The Daily Worker Newspaper, March 17, 1926, Page 3

THIS THE DAILY WORKER Page Three PAGE Is Devoted to the Activity and Interests of the (T. U. North American Section of the RED INTERNATIONAL OF LABOR UNIONS (R. LL, 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 Pregram 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: ere’ Government. EADERS of The DAILY WORK- R ER will know that there is trou- ble on amongst the machinists and all other adult workers, the employes of the Hoe Printing Machine makers in London, being a branch of the New York firm. For close upon two years nego- tiations have been. carried on inter- mitently between the engineering firms and the representatives of the trade unions as the unions had put in a claim for 20 shilling a week ad- vance in wages (five dollars) this on a national scale, The employers not only refused to grant any increase but insisted on the men increasing the working hours per week from forty-seven to fifty. This met with determined resist- ance by the men and negotiations were broken off. Having failed on a national scale some of the districts decided to make attempts on their own account, amongst these was the London district committee of the Amalgamated Engineering Union whose members number seven hun- dred out of the nine hundred em- ployes of the firm of R. Hoe and Co. But the organized bosses were not fa- vorable to district negotiations and refusell to negotiate with their em- ployes. The employes then refused to work overtime’ until negotiations should open up. The firm then decided ‘on other tactics. .and.. discharged several union men and almost imme- diately seven non-union men decided upon a stay-in strike, and following on this came the lockout of all adults by the firm. National Lockout Now Threatened. x ae employers then informed the unions that they will not take part in any conferences or meet on any question until the men at Hoe’s re- turn to work. Today, Monday, March 1, Hoe’s men have met and unant- mously decided not-to return altho the union executives have instructed them so to do. The men are not re ceiving union monetary support of- ficially but the members in sym- pathy with their attitude are subscrib- ing to their maintenance. Tomorrow the seven union executives of the unions to which the men belong are meeting to discuss the situation and the bosses have given notice to the unions that not only must the men at Hoe’s return but that should any at tempt be made locally, sectionally or nationally, notices will be served on all the men in the unions concerned all over the country to cease work and as matters now stand the notices will be given on Saturday March 6 to terminate March 13, the number of men affected in the first instance be- ing 400,000. This means a very serious situation ‘and the complications are_many. It the rank and file are determined to face the responsibility of insisting ‘upon attention the first difficulty will be with their own unions. But it is not difficult to understand their ex- asperation when it is realized that the ‘machinists are receiving a less wage ‘than that received by many laborers and unskilled men generally, There is little hope of the men win- ning unless they get the backing of their own unions and also of the gen- eral council of the Trades Union Con- gress, Should the unions immediately affected call on the general council to help the men.it would be difficult for them to refuse, and in that case the men could win. All who have correct knowledge as to the very serious re- ductions made in the wages of these engineers are in full sympathy with them in trying to force an improve- ment. see Strike at a Government Repair Depot At Feltham, Middlesex, there is a dispute that may extend to many other similar depots. At the depot referred to heavy repairs are carried on and civilians have been discharged and soldier mechanics put in. their places. The men contend that this is part of the government's preparation to cope with the situation in the event of a strike, the putting of men in military service or the training of them and holding them in readiness for emergencies is held to be a serious menace to the men’s position and is an open-threat to them in showing cen be with their sellows, * Hetee Trade Union Educational League 8. L.) | The Crisis in the Engineering Trade. London Letter to The Daily Worker from Tom Mann. TOM MANN, the strike, and at present the depot js silent. core Another Amalgamation of Several Unions. HE Transport and General Work- ers’ Union is negotiating with several other unions with big -mem- berships and it is probable that the result will be a united) membership under one executive of nine thousand members. There is plenty of room for much more effort of the same kind. The two months