The Daily Worker Newspaper, February 11, 1926, Page 3

—_ / THIS PAGE Is Devoted to the Activity and Interests of the TradeUnion Educational League (T. 0. B. L.) North American Section of the RED INTERNATIONAL OF LABOR UNIONS (R. 1 ~ HE T.U.E.L. Represents the Left Wing of the Labor Movement. L, U.) Ite 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 Transformation of the Unions Into Organs of Revolutionary Cl Struggle for the Overthrowal “pf Capitalism and the Establishment of a Workers’ and Farm era’. Government, DAN TOBIN RULES TEAMSTERS’ UNION WITH A CORRUPT HAND; HENCHMEN SELL OUT CLEVELAND (Special to The Dally Worker) CLEVELAND, Feb. 9.—For more than six years there has been trouble in the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Stablemen and Helpers where Dan Tobin rules with a ruthless, corrupt hand, In August, 1920, George A. King, third vice-president of the Brotherhood, was business agent in Cleveland. King was charged with assault and battery, and was forced to resign as vice-president. John L, Devring was appointed in his place, and he tried to find a job¢——————_—_____________ for King. In the meantime a new spir- it was animating the rank and file of Local No. 407, and in Jan. 1921, King put up a candidate against the pres- ent incumbents. Flynn, the opposi- tion candidate, won by a vote of 362 to 32. Rank and File Stands Pat. King declared he did not get a fair deal, and the International office ap- pealed in his behalf, but the rank and file stood pat. The International then insisted on Local No. 407 giving King a transfer to the Taxicab Drivers’ Union. The membership of No. 407 agreed to do so, providing King paid up. Thru various machinations and in spite of the by-laws of the Taxicab Drivers’ Union, which require that a member be in good standing one year before he can run for office, the In- ternational insisted, that King be elected business agent of the Taxicab Drivers. King was elected, and broke up the Taxicab Drivers’ Union. Later he was given the job of business agent of the Mill Drivers, who afterwards removed him. The International re- imstated him as business agent, with the instruction to the union of “hands off!” Dan Tobin then insisted that the Truck Drivers give King a transfer, or lose their charter. Flynn, in or- der to keep peace, granted the trans- fer. ; King Wrecks Milk Drivers’ Union. King, as business agent of the Milk Drivers, did his usual good job: Most of the biggest plants today are open shop. In Nov., 1924, Thomas L. Hughes, International secretary, called the ex- ecutive board of Local No. 407 to a meeting of the International officers in Cleveland, which took place in Janu- y y, 1925. The executive board of Lo- val No, 407 was instructed to call a membership meeting at the same time. By chance a letter addressed to Devring was misdirected, and show- ed that the reactionary machine was bent upon packing the membership meeting in order to carry out its will. The letter, signed by Thomas L. Hughes, stated among other things: “At the same time I do not want this matter noised that we are preparing tor anything.” The executive board of Local No. 407 and of the Ice Drivers decided in face of such a situation, not to attend the meeting of the International offi- cers, which was held at Hotel Stat- ler. A few days later Local No, 407 was put into the hands of King and Devring as receivers and the local heads instructed to hand over all books anid property. The membership "declared it was not given a square deal, and refused to comply with the instructions. It refused to accept a new board composed of men who had been expelled from the union and a number who had not been members ‘for the past six or séven years, The man appointed as business agent of _Local No. 407 had misused about $500 in funds, and had worked in open shops. Where Are Strike Benefits, King, tho getting $75 a week in wages, and a car at his disposal, from 1915 to 1920, used up $50,000 in ex- penses alone. According to the last report, the In- ternational office has paid $3,290 for strike benefits in 1925, to Cleveland, and in the previous report $4,000-but there have been no strikes, The mem- bers wonder what these $7,290 were used for, since not a penny in the year 1924 and up untli April, 1925, was given the Cleveland local, When attempts were made to or ganize the Bakery Drivers and the Jewish Drivers, who were already or- ganized, agreed to take in the non- Jewish Drivers, King declared that if ‘this was done he would supply scabs. The Ice Drivers’ chapter called for the organization of ice and coal driv- ers, The international representative declared that the Ice Drivers had no right to organize the coal drivers, “If you join the Ice Drivers, you'll be » throwing your money away,” he de- clared to coal drivers. The Jewish Laundry Drivers were also intimidat- ed, gunmen being used. Tobin Gets Vacation, Dan Tobin was re-elected for a per- iod of five years at the last conven- ‘tion of the International Brotherhood at a salary of $15,000 per year. Tobin declared he was in ill health, so after the election the reactionary machine declared that he might take a vaca- tion for any length of time and go wherever he pleased at the expense of the organization. When the books ‘record strike benefits that have never been paid to the locals, one need not wonder