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

as le EE sar } | if THIS PAGE fs Devoted to the Activity and Interests of the Trade Union Educational League i (7. U. B. L.) North American Section of the RED INTERNATIONAL OF LABOR UNIONS (LLU) 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 Policles with a Unified Program for the Transformation of the Unions Into Organs of Revolutionary Class Struggle for the Overthrowal of Capitalism and the Establishment of a Workers’ and Farm: ers’ Government. / RED INTERNATIONAL LAUDS FRENCH SECTION FOR STRIKE AGAINST WAR IN NORTHERN AFRICA AND SYRIA MOSCOW, Nov. 16.—The following telegram sent by the executive bureau of the Red International of Labor Unions to the French C. G. T. U. praises the French workers for their strike against the wars in Morocco and Syria and bitterly condemns the strikebreaking role of the C. G. T. of Frante, a 1 W.W. COMBINES SMALL UNIONS IN RECRUITING BODY Change to Go Upon a Referendum Ballot The 17th general convention of the Industrial Workers of the World has, in the opinion of many members, taken a backward step toward the old “mixed locals” and away from the industrial form of organization, in the adoption of a resolution turning the smaller industrial unions into what is called a “general recruiting union.” This action was taken despite a strong sentimeré existing in the -con- vention itself against “mass union- ism” as was shown by the argument upon another resolution of similar tendency but less definite, which aimed to abolish the office of branch secretary in favor of the setting up of joint secretaryships, such secre- section of the Amsterdam International Federation of Trade Unions: _ “The executive bureau of the Red ¢—————_____2 International of Labor Unions sends its warmest greetings to all French workers who took part in the protest strike against the wars in Morocco and in Syria. This protest strike was an earnest warning to the ruling class in France and in all other countries. It means that the year 1914 has gone forever. With the aid of the Com- munist "ty and the unitarian trade unions, the broad masses of the French proletariat*have grasped the significance of the military under- takings of the third mepublic. On the 18th October they declared this pub- licly in ringing tones. This protest strike which met with the bitter re sistance of all bourgeois sections, re- presents great progress in the Frénch working class movement. Unmask Bourgeois “Democracy.” “During this strike the bourgeois ‘democracy” showed its real national fascist face and gave those workers who still believed in the left bloc and in the bourgeois democracy a neces- sary and inevitable lesson. The so- iclalist part and the reformist C. G. L. T. played a particularly disgusting role in the strike. They acted as open unashamed strikebreakers. It is dif- ficult! to say whether the fascists or the reformists have acted most shamefully in their attacks upon the workers, It is however clear that the Communist Party “and the unitarian trade unions were faced with a united front of the bourgeoisie from the monarchist Leon Daudet to the re- formist Leon Jouhaux. Strikebreak- ing is always mean and shameful treachery. The strikebreakers know this and carried on their business in the dark, pocketing their 30 pieces of silver the while, they did not dare to do their work openly and tried to make a principle out of their strike- breaking. Reformists Play Strikebreakers, “But the French reformists under the leadership of Leon Jouhaux, the vice-president of the Amsterdam In- ternational have altered all. this. They offered themselves publicly as strikebreakers and sabotaged the strike side by side with the police and fascists. In their descent, the reformists have sunk to the level of OHIO MINE LOCALS IN SUPPORT OF STRIKERS IN THE ANTHRACITE (Special to The Daily Worker) NEFFS, 0., Nov. 16.—The United Mine Workers’ Locals No. 1840 of Shadyside, Ohio, and No. 2526 of Neffs, Ohio, have passed a resolu- tion in support of the anthracite strikers and against the interven- tion of either the federal or state government, Financial support was also pledged. These locals have 500 members and 300 members respectively, strikebreakers and play their role openly. Despite the wild campaign of calumny carried on by the bourgeois, fascist and reformist press, despite the organized efforts tO break, the strike, hundreds of thousands of work, ers have had the courage to defy the bourgeois fascist-reformist bloc ‘dnd to fling their protest and scorn into the faces of their enemies. “Let the French bourgeosie tage, let the French reformists discreilit themselves completely, let them’ lie about you, nothing can hide the fact that it was the Communist Party and the unitarian unions alone which raised themselves in protest against the robber colonial war, and that honest workers in the reformist Oor- ganizations took part