The Daily Worker Newspaper, August 5, 1933, Page 4

as i Met nion« sures All $ Toilers , idget "Social In- surance Is Over $2,000,000,000 By LISTON M. OAK wditor, Soviet Russia Today Che U.S.S.R. is a land where every rker enjoys economic security; ‘ere no one need fear what the ure may bring. The worker egates elected by their fellow- rkers in the United States, France eat Britain and the other capi- f& countries to visit the Soviet ion as guests of the Soviet Trade | dons, are always particularly in- vested in the system of social in- rance operating there, Statistics from the U. S. Depart- nt of Labor state that one-fifth American children are under- arished; but in addition, nearly If of the children in America need edical attention which their par- nts are too poor to pay for. Prob- bly one-half of all American work- agelass men and women also are in npr health and can’t afford the diet, | icine, etc., needed to restore them ; ‘normal health. The number of rkers too sick to work is “ap-| ding” says Abraham Epstein in his ent book, “Insecurity.” Three per <t of all workers on any one day seriously iil. About three mil- are continually ill and in- citated. Out of New York City’s fe million, in the course of one| fear about two and one half mil-| fons suffer “incapacitating illness.” | There are approximately 64 million tases annually of bling illness in | America, involving a loss of 870,000,- 0 days each ye | (PS DIFFERENT IN | SOVIET UNION «| In the Soviet 8 entirely different who needs ar Union the situation | Every worker medical treatment or a facation at a rest home gets it— fe of charge. And he gets his| wes while he is at the hospital or itarium too. He is insured against memployment, against accident, | itkness, old age. He does not have | @ ‘worry about the future because ke knows the Soviet Government, | fis government, will take care of him and he nced never be dependent | upon charity, that he never will have bo beg for bread. | ‘The social insurance budget of the Soviet Union increased during the first Five Year Pl: an from 629 mil- tign dollars anr to over 2 bil- li@n dollars in 1932. And the Soviet worker does not contribute one penny | to this enormous fund—the gove: ment and trade unions and indus- trial organizations pay all the costs. | | Among the benefits included in| the comorehensive social insurance | | tion of Labor, ISRAEL oe . National Secretary of the Unem- ployed Councils of the U. S. BILL FOR SOCIAL INSURANCE HAS LARGE SUPPORT Endorsed ‘in Over 300) Cities and by 800 AF. of L. Locals | The Workers’ ~ Unemployment In- surance Bill has h2<1 endorsed by three state federations of labor, by many locals of the American Feder- ation of Labor, by all unions affilia- | h the Trade Union Unity League, by the Unemployed Coun- cils in more than 300 cities, by the Ohio Conference of Unemployed Leagues, the Unemployed Leagues of ted wii Pennsylvania, locals of the Confer- | ence for Progressive Labor Action, nd by many other fraternal organi- ations of workers throughout the United States. Among the A. F. of L. unions that have endorsed the bill are the fol- lowing: the Colorado State Federa- State Federation of Labor, and local |unions numbering about 800, in re- sponse to a referendum conducted by surance and Relief. Collective endorsements of the bill by workers meeting in various sec- the Montana State | | Federation of Labor, and the Iowa the A. F. of L. Trade Union| | Committee for Unemployment In- tions of the country, and often rep- | resenting many hundreds of other | workers, have included such organi- | zations and clubs as the Small Home | and Landowners of the state of Ohio, of the city of Cleveland, with 12,000 dues-paying members, The City Council in two cities, Crosby, Minn., and Buffalo, N. have officially recognized the Work- ers Unemployment Insurance Bill, following the mass pressure brought upon them by the workers, and have | agreed to memorialize Congress on | the subject of this bill. The bill| has been intorduced in several state | legislatures, such as in Connecticut, | splan of the USSR. is a vacation|as a result of Hunger Marches my) on pay; the finest palaces of the | former Russian aristocracy are now | used as vacation resorts, rest homes | and sanitariums for workers and | farmers. Social insurance also in- | eludes provision for expectant mothers; a pregnant woman worker in a factory gets 8 weeks before and 8 weeks after confinement. And the | best that medical science can offer is available for