The Daily Worker Newspaper, May 15, 1933, Page 8

now set aside, Far via nea ane st raise MANERA AME RONEN phen. Aaa 4 ., 1933 is a 1g Up government arbitration boards that would l rd hours of labor, This is , f ng class | ever It would destroy the trade luce compulsory the most egislation introduced in unions, outlaw arbitration, It is capitalists pe ation Plan proposed for dditional tens of it of 1 employ ment and against nterests of the Che C iia 2h would tnrov thousands i carry Rpt c Wat- labor w w Roose n fore through ope nment = the capitalis on the and of the hake ne Federation of ig and drugging the trying fighting against these attacks, Nor- leader of the Socialist Party, has en- t lack stagger bill, So have the leaders of the A. F, of L. Neither the A. F. of L, nor the Socialist osed in any manner the cut in the pay t employees. ‘The Socialist Party sup- of the veterans’ allowances, _ Nor- President Roosevelt for his achic 1 the Roosey masses, serious elt inflation policy more GREEN’S GESTURE Green of the A, F. of L. has just issued a ffect that the +. F, of L. will demand ages to meet the’ inflation prices, This is a mere to the e ure to stop the masses from struggle. What has the A, F..of 1. done during the last three and a half years i the living standards were reduced by 67%? Is there any reason to believe that the A, F. of L. leaders will now fight? They will have to prove it by more than mere empty words, Vie supporters of the Roosevelt administration argue that these measures, no matter how displeasing they may be to some for a while, will in the long run pull us out of the cris The Socialists and the A. F. of L, leaders who support the various Roosevelt measures make the same explanation. But this is entirely false. How will the inflation program which means reducing the standard ef living of the masses solve the problem of unemploy- meni? By lowering the living standard of the masses it will only increase unemployment. This program of attack on the living standards of the masses, the destroying of the workers’ organizations; _Would not solve the crisis of capitalism. The whole pro- gram of the 30-hour week and inflation, of public works, would not add more workers to the factories. The 30- hour week will be used as a means to speed up the workers and lower the production costs. The actual wages which have already declined for all workers of the United States to 33 per cent of the 1929 total, would only be further reduced. Inflation would further reduce the pur- chasing power of the masses. THE WORKERS WILL NOT STARVE We state here that the workers of this country will! not continue to starve in silence, Nor will they submit to forced labor and stagger plans, no matter under what name they are smuggled in, They will not continue to starve on the miserable charity handouts. The workers are not idle because of their own choice, they are asking for work, And they are asking for work at a wage to en- able them to take care of themselves and their families, So long as the capitalist system and the government can- not furnish them with work, they will demand of the government the means with which to live. The govern- ment must insure them the right and the means to live. For this reason we state that the main demand that we make here in the name of the masses of employed and and unemployed is for federal unemployment insurance. in demanding unemployment insurance we are also not unmindful of the fact that many schemes are being pro- posed in the name of unemployment insurance which are in no ways unemployment insurance for the workers. We therefore pro that the WORKERS’ UNEM- PLOYMENT INSURANCE BILL, which is supported by millions of unemployed and employed workers, shall immediately be enacted into law. This Bill was endorsed by over 1,000 locals of the American Federation of Labor, It is endorsed by the Unemployed Councils with hundreds of thousands of followers throughout the coun- try. It was presented to the President and to Congress, The Bill reads as follows: THE UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE BILL ’ “That a system of federal government unemployment insurance be immediately established by an act of Con- gress and made immediately effective, guaranteeing the average wages in the respective industries and territories in the United States. The unemployment insurance shall not be less than $10 weekly for adult workers, $3 for each dependent, to all workers wholly unemployed through not fault of their own, for the entire period of unemployment. “For all workers, no discrimination—That unemploy- ment insurance be paid to every unemployed worker, adult and youth, whether industrial or agricultural, office employees, and all other categories of wage labor, native or foreign-born, citizen or non-citizen, white and Negro, men and women, and without discrimination against race, color, age or political opinion. No worker shall be de- prived of unemployment insurance because of refusal to take the place of strikers or to work for less than union rates of pay. “Insurance at the- expense of the employers and the government-—That the full funds for unemployment insurance shall be raised by the government from funds waa gis a ae Dunn snavapenatdpratoc Semgmtmet epemannaaerymatit: rnin ons german enn eo towotion shale income: over $5,000 a year. In no instance shall there contributions levied upon the workers—in any form whatsoever for this insurance, be any Administration by the workers—That the unemploy- ment insurance fund shall be administered and controlled by the workers through unemployment insurance com- missions composed of rank and file members of workers’ organizations, That uncmployment insurance commissions be empowered to establish free employment exchanges for the registration of the workers. The payment of un- employment insurance, the hearing of contested claims for unemployment insurance and appeals from awards