in the strike, despite the direct orders of their lead- ers. Workers Did Duty. “The French section of the Red In- ternational of Labor Unions has done its duty in accordance with the prin- ciples of the international. And the C. G. T. has also acted according to the principles of its international: by strikebreaking, “It would be interesting to learn the opinions of the International Federa- tions of Trade Union in Amsterdam upon the attitude of its French sec- tion to the wars in Morocco and Syria. “Long live the, heroic strikers! “Down with the strikebreakers!” taries to be credentialed direct trom general headquarters. Vote Down Joint Secretary Proposal. m The resolution proposing this joint secretary provision, was voted down by the delegates. In the debate upon it most of the delegates statéd that it would tend to create a sort of mass unionism and take the attention off the creation of industrial unionism and would, in effect, make the I. W. W. a sort of political organization. Some held it would disrupt the indus- trial unions entirely. Despite this clear view of the tend- ency against industrial unionism com- ing from the direction of joint secre- tarjal proposal, the delegates never- jtheless failed to realize the same tendency in more definite form com- ing from the direction of the proposal for recruiting unions. The counter proposal before the convention was for the affiliation of local industrial unions direct to the general headquarters, and, of course, the leaving of the small industrial unions as at present in a department under the supervision of the general headquarters. The Recruiting Union Proposal. THE DAWY WORKER NEW YORK-UNITED TEXTILE UNION PROTESTS POLIC. E INTERFERENCE IN HILLCREST SILK MILL STRIKE NEW YORK, Nov. 16.—The Knitted Garment Workers’ Union, Local 55, United Textile Workers, of New York City protests the interference of the police in the strike of the Hillcrest silk mill workers and the fining of Weis- bord, organizer of the United Front Textile Committees of West New York, in the following resolution addressed to the mayor of the city of West New York, N, J.: “Dear Sir: “The following resolution has been passed by this organization: “Whereas we have been informed that two pickets, textile workers of the Hillcrest Silk Mills of West New York have been arrested for picket- ing the Hillcrest Silk Mills, thus de- nying the right of labor to peacefully picket a plant on strike, and “Whereas we have been further in- formed that violence has been used by the police of West New York against the workers and against the organizer of the United Front Com- — mittee of Textile Workers, and “Whereas Brother Weisbord, the organizer of the United Front Com- mittee of Textile Workers of West New York has been arested on a trumped-up charge of disorderly con- duct in connection with the activity in the strike, be it “Resolved by Local 55 of the Un- ited Textile Workers that we protest against these actions against organ- ized labor, and be it further “Resolved that copies of these re- solutions be sent to the press and to the mayor of West New York.” kept in the G. R, U. headquarters as usual fill bee ge to industries, that thew" Yoership in all in- dustrigg ©, mes own at all times. “10K, oss fa degree of organ- ization of sevén ofmore | branches and at least 3,000 members attained in any industry, a convention shall be called and they shall be issued an industrial union charter.” Red Internationalist Viewpoint. The above proposal originated in the conference of small industrial unions held November 1, where against it and the alternate proposal of local industrial unions, Harrison George, took the point of view of the Red International of Labor Unions. This views holds that in the indus- tries where the I. W. W. is really a pro- paganda group among workers already organized, such I. W. W. should ally themselves with the revolutionary left wing of the unions organized around the Trade Union Educational League, winning the confidence of the workers by constructive work in and for the existing union, while simul- taneously leading them on to indus- trial unionism and to the goal of pro- letarian revolution. This view did not contend that the small industrial unions should be The resolution as adopted by the liquidated as entities, nor did it re- convention, subject to referendum,|duire that their members give up their reads as follows: I. W. W. cards, but that, as propa- “1. All industrial unions now in} 84nda bodies, they should become con- the department of the small industrial | 8tructive factors in uniting the work- unions shall be merged together into | &S, ceasing dualist attacks upon exist- one recruiting union, which’ shall be} ing unions, which antagonized the known as the general recruiting union| Whole labor movement and should, in- of the I. W. W. stead, seek the realistic road to the “2. The recruiting union shall be|%0al of attaining one union in each composed of recruiting branches, in-| imdugtry, completely organized and dustrial branches and members atirevolutionary in action. sae 3 Wotild Injure Industrial Unions. Industrial union branches shall 1917 WAGE CUT SCALE FOLLOWS STARVATION CURE But Militant Miners Fol- low T. U. E. L. By TOM RAY PITTSBURGH, Pa., Nov, 16.