the mother and her baby to entire that every Soviet child gets the best start in life pos- sible. Permanently disabled workers and | invalids are put on a pension—not | as charity, but as a right. But in addition a whole network of indus- | tries has grown up in the Soviet | Union which are managed and oper- | ated by disabled workers. In the Moscow province alone last year the | value of the output of the disabled | workers amounted to 60 million dol- | lars. Thus even those crinpled by the World War and Civil War, and victims of accidents, etc. are given a chance to heln in the building of Socialism. | As a result of entensive health | protection measures by the social in- surance organizations, there is an ever decreasing rate of sickness among Soviet workers and farmers. ‘The death rate is less than half of what it was in tsarist Russia. One billion dollars was spent in 1932 to protect the health of Soviet workers, part of the social insurance seheme. The money previously spent on unemployment insurance (68 mil- lion dollars in 1929) is now used to extend the hospital system and for general improvement of the insured workers. Since 1930 unemployment has been abolished in the first workers’ re- public, American workers are fight- | ing for unemployment insurance— | Soviet workers have it but no longer meed it for in the workers’ father- land there is an acute shortage of labor for Socialist construction. W. E. S. L. Organizes Vets in Support of Campaign By HAROLD HICKERSON Under the provisions of the Econ- omy Act, the passage of which marked the beginning of the attacks made by the Roosevelt administra- tion upon the living conditions of the masses, close to a million vet- erans ‘are being deprived of over $400,000,000 of their disability com- pensation, disability allowance, pen- Sions, hospital and domiciliary care. ‘Thus the only form of federal in- surance (pensions, allowances, com- tion, etc.) thus far recognized by the government have been cut by a cent. ie W. E. S. L. pledges itself to fight not only for the special de- mands of the veterans, but also for Unemployment and Social Insurance. the unemployed. CARRY THE FIGHT FOR THE WORKERS’ BILL INTO EVERY SHOP, UNION, LODGE AND NEIGHBORHOOD HE failure to maintain and extend the struggle for Unemployment In- surance threatens the masses of unemployed and our Unemployed Councils movement with very serious consequences. It means that we not only weaken our fight for this basic demand, but that we also weaken thereby our fight for improved relief standards, our fight against relief cuts, forced labor, evictions and the many other immediate abuses and attacks from which the masses suffer. We must bear in mind that the concessions we can force the bosses and their government to.grant, depend upon the extent to which we are able to mobilize broad masses for determined struggle around demands that correspond with their needs. If we fail to win broad masses for a program of our own,’ then our fight will inevitably be reduced to merely efforts to prevent further cuts rather than to force increases, and our fight against even cuts will be greatly weakened thereby. . . . cr is therefore of the utmost importance that we renew our struggle for the Workers’ Unemployment Insurance Bill and develop this struggle in such a manner that it will constantly broaden and deepen. The following program of immediate action is therefore proposed for the launching of a renewed campaign and struggle for the Workers’ Bill: 1—In all states where “Initiative Referendum Laws” are in effect, the necessary formal steps to launch a referendum on our Bill shall be im- mediately taken. 2—In states where such referendums are not provided for by law, we shall launch a petition campaign anyway; these shall demand that the State Legislature shall enact our Bill pending its enactment by the United States Congress. 3—In every city, town and. county, determined struggles shall be conducted to force the government body (City Council, County Commis- sioners, Township Trustees, etc.) to endorse our Bill and to call upon the State Legislature and the Congress of the United States for the enact- ment of the Workers’ Unemployment Insurance Bill. 4-Similar struggles shall be conducted around the homes and of- fices of local members of the state legislature, Congressmen, Senators and local officials and candidates for public office, to force each of these to take a definite stand for or against our Bill. 5—The A. F. of L. Committee for Unemployment Insurance will initi- ate a referendum campaign in the various Internationals of the A. F. of L. and in the Brotherhoods of the R. R. Unions. 