made. “For other forms of social insurance—That social in- surance be paid to workers to the amount not less than $10 weekly for adult workers, $3 for each dependent to compensate for loss of wages through sickness, accident, old -age, maternity, etc. “Part time workers shall receive the difference be- tween their wages and the unemployment insurance ben- efit. No worker shall be disqualified from receiving un- employment insurance because he refuses to work at wages below what he was formerly receiving or below the prevailing trade union rates in that vicinity, nor shall he or she be disqualified for refusing to work because of strike or unsafe or unhealthy conditions, nor where hours are longer than the usual trade union standards in the particular trade or locality. “An employee shall not be required to accept employ- ment if the establishment where employment is offered is at an unreasonable distance from his or her home.” ADEQUATE RELIEF e demand the immediate federal appropriation of sufficient funds to give adequate relief to the unemployed pending the enactment of the WORKERS’ UNEM- PLOYMENT INSURANCE BILL. We consider the proposed Wagner bill as entirely inadequate, We de- mand a stop to the discrimination against the Negro peo- ple practiced in the distribution of relief, and on public works. We demand a public works program for the building of workers’ homes, hospitals, schools and not battleships. That full union wages be paid on all public work undertakings. OTHER DEMANDS We demand that the proposed Black 30-hour Bill be amended as we proposed before the Senate Judiciary Committee to include that weekly earnings shall be the same for the 30-hour week as now for the longer hour week. That the Bill carry with it the minimum wage for all workers on the basis of the actual current cost of the essential needs of the workers (food, clothing, shelter, education, recreation, etc.) We demand the enactment of legislation by the fed- eral government making it mandatory that all wages and wage rates be paid on the basis of computing the actual value of the dollar (cost of living). We demand the enactment of federal legislation against child labor under 15 with state maintenance; against night work for women workers. We demand federal legislation to establish lodging and maintenance for the homeless youth, free medical care, abolition of vagrancy law. We demand the’ restoration of the old wages before the 15 per cent cut to the government employees. We demand the repeal of the forced Jabor reforesta- tion camps. We are opposed to the creation of indus- trial arbitration boards, We demand enactment of legis- lation to legalize the formation of workers’ committees in all establishments, to be elected democratically by all the workers; these committees to see to it that all labor measures established in the interests of the masses, all sarecaenty as to hours, wages, etc., are enforced, — Saddectat dl the fight to Loretnigty y iy 8 to e te ? 53 San > demand the abolition of all ue uinst the workers in strikes. full workers’ rights, of injunctions ag We demand a stop to the deportation of forcign- born workers, We demand equal rights for the Negro people. We demand the recognition of the Soviet Union by the United States Government and the establishment of normal trade relations. We also wish to record ourselyes in favor of the de- mands of the war veterans’ for the restoration of the vet- erans’ disability allowances and the immediate cash pay~ ment of the bonus. We support the poor and bankrupt farmers in their fight for relief, against and for cancellation of debts. NO ONE WOULD GO HUNGRY UNDER WORKERS’ RULE We state here that there is no need for anyone to go hungry in this rich country of ours. There is plenty for everyone. The capitalists have proven their inability to ran the industries, to provide the workers with the barest necessities. We believe that the workers must organize themselves and fight against such a system which starves them in the midst of plenty. We believe the workers will be able to run the industries and manage them so that the standard of living of all the toilers will be con- siderably higher than the highest wages ever paid to the workers in this country under capitalism. The experiences of the workers and peasants of the Soviet Union show this to be true in a large country of 160 million people, covering one sixth of the globe. We know that only the workers through their organized strength and num- bers will be able to achieve such a new system without exploitation of man by man. In the meantime, while the capitalists are in control, we demand that the government which represents them, shall put a tax on capital, on high incomes of $5,000, and the money spent for war preparations, to provide the necessary funds for relief, for public works, and for federal unemployment insurance, and that a stop be put to the subsidizing of the capitalists to guarantee profits foreclosures NATIONAL UNIONS AND LEAGUES | Affiliated to the Trade Union Unity League National Miners 1524-5th Pittsburgh, Pa. Steel and Metal Workers Industrial Uaim, 1524-5th Ave., Pittsburgh, Pa, Marine Workers Industrial Union, Street, New York, N. Y. National Railroad Industrial League, 209 W. Randolph St., Chicago, Til. Food Workers Industrial Union, 4. W. 18th St, New York, N.-Y. National Textile Workers Union, 1775 West- minster St., Providence, R. I. Auto Workers Union, 4210 Woodward Ave., Detroit, Mich. Needle Trades Workers Industrial Union, 13 W. 28th St., New York, N. Y. Lumber Workers Industrial Longe, 1915 1st St., Seattle, Wash. Shoe and Leather Workers National Goiaraile tee, 96 Fifth Ave., New York, N. Y. Building and Construction Workers Industrial League, 799 Broadway, New York, N. Y. Office Workers Union, 80 E. 11th St., New York, N. Y. Trade Union Unity League Councils and Com- Union, Avenue, 140 bina Mt Wiad re __ mittees in alf neve: eenterr sayy ar ireh