where the money goes to. Sell Out Cleveland Union, When in 1915, Local No. 407 raised the wages of the men-from $15 to $16.50 per week, and King, after the agreement, which was to run one year, was signed, forced the men to ‘accept an increase of 50c. per week for three years, then one gets some idea as to where the money goes. The International knew what King had done, and the investigation com- mittee sent by the International, de- clared that he had sold out to the Milk company and promised he would be dropped. King is still a big man in the brotherhood. Perhaps because he knows too much of the inner work- ings of the International Brotherhood, and the reactionary machine to be al- lowed to be at large. Cleveland Machinists Hold Meeting Thursday CLEVELAND, Feb. 9—All members of the Machinists’ Union or any other metal trades union as well as all un- organized workers in the metal in- dustry, are invited to attend the meet- ing held by the Metal Trades Amal- gamation Committee and the Trade Union Educational League, on Thurs- day, Feb, 11, at 8 p. m., in Gardina’s Hall, Room 3, 6021 St, Clair Ave. Andrew Overgard will be the princi- pal speaker. Overgard is active in the amalgamation movement and in the Anderson campaign in the Machin- ists’ Union, and was a delegate to the International conference of Metal Trades Workers, held in Hamburg, Germany, Admission is free, TWO BRILLIANT DECISIONS MADE BY HUTCHESON By A. NAILWACKER. (Worker Correspondent) NEW YORK, N, Y., Feb. 9.—His honor, Chief Justice Czar Hutcheson, made two famous decisions, pertain- ing>to Carpenters Local Union 376. This is the local that circularized the progressive carpenters program, when Rosen was a candidate for general president. Since then, the local has been found guilty of witchcraft, and the heresy hunters have been busy in their efforts to bring their victims to the stake. Carpenters local 376 elected Rosen as a delegate to the district council of carpenters and the only objection raised in that body was that he was a candidate for general president. Two months later the local was in- formed that Rosen “wasn’t a _ car- penter,” therefore he is disqualified. Local Appeals for Rosen, The local carried on a big fight ex- Posing this fake to the membership with a circular letter and resolution to all the locals. It later appealed to Hutcheson. In the appeal it was pointed out that the reason Rosen wasn’t seated was because he was a candidate for general president, and fights for amalgamation, a labor par- ty, world trade union unity, job con- trol, and other progressive measures. Hutcheson asked the local to let him know what they meant by amal- gamation. The motive was to catch the local advocating a dual union. They sent him the amalgamation res- olution passed by the 1913 convention of the Building Trades Dept. of the A. F. of L. and told him, “that’s it.” He then made the notorious decision in which he informed the local that Rosen isn’t a carpenter, “Hutch” in his decision ignored all the evidence. but then a boxmaker ean’t judge be- tween a mechanic and a woodbutcher, anyhow, In the meantime while the appeal was pending, Rosen was elect- ed business agent and the district council recognized him. Now the New York membership are wondering why Rosen isn’t a carpen- ter.as a delegate and is one as a business agent! Fight Rosen; Shield Lensky. His other decision concerned a friend of his, Business Agent John Lensky was expelled by Local 376 for em- bezzling an automobilé from the local union. When the local requested the return of same, he answered, “It is in my name, try and get it.” In the fights against the rank and file, he did all the dirty rat work for those higher up for the last 15 years. The progressives predicted that he would be reinstated, because “Hutch” can’t efford to lose such friends. In his decision he stated that “Lensky didn’t embezzle the car, because he acted as business agent.” (Evidently such an offence committed by a busi- ness agent is such a trifle that it doesn’t count.) “It is only after he is removed from office that he would be guilty of such a violation.” It is nearly three months since he was expelled and over one month since a new business agent was elect- ed, and he still has the car. The local was lately notified that the car was being auctioned off by the garage owner, where the car was kept, because Lensky refused to pay a bill of about $150.00 that accumu- lated since he beat it off with the car, that’s about all it is worth. Hutcheson’s Reasoning. The moral of this story is: When is a carpenter according to Hutcheson not a carpenter? Answer: When he is a progressive, When is a crook according to Hutcheson not a crook? Answer: When he is in with Hutgheson. JOHN LEWIS LEADS THE MINERS TO STRUGGLE THE DAILY WORKE R Page Three AMALGAMATION OF TWO MINNEAPOLIS PAINTERS’ LOCALS I$ PROPOSED MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. Feb. 9.