immediately in front will witness many adjustments in the labor world. UN Independent labor party has forwarded a resolution to be placed on the agenda of the next executive meeting of the Labor and Socialist In- ternational to be held at Zurich on April 11, as follows: “That in view of the urgent need for working class solidarity against capitalist and imperialist reaction and the menace of fascism in Europe, the executive of the Labor and Socialist international should suggest a joint conference to the executive of the Third Internation- al, with the object of exploring the possibilities of the formation of an all-inclusive international.” Hosiery Workers Strike for Union Recognition PHILADELPHIA, March 15. — A strike of 135 union full fashioned hos- jery workers is in effect at the Chipp- man Hosiery Co., Quakertown, de- manding reinstatement of three dis- charged knitters and consideration of NEGRO PORTERS ARE DESERTING COMPANY UNION Pullman Bosses Fear Real Organization .By ROBERT DUNN, Federated Press, In another effort to save its com- pany union plan from destruction, the Pullman company is touring its indus- trial relations superintendent, F, L. Simmons, on the trail of the general organizer of the Brotherhood of Sleep- ing Car Porters, the real trade union answer of porters to the Pullman com- pany scheme. “Safety First” is Simmons’ topic, but his real purpose is to offset the ef- fective organizing speeches of broth- erhood officials. Simmons paints these men as crooks about to abscond with porters’ dues to Moscow or Mexico. Long Anti-Union Record. With a long anti-union record, and with 12,000 porters on its payroll be- sides thousands of conductors and shop workers, the Pullman company put its plan into effect in 1920 “to keep the workers in their place.” The company tried to lure the white Pull- man conductors with free insurance, etc., but they saw thru the scheme and rejected it. They organized a real trade union and doubled their wages Promptly. The company union was used to break a strike of Pullman shop carmen, the “representatives” acting as stool-pigeons. A speed-up system and reduced wages were achieved among car shop workers by the plan. While the plan promises “no dis- crimination,” the first’ porters who bucked it were discharged for insub- ordination and several have been fired for union activity. The plan has Proved a complete farce, say union officials who have tried to get some- thing for the workers out of it. Ap- peals to higher company committees always end in the company’s bureau of industrial relations where the com- Pany’s will is law, Decisions on vital matters are always against the work- ers, Bosses Fear Real Union. Called in a desperate effort to check the progress of the porters’ union, the Chicago wage conference was domi- nated by the corporation. Dubiously elected delegates came from insignifi- cant terminals, while some of the large centers where the real union has made great headway were unrepresented. The elections were characterized by fraud, force and intimidation. Porters at the conference were told just what microscopic wage increase he company would grant them. Be- cause two delegates, Edwards of St Louis and Smith of Omaha, refused to eat out of the Pullman paw, they have had difficulty in reporting back to their constituents. Smith was doubled out every time he reached home. Finally he had to lay off for several days to report his vote against the agreement to his fellow porters. The company circulated petitions among Omaha and St. Louis porters repudiating Smith’s and Edwards’ ac- tion at Chicago and threatened por- ters with discharge if they did not sign. ®. Company Terrorizes Workers. The St. Louis porters’ meeting to hear conference reports was presided over by company assistant and second assistant superintendents, and Porters endorsing Edwards were declared out of order. In spite of this intimidation the porters stood solidly behind him. Those most active in his support were penalized or held off runs, Minutes of the conference reveal the company using as a weapon to fight off wage advances its group insurance, pension and other welfare devices, whose benefits porters testify that they never receive. Company agents contend the company union will give porters’ grievances “proper considera- tion,” but with the Chicago conference fresh in mind the porters are laughing at company union claims and are de- grievances by employers with a com- mittee of the workers. ‘The firm had }‘@"™imed to end the plan. been putting two helpers between them and effecting a general wage cut im this way. The union demands readjustment so that there will be only one helper to every five footers, The firm refused to deal with organ- izers from the American Federation of Full Fashioned Hosiery Workers, affiliated with the United Textile Workers, to which the workers be- long. Philadelphia Grave Diggers on Strike; Demand Higher Wages PHILADELPHIA, Pa., Match 15.