6—A similar referendum campaign will be conducted in the fraternal organizations by a special committee sponsored by the International Work- ers’ Order. T—A committee is being formed to enlist the co-operation of various professional and liberal elements (social workers, teachers, doctors, jour- nalists, etc.). HOW TO LAUNCH THE CAMPAIGN ‘HE state committees of the Unemployed Councils, where such exist, shall immediately set up @ special committee to secure all the necessary information about requirements for launching the referendum in states where the law makes provision for it. Where state committees have not yet been established, this shall be done by the Council in the principal or Capitol city of the state. Friendly attorneys should be consulted on legal technicalities. As soon as the legal requirements have been ascertained (number of signatures, form of petiton, time of filing, date of elections, cost of print- ing, from how many counties signatures must be obtained, etc.), a con- ference of all organizations that should be involved shall be called. This conference should determine the launching of the campaign; make provisions for effective publicity, for rallying the broadest masses for active participation and support, for financing, etc. If it is not possible to make extensive preparations before launching the campaign to collect signatures, the first conference shall be considered as of a preliminary character and should be followed by thoroughly pre- pared local conferences as well as a further state conference. The referendum conducted within unions and fraternal organizations will be directed to the National Officers of the given organizations. This a not be a substitute for the campaign on a state-wide basis. Organ- izations and individuals who support the one shall be called upon to sup- port the other. In those states where no provision for an initiative referendum exists, we shall tale similar initial steps. In such states, however, the signature lists used wi be supplied by the National Committee of the Unemployed Councils. The signature lists supplied by the National Committee will outline the provisions of the Workers’ Unemployment Insurance Bill and will call: 1, on the given city and county officials to memorialize the State Legisla- ture and U. S. Congress; 2, on the State Legislature itself to enact the Workers’ Unemployment Insurance Bill, pending its enactment by the U. S. Congress. Where legal requirements do not conflict, our campaign to collect signatures shall formally begin on Labor Day. The period between now and that date shall be devoted to the necessary preparatory work (set- ting up committees, organizing conferences, determining quotas, preparing a calendar plan, etc.). ABOR DAY shall be made a day of nation-wide demonstrations for Un- employment and Social Insurance. In cities where Labor Day parades are being arranged we shall try to induce the central labor bodies to agree to make this and protests against the Roosevelt Recovery Act the center of the parade. Where the bureaucrats defeat this, we shall try to participate in the parade anyway with our banners and placards. SUGGESTIONS FOR CAMPAIGN (These suggestions should be elaborated and supplemented on the basis of local needs and experiences.) —The campaign must not be allowed to degenerate into a mere colléction of signatures. It must be a part of every struggle around the most minute immediate demands and must itself serve to stimulate strug- gles around such demands. At the same time special actions, such as demonstration around local politicians, etc., should be developed in all sub-divisions. These should be carefully timed and prepared so that they will be real mass actions based on conscious support of our Bill and reflect real determination to fight for it. All organizations should be urged to establish Unemployment In- surance Committees, The task of such committees will be to help secure signaljures, sell literature; raise funds, organize lectures, discussions, de- bates, visit other similar organizations to involve their support, etc. —Similar committees should be formed in all possible shops. These shou.d have for their first task to get every worker in the shop to sign the petition. Such petitions should be specially recorded as coming in the name of the workers of the given shop. —The collection