The Daily Worker Newspaper, November 11, 1931, Page 6

‘Page Two fAILY, WORKER, NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 1931 PUSH THE FIGHT FOR UNEMPLOYMENT IN that the leading éomniittees ‘did hot ; at al] timés havea firm gfdsp on the actuah situation, and ‘did not transmit the decisions of the lead- ing bodies to the mass of the strik- ers. All these weaxnesses led to a condition that the leading commit- tees, in formulating their policy, did not fully know the actually existing situation, thus resulting in many se- rious errors. Thus in the course of the miners’ strike, the back to work movement was already very strong, while the strike leadership was still slow to recognize the extent of this, and also slow to draw the conclu- sions in changed tactics. This also resulted in the policy of the or- Banized retreat being adopted not soon enough. The organized retreat means to reform the front of strug- gle (concentration in certain places, liquidation of others, modification of demands, etc.) at a time when the enemy has made a breach in our front, but when we still have strength. If we wait until our forces are disintegrated, then it is im- possible to make an organized re- treat in order to gain concessions, and keep our ranks jntact. In the Paterson strike, as well as in the Strike of the textile workers in Rhode Island, the leading organs were not aware of the actual situa- tion of the strikes In many in- stances during the critical moments because of the failure to register all the strikers, to organize the strike committees in the shops, and to organize the central strike ma- chinery on a correct basis repre- sentative of all the strikers. Weak Application of United Front (b) While in the recent strikes, the policy of the anited front was followed, in the actual application, it was very weak. In practice it was the small bodies that carried through all decisions, and the unit- ed front organs had too much merely a formal existence. In the matter of uniting the unemployed and employed masses through the organization of the joint struggle for joint demands, only in the miners’ sirike were real beginnings made, and even here this was not followed up. In practically all the textile strikes little .attempt was made to draw the unemployed workers into the struggle. Mistakes were made, particularly jn the strikes in textile (Paterson, Wey- bosset, etc.) in liquidating the role of the TUUL union, and substitut- ing the united front organs for the unjon. While this is not the main danger, the main danger still being the failure to apply the policy of the united front, we must fight against all tendencies to liquidate the role of our union. While always developing the broadest possible united front, we must from the very beginning in preparation for the struggle, during the strike and after the strike, take up energetically the recruiting into the TUUL unions, and the building of the unions into mass organizations. This requires that at all stages of the struggle and during the strike in particular, that the union shall be the instru- ment for the mobilization of the masses, to develop and lead the struggles. In the carrying through of the united front policy, we must be on guard to counteract all the fake unity maneuvers of the re- formists and always maintain the initiative in the fight for unity. In the Paterson strike, at a certain stage, we lost this initiative be- cause of the slowness and_ hesita- tion in carrying through the correct line, adopted in the struggle against the Musteite-Gitlow maneuvers, {c) Our unions have not given enough attention in the course of the strikes, through their practical work, to smash the lies spread by all our enemies, that we are not interested in fighting for and win- ning every minute demands of the workers, This lie has some effect among the masses because we have not yet learned. how to react prop- erly in every stage of the struggle, and to adapt ourselves to the changing conditions during the strike. We do not yet know how to utilize every possible momeni to gain some conce: for the work- ers in the struggle, when that is possible on the basis of partial set- tlements or individual settlements. In the miners strike, we have not sufficiently made clear to the mun- Td - 7 6 cis ers our readiness to make’ partial and individual settlements, when that becomes possible. We must prove to the workers that we are doing everything possible to mobil- ize all the forces at our disposal to gain immediate concessions for the workers. Our unions have already in the course of the recent strikes, succeeded in many cases to stop the attacks of the bosses and to gain concessions for the workers (fur workers, textile, etc.). We must fight against the wrong tendency which states that it is impossible to win strikes in the present. situa- tion. We must point out to the workers that if the strikes are prop- erly prepared, if we can better or- ganize the strikes, if we can spread the strikes in the decisive sections of the industry, if we can mobilize all the reserves, if we. organize strike funds in advance, organize the relief machinery, etc., it is pos- sible to defeat the combination of the bosses, the government terror, and the reformists and to win the demands, Weaknesses Due to Lack of Preparation. + (d) Our strikes have shown a number of other weaknesses, some of which grow out of the lack of preparation. We can learn of the necessity of organizing the relief} machinery and to build a perma- nent relief organization, prior to the strike. (WIR), to organize the relief locally and on a basis that will serve as an organizing means for the strike (mass kitchens, etc.). Another category of weaknesses that must be overcome and which were prevalent in the strike of the tex- tile workers, is the underestimation of the influence of the old unions and the necessity of work in the old unions prior to and during the strike, ih ‘order to mobilize the masses in these: organizations in united front actions against ‘the bosses and the labor bureaucrats. One of the important lessons shown in the miniers strike, was the strong illusions with regard to Pinchot, which even the most energetic ef- forts of the