the internation- al labor movement before the war where any industrial international played a leading role in the interna- tional struggle where the unions 2 take concurrent action in dif- ferent countries. Only Fake Internationals Therefore, if we look at these inter- nationals from the point of view of those problems which an international in general should solve, we must open- ly state that no such international in fact existed. They were organizations which called themselves “internation- als.” They had stationery with their names upon it, but they were only indications of the necessity of milit- ant internationals, which they them- selves were not. The existence of these internationals proved the neces- sity of creating real international units. Their weakness characterized the degrees of the development of the working class movement of the world. Again, if we wish to get a clear un- derstanding of those causes which led up to the disintegration of the labor movement of the world with the be- ginning of the war, let us see what these labor organizations represented, and what were the connections be- tween them. The Inner Weakness. Only after we carefully acquaint ourselves with these organizations, will we understand why 1914 was the year of the complete disintegration, demoralization and disorganization of the international labor movement. The’ competition between international capitalist groups before the war, was reflected in the industrial internation- al unions, and with the coming of the war, came out more boldly. After the international congress of metal work- ers in 1914, one of the former dele- gates at that congress, Merrheim, at that time a revolutionary syndicalist, stated in an article that at that con- gress the competition between the British and German metallurgy show- ed itself, The labor movement of that period, although officially connected in inter- national unity, in fact was filled with national prejudice, national separat- ism, and national interests. The ques- tions of “fatherland” were superior to the interests of the working class, and the question of “defending the fatherland” was a principle accepted by the whole labor movement. eee The above is an excerpt from Losovsky’s famous book, “The World’s Trade Union Movement,” which is different from and more valuable than any other book pub- lished upon world unionism. It can be obtained for 50 cents, post free from the Trade Union Educa- ton Bivd., Chicago, Ill. Give your’ shopmate this of the DAILY WORKER—but sure to see him the next day to get his subscription. IN DETROIT. N. STOYANOFF PHARMACY 11142 Kercheval St. An Experienced Druggist Who can advise the proper for results. VISIT THIS DRUGGIST If you are in a burry, call; HICKORY 0892, these trade unions usually sent their ” tional League, 1113 W. Washing- a