of signatures and all other activities connected with the campaign should be conducted on the basis of definite sub-divisions (Precinct, Ward, Assembly Districts, Townships, County, Congressional District, etc.). Committees should be set up to direct and be responsible for the campaign in the given sub-divisions. -—Special and constant attention must be given to the various fake unemployment insurance proposals of the demagogues. These should be systematically and convincingly exposed by comparison with our Bill. De- bates between sponsors of such measures and supporters of our Bill should be arranged wherever possible. —When a considerable number of signers have been secured in a given shop or locality, these should be called to a meeting and urged to elect a Committee of Action from out of their own ranks. Such commit- tees can serve as leaders in the daily struggles for relief as well as to continue the campaign for unemployment insurance in their locality or shop. They should be induced as soon as practical to affiliate to the near- est Unemployed Council. Our registered supporters should be organized in special groups, according to the organizations (unions, fraternal) of which they are mem- bers. They should then be charged with responsibility for conducting the campaign within the organizations of which they are members. Regular reports should be required from all sub-divisions of the movement and should be regularly forwarded to the NATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE UNEMPLOYED COUNCILS OF THE U. S. A. National Organizer of the Un- employed Councils of the U. S. Benjamin to Start Western Tour Will Participate State Conventions in As part of the renewed campaign for the Workers Unemployment In- surance Bill, the National Commit- tee of the Unemployed Councils has organized a western tour for its na- tional organizer, Herbert Benjamin. Comrade Benjamin will address huge mass meetings and demonstrations to launch the campaign in various cities which he will visit. He will also par- ticipate in Statt Conventions where @ program for united struggle will be developed and other steps taken to consolidate all fighting forces for common action to win unemployment relief and force enactment of the Workers. Unemployment Insurance Bill. City Dat> Chicago Sept. 7-8 St. Paul and Minneapolis Sept. 9-12 Bismarck, N. D. Sept. 12-14 Dickinson, N. D. Sept. 14 Butte, Montana Sept. 15-16 Spokane, Wash Sept. 16-18 Coeur D'Alene Sept. 18 Yakinma, Wash Sept. 19 Seattle Bept. 20-23 ‘Tacoma Sept. 23-24 Portland, Ore, Sept. 24-26 Klamath Falls Sept. 26 San Francisco Sept. 27-Oct. 2 San Jose Oct. 2 Los Angeles and San Diogo Oct. 3-7 Phoenix, Arix Oct. 8-8 Gallup, N. M. Oct. 10 Clovis, N. M. and Roswell Oct, 11-18 Trinidad, Col Oct. 15 Pueblo Oct. 16 Denver Oct, 18-22 Oklahoma City—Kansas City—St. Louis and other points between Den- ver and Chicago may have dates be- tween October 22 and 26. American Asso- ciation for Labor Legislation Bill. or more Wisconsin Act, as passed, but op- eration suspended “until unemploy- fied time, law will not go into ef- feet.) Ohio. (Bill drafted by Ohio | Commission on Unemploy ment year, excepting farm, employees. All money exceed $15 per Insurance, No yv- personal, or domestic put in one state fund. week. ember, 1932), servants, railroad and Socialist Party Bill, NOTE: 7 Only workers in un- dertakings employing 4 laborers, seasonal work- ers and persons in line | of work not the normal | trade of employer) | whose salary do not ex- ceed $2,000 a year. “|> state in the pre- ‘ ceeding year. Only workers in firms with 10 or more persons earning less than $1,500 per year (except farm ment declines.” laborers, domestic ser- vested. Each em] loyer'’s week, but even (If employers of vants and a few others) fund is held for him the maximum gag) olaetary Seesens Ce case aoe and used only for his may be cut if the up v lor two years or em- employees, employer's reserve plans by a speci- Ployed 40 weeks in two is less than $50 YVOOTB. 