strike committee’ only partially liquidated. This shows the necessity of even more persistent and systematic striving to political- ize the strikes on the basis of the eoncrete experiences of the masses during the strike with the govern- ment and the various capitalist po- litical parties and politicians. An- other important lesson of the strike, particularly the miners’ strike, is the danger of substituting new tasks and general perspectives in place of the carrying through of the existing tasks and overcome the difficulties. Thus for example in the miners’ strike, while the perspective of national strike was brought for- ward again and again, the spread- ing of the strike in Fayette and Westmoreland counties in Pennsyl- vania, which was of decisive im- portance, received little attention until the later stages of the strike. We must not only draw the les- sons from these strikes, but recog- nize that many of these mistakes ; were repeated again and again. |Thus for example, the Paterson strike saw the same mistakes that ywere committed prior to this in the miners’ strike. This shows that it is necessary not only to really bring to light the lessons of. the strikes here and throughout, the world, to popularize the positive and negative features of our work, but also to take steps to so organize the life of our organizations that we will develop some guarantee that these mistakes will not be repeated again and again. | Necessary Steps to Carry Thru the Strug- | | gle Against Wage-Cuts and for the Jobless | In the very center of the work of the TUUL at the present time, must be the organization of the struggle against new waves of wage cuts, in the steel, auto, railroad, etc., initiated by the employers, in all the industries, with the wage cut of the U. S. Steel Corporation. The steel industry,~in which pro- duction is now about 28 per cent of capacity, and in which the major- ity of the workers now employed work from one to three days, shows tne necessity of connecting up the struggle against wage cuts with the struggle against the stagger plan, part time work, and mass discharge now being carried through, Only by connecting up the struggle in this manner, can we carry through a real fight against the bosses of+ fensive on the living standards of the workers, The general slogan ORGANIZE AND STRIKE AGAINST WAGE CUTS must be linked up with the slogans, (a) AGAINST WAGE CUTS IN ANY FORM, (b) FULL WAGES FOR PART TIME WORK, (c) THE SEVEN HOUR DAY WITHOUT REDUCTION IN PAY, (ad) AGAINST SPEED UP AND FOR THE ABOLITION OF OVER- TIME WORE, (e) EQUAL PAY FOR EQUAL WORK FOR THE NE- GRO WORKERS AND FOREIGN BORN WORKERS, (f) ABOLI- TION OF INJUNCTIONS, RIGHT TO ORGANIZE, STRIKE, PICK- ET, etc, These general slogans must not be transplanted literally into every strike. Local partial demands suitable to the given industry, and factory, must form the heart of the slogans on which we mobilize the masses for struggle. The Policy of Concentration. The TUUL has already achieved some successes as a result of the policy of concentration. The last meeting of the National Commit- tee of the TUUL decided to concen- trate the work of the TUUL in four industries (mining, textile, marine and metal), At the present. time, while the work in the mining in- dustry still remains in: the center of the work of the TUUL, and al- ready we can see new struggles de- veloping (strike in the Anthracite, gain in membership in Northern West Virginia etc.) ‘the greatest at- tention must now be given to the struggle against the new wage cut which means principally to organ- ize the strugle in the steel indus- try, marine industry. In addition, ‘the TUUL must make the automo- bile, chemical, railroad, and textile industries as the other industries of concentration. The recent confer- ence of steel workers in Pittsburgn, at which with little preparation 423 delegates were present, shows that it will be possible to develop strug- gles in the steel industry, It is nec- essary to mobilize all our organiza- tions and supporting organizations to give assistance to the Metal Workers Industrial League, to de- velop the strikes of the steel work- ers and to build the Steel Workers Industrial Union. The NMU must do everything possible to consolidate tne position gained, to stabilize and increase its membership, to activize the mem- bership, to develop normal life of the local unions and the leading union organs, to develop and ex- tend the influence of the MINE WORKER, to begin a serious collec- tion of dues, etc. At the same time, the NMU must pay attention to the development of the struggles. The NMU must direct more attention to the work inside the UMWA and in- dependent miners’ unions, and through the policy of the uslted front, take the initiative as the fighter for one class struggle union in the industry—for the unity of all the miners against the operators and the labor bureaucrats, Yhe TUUL must assist. the NMU to carry through the decisions adopted at the last Board meeting of the NMU. Marine and Railroaé. The TUUL must help the Marine Workers Industrial Union to devel- op the struggle against. the wage cuts and sell-out agreements ‘of the officials. Great attention must be paid to the strengthening of the Marine Workers Industrial Union in the three concentration districts «New York, New Orleans and the Pacific Coast). The employers are now preparing wage cuts against the rajlroad workers, more than 350,000 of whom are employed. Our League has made no progress under these favorable conditions, The TUUL must assist 5 3 the League in the strengthening of its center arid inithe working ‘out of its policy of combining work in the R.R, brotherhoods, the other railroad unions, and the work among the unorganized, In the textile industry we must consolidate the gains made as a re- sult of the recent strikes, strength- en the leadership of the NTWU and assist them in the preparations for struggles now developing in this in- dustry (Lawrence, etc.) in connec- tion with the new wave of wage cuts jn this industry. The NTWU must develop a broad united front policy from below and give much. more -attention ito the winning of the workers in the old unions (Pat- erson, Kensington, etc.). Beginnings