— Grave diggers at the Holy Cross cem- etery here are on strike for an in- crease in wages from $4 to §6 per grave. On being interviewed one of the grave diggers said: “The priests tell.us all about what we are going to get when we are dead. We don’t want it then; we want it now.” Several undertakers said unless an agreement is reached soon the vaults will be filled, with bodies. There are about 90 in, the vaults already. This would be a,good chance for the Jesus screaming grafters to go to work, for while the priests were handing out their dope they could dig the holes at the same time. This is hardly thought likely, as an,employment agency has been hired,tp furnish scabs to take the places pf the strikers, PERMIT FASCIST UNIONS ONLY TO EXIST IN ITALY Class - Collaboration Is Aim, Says Mussolini (Special to The Daily Worker) ROMB, March 15.—By a vote of 139 to 27 the fascist capital and labor bill, declaring the identity of these two forces, was passed yesterday by the senate, following a most rhetorical address by Mussolini. The new law will wipe out the catholic unions as thoroly as the brutally repressive tactics of the dic- tator have already destroyed the regular trade union movement. Provi- sions in it establish labor magistrates to be appointed by the government. Before thése must be brot all labor disputes and the decisions of these officials ‘is'to have the force of law. Class Collaboration. In Mussolini’s speech he declared that capitalism, instead of being at the height of its development, as the Communists contend, has not yet reached its/apex but will continue for several hundred years, He praised the modern capitalists, declaring that they were “grebtt organizers,” with a “high regard fol civil and moral respon- sibilities” * “Class @ollaboration,” he continued, “is a fundamental of fascist union- ism.” asserted the two. classes were Dienientary” and by no means jes. In concluding he prone ‘that Italy was approach- ing “staté*control of all the forces of industry, agriculture, banks and la- bor,” and‘ gfated he was confident the experiment would succeed. Reformist Policies Discredited. His addness showed that the fascisti have no intention of relaxing in the slightest ir iron-bound dictatorship nor of allowing the open growth of an opposition: “More and more the prole- tariat is driven to the conclusion that only a vidlent revolution can over- throw Mussolini. The stress of events has complétely discredited the reform- ist socialist policies and greatly in- creased the prestige of the Com-} munists. Why Should Workers Lose Their Wages When a Firm Goes Bankrupt? NEW YORK, March 15.— The Pa- tricia Leather Goods company went bankrupt and as a result the workers lost one week’s wages. The day that wages were to have been paid the company handed each worker a check instead of the cash and were told not to come to work until further no- tice, A few days after they had given us the checks they came back and we then learneg{ that the company had gone bankrupt, We then went to the offices of the. International Pocket- book Workers’ local and asked for aid in collecting our wages. We were told to turn our checks over to the ' union lawyer. A numberof weeks have passed and as yet we hear nothing about the checks, The Workers should demand thru their wfiion that proper safe- guards be maéé so that workers will not lose their wages when any com- pany feels’ that it wants to go bank- rupt. ct THE BLACK MARIA FOR THE FUR WORKERS tUnorganized Paige Auto Workers Quit When Wages Slashed DETROIT, March 15.—Sixty unor- ganized men walked out of the local plant of the Paige Motor Co. as 4@ protest against a further 5 per cent cut in ‘their starvation wages. To their demands the boss merely told them tq “take it or leave it,” looking out the window as he said this in the company’s employment office where hundreds were lined up. The other 60 did not dare to quit. They return- ed to the bench, marked men, for they will be discharged as soon as substi- tutes can be procured. Working conditions are bad. Sant- tation is not attended to. The men get but thirty minutes to eat their lunch, sitting on the greasy benches or at the machine. Ready for Organization, But— Women are replacing men every day upon the lighter work ag they are willing to work at half the wage demanded by their brothers. The auto workers are ripe for an organization drive. Mr. Collins, the A. F. of L. organizer in this city, is doing nothing. He was not sent here for that job, he explains. So he spends his time making ungram- matical speeches to the various lo- vals instead. r No violence resulted