— Local No, 486 Painters’ Union, voted unanimously.to give its charter as a first step toward amalgamation with Local No. 586 with whom there has been.trade disputes for over 25 years to the detriment of the paint- ers’ conditions on ail sides. Local 586, which is dominated by reaction- aries has gone on record as opposed to this amalgamation, evidently pre- fering to Continue the guerrilla war- fare between the locals and so de- moralize the union, About 25 years ago, a group of painters broke off from Local No. 186 under the influence of a few leaders who considered their per- sonal interests above those of the painters’ as a whole. Now the senti- ment is so strong to amalgamate that it is commonly understood tnat the two locals will be united under a@ new charter before long. BUILDING UNION HEADS HAVE BOSS FIRE MILITANT Reactionaries Hound Progressive CLEVELAND, Feb. 9 — Thomas McNamara member of the Building Laborers’ Union who was recently served with a copy of the petition for injuriction which the union offi- cials are demanding from the courts seeking to restrain him from union activities had recently secured a job after having been idle since Christ- mas, He went to work on Jan. 21 and was slated for a foreman’s job be- ginning Tuesday, Jan. 26. However on the afternoon of Jan. 25, business: agent Marienelli appear- ed on the job and talked at length with the foreman. About 4,30 that same afternoon,” just ten minutes be- fore quitting time the foreman told McNamara to ge to the office and get his money. McNamara went to the office for his money and when leaving accident- ally passed thé superintendent of this particular jobs He stopped him and inquired as to the reasons for his lay- off since a newegang was to go on the following day, pf, which he was to take charge. The swperintendent told him that the busimess agent had call- ed and instryeteé.the foreman to lay him off. 1 The arrest case of McNamara came up for hearingdn a justice of peace court, but upen our request were granted a transfer with the result that this case will be heard the first Mon- day in March in probate court. The International Labor Defense is look- ing after brother McNamara’s legal interests. Pittsburgh T. U. E. L. Will Meet Thursday PITTSBURGH, Pa., Feb. 9—A gen- eral meeting of the T, U. E. L. of this city will be held at the McGeagh Building, 607 Webster Ave., 8th floor, on this Thursday, Feb. 11, 8 p. m. John Otis will speak on the exten- sion of the “B. & O.” plan into the other industries and the menace of company unions. In addition to this several important and urgent prob- lems will be taken up. All progressive trade unionists and members of the Trade Union Educa- tional League are urged to attend. Admission is ‘free. AMALGAMATED BUREAUCRACY His Mouth Speaks of Peace—His Pockets Pour Out Gangsters. Drawn by William Gropper, ¢ THE LEFT WING IN THE LABOR MOVEMENT By NATHAN GREEN, HE recent developments in the American labor movement show that the trade unions in the United States are gradually developing into company unions, that assist the em- ployers to much easier and more effi- ciently exploit the workers, as can be seen by the “B. & 0.” plan in the Machinists’ Union, the Nash “Golden Rule,” in the Amalgamated Clothing Workers, etc., etc, That the mass of workers are not fully satisfied with such a condition can be seen by the left wing move- ment that is developing in the dif- ferent unions. It is true that opposi- tion and progressive groups‘are not a new thing in the American labor movement, but the difference between the opposition movement of the past and the present left wing is that while the. previous movement used to be mostly a a fight led by a few people without a program running on such planks as honest administration, they used to call it a fight of the outs to get in—that used to result in the new administration being just as good and just as bad as the former. The left wing moyement is organized not for the sake of getting jobs, but is an organized movement of the rank and file with a definite* program that is to guide them in their fight against the bureaucrats in the union as well as against the bosses, One of the outstanding reasons for lack of militancy in the present trade unions ig because the mass of mem- bers do not take any active part in the administration of the union, but leave it to a small group -of politi- cians to run the unions for them. That small group usually runs the un- jon in their own interest and not in the interest of the workers, The left wing proposes to change the form of organization of the shop delegate system—a system of organ- ization that will draw the vast mem- bership into the activities of the un- ion. In that way it will be impossible for a small group of people to do with the union whatever they please. At present the basic unit of this union is the local. To a meeting of a local union about 5 or 10 per cent of the members attend, that means that in a. local union of 4,000 about 200 or 400 members attend the meet- ing. In the discussion of different problems the brained politicians lead. If there happens to come to the meet- ing an average rank and file mem- ber, he finds there people he does not know, and feels very strange, He does not participate in the discussion and usually it is a long time before he comes again to a meeting of his union, Under a shop delegate system, where the basic unit of the union is the shop, a shop. meeting would be called regularly, tet us say, for ex- ample, once a month to discuss all problems of the shop, as well as of the union, Eighty per cent of the members would attend such a meeting. We know from experience that to a shop meeting where the workers are ac- quainted with each other, about 80 per cent of the members attend