—With conditions growing worse in the Pitts- burgh district, the Pittsburgh Coal company has opened up two more mines under the 1917 scale, the Bells mine at Carnegie, and the one known as “No, 10” at Library, Pa., which is the largest coal mine owned by this outfit. Reports are numerous that some- thing unusual has happened to the fakers leading the U..M. W. of A. These come from miners who have al- ways supported the treacherous pol- icies of John L. Lewis by swinging to the right instead of the left, sup- porting the policies of the chamber of commerce—the 1917 scale movement, led by the renegades E. S. McCollough and Mike Halapy. Of course, the miners have made a good fight, but when we consider seriously, six months is a long time to fight against starvation. Many miners have become discouraged over the long road to victory. With the results of the A. F. of L. convention and nothing done on be- half of the miners by the most un- grateful fakers in all history, the proceedings of that convention proves conclusively that there is no hope under their rule for the workers of consist. of fifty or more members.en-| . Tke,tecruiting paion, it was pointed) , ia ed in any particular industry, in a] OUt imthe small industrial union con- Dai se sl vention, would tend not only, to be- “4. . General recruiting union|comea political ‘body, but would act branches shall consist of twenty or! 4% @ Pirate upon the réal industrial more members in any certain locality | "ions It,-would have no genuine employed in those industries not un-|®Conomie base dn industry and would der the jurisdiction of a chartered in- dustrial union. “5. Members at large shall be those members who are now or who in the future shall care to’ become mem- bers of the I. W. W. and who are not in the vicinity of a chartered indus- trial union branch or a G. R. U. branch, “6. The members of the G. R. U. shall elect their own secretary-treas- urer and except as otherwise stated, shall have the same rights as any chartered industrial union. “8. The R. U. shall elect their own member to the G. E. B, of the I. W. W. “9. Membership records shall be tend to absorb members into it who actually belonged in functioning in- dustrial union branches. This: view, however, had no spokes- man among the delegates of the pre- sent general convention, Russian Dictators Send 500 Roubles to Strikers in Jugoslavia MOSCOW, Noy. 16.—The Russian Woodworkers’ Union has decided to send 600 roubles to the striking woodwarkers in Jugo-Slavia, William Green says we are not an industrial nation and that the time is not opportune for any.changes in the A. F. of L., while the operators are tearing the guts out of the U. M. of A., the backbone of the A. F. of L. and nearly every other union suffering the attacks of the capitalist class. But the militant minority goes for- ward, tho small in numbers, under the leadership of Foster which will some day lay Green on the scrap pile, ‘along with his fatter brothers who have to be wheeled around Atlantic City’s scab hotels by colored work [ers ‘receiving the magnificant sum or 20 cents an hour. | Green, the miners, thank the leader- |ship of the T, U. EB. L. for their splendid work, while they have noth- ing but contempt for you and your kind, who serve the bosses while the miners live in despair. Page Three Machine and Speed Up Disemploys Workers and Lowers the Wage CLEVELAND, 0., Nov, 16.—That the advance of machinery and the} speed-up systems are putting work- ers in the unemployed army while working those remaining on the job at life-wrecking speed, is shown by the testimony of employers of non-union shops in this city. Seven hundred men in a nut and bolt factory are doing as much work as 1,250 men did in 1920. Other bosses report the same trend. Wages, how- ever, are about the same or less than five years ago. ORGANIZE THE UNORGANIZED IS U.L.C. SLOGAN Maintenance and Power Workers Organize By PATRICK J. McCLELLAN | NEW YORK CITY, Noy. 16—A well attended mass meeting of building maintenance and power plant work: | jers was held at Labor Temple, at PAINTERS AMONG THE FEW UNIONS GETTING RAISE And Then Living Costs Are Going Up Too By LELAND OLDS. Union painters have continued te advance their wages thru 1925, ac- cording to the report of the U. 8. de- partment of labor on union wages and hours. In 13 of the 40 cities covered by the report union rates for painters May 1, 1925, were materially higher than in 1924. In not a single city did the Bro. of Painters, Decorators and Paperhangers take a cut, Extending the comparison back to 