despite the provocative actions of the police whe herded striking New. York fur workers together like cattle In Union Square. The police attempted to cow the strikers with a display of thelr guns and finally arrested one hundred and twe nty-five of them. AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRIES SHOW SLIGHT GAIN IN EMPLOYMENT; STEEL MILLS LAY OFF WORKERS By LELAND OLDS, Factory employment throughout the country started 1926 more than 34% ahead of January 1925, according to the monthly report of the U. S. depart- ment of labor. Factory payrolls were nearly 5%% ahead of the previous year giving the average worker about 2% more in weekly pay. This gain was very unevenly dis- tributed, centering chiefly around the automobile industry including acces- sory plants and the manufacture of electrical supplies and apparatus. Probably most of this expansion was based on demand stimulated by par- tial payment sales plans or on prepa- rations to meet the cutthroat competi- tion which is expected to develop later in the year, Most Industries Show No Gain. Significant industries like slaughter- ing and meat.packing, cotton, wool, men’s clothing, iron and steel, boots and shoes, cement, lumber and rail- road car building showed no gain over January 1925, In fact all except iron and steel reported a drop in employ- ment compared with a year ago. The gain in employment from De- cember to January was less than 1% while the total amotnt paid in wages in January was 2%% under Decembet and below that of either February or March 1925. In spite of the gain the January employment level was 2% below January 1924, 5% below Janu- ary 1928, and 19% below January 1920, $25.95 Average Weekly Wage. This means nearly half a million fewer workers employed in the coun- try's factories than in January 1923, and 1,900,000 fewer than in January 1920, During January factory operation averaged 93% of full-time with 85% of a full normal force of employes. This means that industry as a whole was producing at about 79% of full time capacity. The average weekly wage in Janu- ary was $25.95, A year ago it was $25.44, For some of the more important industries the figures are: Average weekly wages Jan. '25 Jan. '26 Automobile $25.78 $28.13 Baking 26.20 26.93 Boot & Shoe 22.20 21.88 Car building 27.92 27.42 Clothing, mens 24.26 24.68 Cotton 14.60 16.53 Electrical apparatus 28.00 28.66 Foundries & machine shops 28.65 29.63 Iron & steel 30.72 30.32 Lumber 19.27 19.87 Meat products 25.17 25.40 Silk 20.57 21.4( Wool 23.73 21.95 Underwear & hosiery 17.81 18,12 LEFT WING LEADS FIGHT FOR REAL UNION DRIVE Take Steps to Organize Non-Union Workers BOSTON, Mass., March 15. — The Central Labor Union recently held @ special meeting to lay plans for an organization drive thruout Boston and vicinity, Various plans and proposals were presented. Among these was @& resolution by I. Freedman of Up holsterers’ Union Local 37 which made the following demands: 1, Election of a joint organization committee representing all branches of the labor movement, in the elty and state. 2. Campaigns to be concentrated especially on the unorganized indus- tries and sections of the» workers, such as the textile industry, the shoe industry, the metal industry, the Negro workers, women workers, and the young workers, thru special or- ganizers in each of these fields, thru publicity campaigns in the centers where these unorganized workers are ound, thru the revival of central bodies in towns and localities where organization campaigns are proposed and the distribution of leaflets and literature encouraging unorganized workers to join the unions. 3. Collection from each union thrue out the city and state of money for an organization drive fund, to cover the cost of this campaign, After an interesting discussion, these proposals were unanimously ace cepted. It was decided at this meet- ing to arrange for a big mass meeting to be held on April 11 at Faneuil Hall, On this day all unions are to march en masse to the center mentioned above. Dispute arose over the ques tion of lowering the initiation fees im connection with the organization cam- paign. Again the left wingers took the lead, Wiseman of Cap Makers’ Union Local 7 and I, Freedman of Upholster- ers’ Union Local 37 led the fight for lower dues and showed that it was impossible to conduct a successful or ganization campaign without this fea ture, The officials then contended it was not advisable to interfere in the internal affairs of the various local unions and thus tried to dodge the issue. During the campaign the left wing locals in Boston are planning to throw all the energy into the effort to organize the unorganized, “The trade unions remain and will © remain for a long time a pre school for the training of the tarlat."——Lenin, 4