the meetings. The worker finding him- self home among those he knows, be- comes acquainted with the problems of the union, and in that way is drawn into the activities of the organiza- tion. This tends to develop a more intelligent and class conscious mem- bership. The shop meeting would elect a shop committee to take up all com- plaints that the workers would have in the shop and have powes to got tle such complaints with the boss in- stead of giving them over to a Bunt ness agent—a man that does not work in the shop does not know the condi-| tions in the shop and cannot repre-| sent the interests of the workers of that shop. That does not mean that each shop| will be a union for itself and do what-| ever it pleases. On the contrary, the} union will be a more centralized body |. than now. | Each shop will not be split up in-| to “coat makers” “pants makers” “vest makers,” and “cutters,” one} section fighting the other, The shop} will be organized as one unit, all) working under the same conditions, | for the same boss, and therefore, hav-| ing the same problem to solve. The shop committee that would be elected in that shop together with all other shop committees elected in| other shops in a section of a city or in smaller towns.of the whole town, would compose the central body, that would take up all problems pertain- ing to that city. The shop committees would get instructions from their re- spective shop meetings how to vote in the central body on various ques- tions and will be subject to recall if they fail to carry out their instruc- tions. The next higher committee the dis- trict convention would be composed of representatives of the various cen- tral bodies in that district. The membership becoming directly responsible for the organizations would develop a more responsible type of workers that would not take the union easily but will be very careful whom they elect to represent them on the shop committee. The more intelligent and class conscious work- er would be willing to accept that of- fice knowing that he can do some- thing for the workers and he does not have to be simply a tool in the hands of the officialdom. In general the shop delegate sys- tem of organization would tend to de- velop a more militant and fighting un- ion, where class collaboration pol- icies would find no place and where it would be impossible for a group of people to make of the union a busi ness institution from where they can draw huge sums of money in the form of high salaries. From the above it can easily be un- derstood why the bureaucracy in the labor movement are doing their ut- most to misrepresent and discredit the movement for the shop delegate system of organization in the unions, It is up to the more advanced ele- ments of the Tank and file to organ- ize and institute the shop delegate sys- tem of organization, with the co-op- eration of the union officials wherever possible, and in spite of the officials wherever necessary, MINNEAPOLIS CARPENTERS HELP MINERS Hutcheson’s Red Baiting Letter Is Filed MINNEAPOLIS, Minn, Feb. 9.— Carpenters’ Local No. 7 has donated $25 to the striking anthracite miners’ relief. Communication from the interna- tional brotherhood’s office calling on all locals of the carpenters’ union to expel Communists, members of the Trade Union Educational League and other left wingers who fight the ma- chine and calling on the local to fight against sending a labor delegation to Soviet Russia was read and filed with- out comment, Referendum ballots on the new wage scale for the Twin Cities and vicinity will be out Feb. 13, The question on the ballot will be, “Shall the scale be raised to $1.12% per hour from 90c the present scale?” Five thousand new subs in three weeke is a big job—but it can be done with your help. Send in a sub, and importance With the increase of company unions— With the growth of “labor banks” — With the greater efforts in “labor education” — With labor financial ventures of a thousand kinds— This little booklet assumes increasing value “Class Struggle vs. Class Collaboration” By Earl R. Browder, No. 2 in the Little Red Library I. L. G. W. U. Assesses Membership to Aid Striking Miners NEW YORK, Feb. 9 — The Inter national Ladies’ Garment Workers’, Union virtually assures a hundred” thousand dollars for the anthracite |strikers by a compulsory hour’s pay assessment from each of its 70,000 New York members and an appeal to its out of town locals to make up the difference. The Amalgamated Cloth ing Workers’ Union has already taken action and if the rest of the American - labor movement follows the lead of the generous needle trades organiza- tions the million dollar war chest the strikers call for can be filled. The appeal to the members that the joint meeting adopted’ breathes the warm language of working class sol idarity. After touching on the en- durance and devotion of the coal miners and the hundred per cent of ganization in the hard coal fields allows no scabs and makes it use! for the operators to think of opening the mines for strikebreakers the ie peal deals with the suffering of miners and the need for immediate aid on a substantial scale, The ladiéa’ garment workers gave a hundred thousand dollars to the great 1922 general strike of soft and hard coal miners and generously assisted the steel strike. , to all workers. 10 Cents Twelve Copl t