1920 we find the painter’s minimum hourly rate raised in 27 of the 40 cities while 4 cities show lower wages than in 1920. Some of the increases were considerable including a gain of 31.8c per hour in Pittsburgh and 30c in Cincinnati, In general the union has materially improved the living standards of its members the last 5 years. Painters have the 44-hour week or better in every city except Richmond where 48 hours is still the rule. They which Chester W. Bixby of the United | joaq the other crafts with a 40-hour Labor Council of Greater New York, P, P. Cosgrove of the Shoe Workers’ Protective Union, Thomas Barker formerly of the Australian Transport Workers and J. O. Bentall, were the principle speakers. The meeting was. held under the auspices of the Amal- gamated Public Service Workers’ Union, which announces that other meetings will follow in various sec- tions of the city, Plans have been laid to organized the unorganized workers who consti- tute the big majority of the workers in the industry, and amalgamate the existing unions in the industry into one industrial union, covering all workers in light, heat and power plants thruout Greater New York. In addition to the mass meetings in different sections of the city special educational meetings for the mem- bers of the union will be held every two weeks at the union headquarters at 350 East 81 St., the office for the drive is open daily at 350 East 81 St. Announcement for the second mass meeting will be made in a few days. Attempt to Unionize Negro Laundry Workers NEW YORK, ‘Nov. 16.—A campaign to organize the Negro laundry work- ers into the union has started in Har- lem, where thousands of Negro work- ers work 10, 11 and 12 hours a day for a small wage. The trade union committee for or- ganizing Negro workers, as a first step in its campaign to unionize the industry, has started to agitate for the union in the fraternal societies and churches. It is also using a mov- ing picture film to bring home to the Negro workers the necessity of or- ganization, The laundry bosses -have taken away the Saturday half-holiday that the laundry workers at one time en- joyed in Harlem, which the union promises to restore. The committee plans to organize the Negro teamsters and chauffeurs in Harlem and also the painters that decorate and redecorate homes and stores, after the drive on the laundry workers. week in Boston, Newark, New York, Portland, Scranton and Seattle. Since 1913 hours have been reduced in 19 cities. Chicago tops the list in painter wages with a minimum of $1.50 an hour. Pittsburgh follows with $1.438 and New York with $1.313. Chicago has a gain of 20% over 1920 and 131% over 1913, Pittsburgh 28% and 162%. The lowest painter scale is 55c in Charleston, S. C. Minimum hourly rates for union painters in 15 cities in 1913, 1920 and 1925 were: 1913 1920 1926 Baltimore $0,375 $0.90 $1.00 Boston 50 1.00 1.10 Chicago 65 1.25 1.50 Cleveland 50 1.125 1.25 Denver 50 1.00 1.175 Detroit 45 1.00 1.125 Kansas City -60 1.00 1.25 Los Angeles .... .438 875 = 1.00 Minneapolis . 50 1.00 1.00 New Orleans 40 5 85 New York 50 1125 1313 Philadelphia 425 «(1.00 1.00 St. Louis . 5T 1.00 1.30 San Francisco. 563 «1.063 1.044 Seattle 563 1.00 1,125 Union painters secured increases since 1924 in Baltimore, Birmingham, Buffalo, Chicago, Cincinnati, Denver, Kansas City, Little Rock, Minneapolis Pittsburgh, Scranton, Seattle an Washington. Their rates of pay @ materially below the average in * lanta, Charleston, Fall River, Jackguse ville, Manchester, New Orleans, Rimy mond and St. Paul. All except the Ias are either in the south or in low wag) textile centers in the north and the rates are 90c or less per hour. The average of the 40 cities was $1,048 May 1, 1925, compared with $1.013 in 1924, 93.9c in 1920 and 46.7¢ in 1923. The present rate is 31%% over 1924, 11.6% over 1920 and 114.4% over 1913. When that argument begins at lunch time in your shop tomor- row—show them what the DAILY WORKER says about it. The Two French Trade Union Congresses Report by Comrade Lozovsky to the Executive Bureau of the Red International of Labor Unions. HE present state of the French trade union movement is due to the general economic and political conditions in France as a whole. The outstanding features of the present situation are the sharpening of the financial crisis and the political struggle in consequence of the colo- nial war. A general drive to the right | is still going on, AIL in all French industry is making ends meet: there is no unemployment in France; the stream of © foreign workers, now amounting to nearly three millions, flows on, allowing the industrialists to extend and cut down industry as the need arises ‘without complications, On the. other hand, however, this immigration of foreign- ers is reducing wages and lowering the economic standards of the French working class, and this is a question that is beginning to play a big role