must be made in the work in the chemical industry be- cause of the growing acuteness of the war danger. The TUUL Bureau © shall be directly responsible for the development of this work and make regular reports to the NEB on the progress of this work. The other unions must assist in organizing the work in the chemical industry, giv- ing assistance through organzing groups, finances, etc. |. Fight for Unemployment Relief and | | Unemployment Insurance The TUUL must carry through a concentration of the work not only jn the specified industries, but also in the districts in which the centers of these industries are lo- cated—Philadelphia, Boston, Buf- falo, Detroit, Cleveland and Chi- cago. We must therefore, give spe- cial attention to the devélopment of the development of the TUUC in these districts. Already there are 12,000000 un- employed and the number is grow- ing as a consequence of the deep- ening of the crisis, the increasing rationalization and the wage cuts. This requires that the struggle for the demands of the unemployed shall be in the very center of the work of the TUUL. The capitalists and their various agencies of fas- cists and social fascists are increas- ing their demagogy, with regard to One of the most important of our Present tasks is to link up the struggle of the unemployed and the employed on the basis of concrete demands. One of the most serious weaknesses in our general work is the tendency to develop the unem-~ ployed movement and the red union movement as separated from each other, exemplified by the situation in Chicago where the unemployed moyement is large and vigorous and the red unions are anaemic and small and in’ New York where tne reverse situation is the case with the TUUL unions active and very little organjzation and movement existing amongst the unemployed. In order to abolish these weakness- es it is important auring times of strikes to draw the unemployed in- to the strike committees, into the mass picket lines, into the collec- tion of strike relief and on the other side, to place in specific shops con- crete demands regarding the unem- ployed. For example, the rehiring of laid-off workers, etc. The TUUL must fight for the following program for the unem- ployed: (a) Unemployment insurance at the expense of the government and the employers, amounting to full wages, for all workers, throughout the entire period of unemployment, and administered by the workers. (b) Immediate WINTER RE- LIEF to the sum of $150 for every unemployed worker, and $50 for ev- ery dependent, (c) For the reduction of the hours of labor (7 hour day for all workers, 6 hours for miners, otc.) without reduction of the weekly earnings, abolition of child labor under 14 and the provision for vo- cational training with full govern- ment maintenance; 4 hour day for youth workers up to 16 and 6 hour day for all young workers from 16 to 20 years of age. (d) Prohibition of evictions of workers for non-payment of rent when unemployed for any reason. Free rents, gas, light, water, etc., for the unemployed at government expense. Free distribution of milk for all children of the unemployed. (e) The struggle against the Hoover schemes of public - works which are designed as preparations for war, as wage cutting expedi- ents and ‘systems of forced labor. Against this program, we must de- r the unemployed at the same time when the policy of the employers and the government is one of no relief to the unemployed. The whole program of the capitalists is to doom the unemployed to starvation, to give charity crumbs to certain sections of the unemployed, to dis- eriminate against the foreign born, Negro and youth unemployed, and to suppress every struggle of the unemployed through terror. We must make the TUUL unions the driving force in the Unemployed Councils, organized on the broadest united front basis. We must strive to organize the unemployed into the Unemployed Councils on the basis of the development of the day to day. work of the councils on the basis of the struggle for the every- day needs of the unemployed, with the demand for unemployment in- surance in the center. Work Among the Employed and Unem- | __ ployed Must Be Coordinated mand the inauguration of the pro- gram of building homes for the workers to replace the present hors rible barracks inhabited by the mil« lions of unemployed, and under- paid workers, building of workers’ . hospitals, nurseries, etc. All public buildings to be at trade union wage rates and the 7 hour day. (1) Absolute prohibition of all forms of‘ forced labor or coercion of any kind jin connection with ree lief and insurance. (g) The development of trade re lations with the Soviet Union, in order that the idle factories may work, fill the constantly growing demands of the successful con< struction of the workers governs ment and its Five Year Plan. (h) Struggle against mass dis- missals from the shops, We must bring this program to the millions of unemployed, mobile ize them for struggle for these de« mands, win the employed workers to fight for these -demands. We must organize the unemployed through the day to day struggle for these demands, and force the cape italists to grant these demands, through the organization and strug- gle of the unemployed. For this Purpose there should be carried through locally, county, and state struggles and demonstrations lead- ing up to the NATIONAL HUNGER + MARCH. be The TUUL and its affiliated un- ions shall give the utmost attention and support to the National Hunger March organized under the leader- ship of the unemployed councils, and to develop the National Hun- ger March into a great mass move- ment jnvolving many hundreds of thousands of unemployed workers. The National Hunger March must serve as an effective means to fight for the masses of American workers for immediate relief and unemploy- ment insurance. The TUUL must use all their efforts to utilize the National Hunger March as the starting point to secure a solid or- ganizational basis for the unem-~= ployed movement throughout the country. Struggle Against the Terror of the Government and the Fascist Bands _ More and more the struggles of the workers are met by the terror of the government and Its fascist