in the French workers’ struggle to better their position and is now attracting serious attention. ‘T are the basic features in France’s position to-day? The most surprising thing is that there is not that confidence there was in her after-war prosperity, The masses are in a rather anxious ‘frame of mind, lack faith in the government, and there is a feeling that the lesser wars, the little colonial disputes in Moroc- co, Syria, and elsewhere, may pos- sibly drag France into bigger con- the labor movement, both socialist and trade union. The French socialist party and the French General Confederation of La- bor form the organic basis of the “left block” which is at the moment, conducting a war which has never been popular while the reformists of the socialist fraternity are support- ing the government in this war.. This official support of the French govern- ment’s war policy is abhorent to the masses and as a result some interest- ing phenomena have lately made their appearance in the French labor movement, Numerous congresses of workers and peasants have been held in France during the past three months, meeting in the Paris district, in Bordeaux, in the north and in the south, IHESE congresses have been. re- presentative of wide sections of the workers, including not only work- ers under the influence of the unitary and socialist unions, but non-party, workers as well, It is difficult to state exactly how many workers were represented, but there was one thing these congresses did do and that was to attract fresh strata of the workers to participation in political life who had never hitherto taken any active part therein, This series of congresses amply proves that there is a decidedly for. ward move taking place in the French labor movement, set going by the sharpening of the struggle of ideas going on inside the reformist organ- izations. Left socialist tendencies have appeared within the socialist parti while a left wing opposition has been formed in the reformist Con- federation of Labor, and which despite its unformed character, does reflect the dissatisfaction with the policy of the reformist trade union leaders to be seen in working class circles. Corelation of Forces in the Trade Union Movement. UT of the twelve million workers and employees in France only one million are in the ranks of the two confederations of labor; in other words, only one-tenth of the workers of France are in any way organized in unions. The old. historical tradi- tions of the French labor movement are to blame for this state of affairs, there never having been big organ- izations or a trade union movement counting its members’ by the million. This is to be explained by the specific structure of the unions, their peculiar line of policy and by the fact that they have preferably organized only. the active sections of the working class. The broad non-party masses with their passive attitude to political questions still continue on the whole to. stand apart from the trade union movement. As far as membership goes, both confederations had much about the same numbers at their last con- gresses. For some few months prior to its congress our Unitary Confed- eration was by far the stronger, but before their congress the reformists did their utmost to get all reformist elements over to their side and on the eve of the congress the National Teachers’ Union with 70,000 members joined the reformist Confederation of Labor, an event which had a great political effect. T must be noted that generally speaking our Unitary Confederation is steadily growing and becoming’ in- creasingly working class in character, }> whereas the reformist C.'G. T. is being increased by the enrolment of the civil service elements and clerks. The more C. G. T. moves to the right the more it attracts the conservative and reactionary elements jn the labor movement, é The Unitary C. G. T. has some 500,000 members and the reformist C. G. T. about the same number. During the past year C. G. T. U. has not grown to any great extent numer- ically for many reasons: firstly, be- cause our tactic is not to cause a break away of either individuals or whole organizations desirous of join- ing our Confederation of Labor from the reformist trade union movement. We advise them ,instead, to stick to the reformist confederation and carry out our tactics inside. Again, the slow numerical growth of the C. G. T. U. is in a certain measures due to the fact that the French trade unions provide nothing in the way of strike or sickness bene- fits. The slow development of the C. G. T. U. is, however, compensated for by the growth of the left wing inside the reformist confederation. The Two Congresses, tS dp congresses were opened on the same day. And thereby hangs a tale. It was decided to hold the congress of the Unitary Confedera- tion of Labor in Bordeaux. But when the reformist Confederation of La- bor announced that its congress would be held in Paris in September our comrades resolved to transfer their congress to Paris likewise hold it in September in order to have both congresses sitting simultaneously for the purpose of establishing contact and setting up a united front. Thereupon the ments com- mission of the reformist confedera- tion fixed on August 26th as their congress date so as not to have the other congress meeting alongside theirs. Determined to have both con- gresses sitting at the same time, the C, G. T. U. again altered its congress date. This put the reformists in a very awkward position since they would have had to change their con- gress date again, which would have shown that they were clearly afraid of the Unitary Confederation, so they decided to open their congress on the day appointed in spite of the fact that the C. G. T, U. was’ going to meet in congress on the same day. HUS both congresses were opened in Paris on August 26th in differ- ent parts of the town. Our comrades had previously proposed to the re- formists that the two congresses be held in the same building but in different halls so as to have a sort of fraternization, as it were, but the re- formists declined to consider the pro- posal, A general idea of the two con- gresses is to be gained from the re- ports of a contributor to the more than moderate paper, “Le Temps,” who attended both. This is what he says: “The Congress of the Unitary Confederation of Labor gives one the impression of a pre-war congress of the General Confe- deration of Labor. There are the same proletarian persons, the same speeches about revolution, the same talk of the overthrow of capitalism, exactly as if noth- ing had changed. With the reform. ist congr it was quite dif- ferent, There it was to be seen the community ‘play a very great role.” ‘This opinion of the bourgeois writer on such a reactionary paper sufficient- ly characterises the fundamental features of the two congresses. age first act of the C. G. T. U. con- gress was to write the other con- gress proposing that a joint session be held to go into the question of unity, failing which it was proposed that a mixed commission be appointed for this purpose. It was further pro- posed that the reformists should hear a delegation from the unitary con- gress. This proposal caused an uproar at the reformist congress and a battle began around the question of whether the delegation ought to be heard or not. Although the leaders were most decidedly against any such thing, the congress majority was in favor of giving the delegation a hearing. When this was made known to the that statesmen were in session, mén for whom the interests of C. G, T. U. congress our comrades (a proof of the ardent French tempera- ment), rose as one man and sang the Internationale. They thought that since the reformists had decided to give them a hearing the majority were in favor of unity. But it is one thing to listen to proposals on unity and quite a different thing to adopt them. . eee HIS letter of the C. G. T. U. to the reformists was the start of a struggle of ideas at the congress of the reformist Confederation of Labor. The question of unity was not on their agenda as a separate question, but all the same out of the six days’ proceedings three days were devoted to this burning question, Unity can be left out of an agenda, but to pass the question over in silence is impossible. All efforts to set up the united front in France have failed, in so far as its consolidation has had to de- pend on the leading lights in the re- formist movement. It would be wrong, however, to say that the attempts to establish the united front have pro- duced no results as far as the masses are concerned. HE workers’ congresses, the crea- tion of the central committee of action, the opposition to the war, the struggle agaitNt Caillaux’ financial plans, they have all helped to make of the Communist Party and the Unit- ary Confederation a rallying point for the dissident elements inside the re- formist movement. What was the strength of the op- position at the reformist congress? When the votes were taken it was found that ten per cent of the unions represented voted for unity. If, how- ever, the clever pre-congress prepara- tions be taken into consideration, the way it was ideologically worked over by the leaders, the organizational wire-pulling, and all the specific pe- culiarities of French congresses where it is extremely difficult to determine the number of workers represented and the acual relative strength of the various groupings during the vote taking, it will be realized that the ten per cent, that voted for unity re- presents the will of a far bigger per- centage in the subsidiary organiza- tions of the reformist confederation, (End of Article I.) The second and final article deal. ing with the two congresses of the French trade union movement will be given in tomorrow’s issue. Wateh for it, neigh ,