1. oe ce covccece All in firms with 3 or more persons, earn- ing less than $2,000 per government workers, All workers, whose in- comes do not exceed $3,000 a year. on this page of D. W.) Fifteen dollars a week, or fifty per cent of weekly wage, whichever is the lower. | Employers will pay | into “Unemployment Reserve Fund” 3 per cent of their payroll. Workers may make ad- ditional “voluntary con- | tributions” to ‘increase | benefits, i (except farm Employers contribute two per sent of payroll ot reserve fund. Money paid to state and in- Fifty per cent of wages—maxi- mum to be $10, minimum $5 per Two per cent of pay- roll paid by employers; one per cent of wages by Fifty per cent of average weekly wages, but not to A fund to: be known as the Unemployment Insurance Fund is to be set up, into which con- tributions will be paid— one-half by employers and one-half by the state. Fifty per cent of weekly wage, benefit to be not less than $12 a week, and not more than $25 if @ man has a wife and child depend- ent on him ($1,300 @ year). Nothing. Nothing. Wisconsin is the only state in the United States that has passed any kind of unemployment insurance.or “unemployment reserve” act, AND THIS During the year 1933, bills calling for various partial forms of unemployment reserves or unemployment In only seven states such bills were passed by one house, but killed by the other house, In four states “investigating commissions” were set up to This summary gives a good picture of the way capitalist legislatures have dealt with the most important social workers, reformists, and capitalist demagogues trying to gather plitical capital from the growing popularity of unemployment insurance among the workers. The striking difference between these reformist proposals and the Workers Unemployment Insurance Bill, drawn up by the Unemployed Councils, is shown in prepared by the Pen and Hammer and the Labor Research Assn. The Workers Bill is the only one that provides for all forms of social insurance (accident, sickness, old age, maternity). issue facing the working class. Most WORKERS SOCIAL INSURANCE BILL CONTRASTED TO OTHER PROPOSALS —————$<<F<@<IllIIIlIICuu{T—aDnhnDnDnDn@™U™]™)™]™U=™)alalaoEEEe—eee—————————e———————————————— na a eee PERSONS TO BE | BUTIONS WILL BE| AMOUNT OF |apprmoxs ror | LENGTH OF | EXCLUSION FROM pe Losi OTHER INSURED | PA | BENEFIT DEPENDENTS BENEFIT BENEFIT INFORMATION | ‘AID TERED | 1 ecsran sagt ke | All workers. Governments alton Full average | At least $3 a For full period No exclusion or dis- Unemployment All other schemes Councils (Work- | war funds and taxation wages. At least | week for each. of unemployment. crimination. Insurance com- center on state meas- ers Unemploy- | on incomes of $5,000 $10 a week for missions, com- ures. All proposals to ment Insurance | | and over (and other adult workers. posed of rank and state legislatures by Un- Bill). | sources — see elsewhere | | file members of employed Councils con- tions. Sixteen weeks only in one year. No worker can re- ceive more than 1) Those who have been employed in state less than 13 weeks in the preceeding 52. one week's bene- 2) Those who lost em- fit for each three ployment due to a weeks he has strike, worked in the employment. the Act. “any penal. institution.” No limit is set. ‘Those who have left their employment vol- untarily without reason- able cause. insurance have been introduced in into the of ‘the the above workers organiza- State Industrial Commission. State Industrial Commission shall have power to make all rules fit for each four | strike, or loses job and appointments necessary to the nish proof of ability to affecting place of his enforcement of Not more than If worker loses job be- Unemployment, 16 weeks in any cause of strike, “act of Insurance Com- 12 months. God,” im} nt in mission, Board created within State De- partment of La- bor of five members—2 | 2 work- introduced were clearly inadequate. They were devised by chart, covering five leading proposals, tain provision that state bills are only tempor- ary, pending adoption of Federal bill. Employers who furnish proof of ability to pay equal benefits through their own company schemes may pay bene- fits directly to their workers. 1. Waiting period be- fore any benefits are received is two weeks, in 12 months. 2, Employers who fur- pay equal benefits thru own company schemes may pay benefits di- rectly. Waiting period before any benefits received is three weeks in 12 months for total unem- ployment and equiva- lent of three weeks for part-time unemploy- ment. Contributions by the state shall be raised by taxes on incomes ex- ceeding $5,000 a year, and by inheritance tax- es, * iow to Pay for Social Insurance Sources “for” Raising Funds Outlined by L. R, AL By LABOR RESEARCH ASSN. 1, Funds now spent for prepare- tions for war, such as more then $700,000,000 to expended this year for tHe United States army and navy. 2. Increase federal taxation on es- tates and gifts in addition te the closing up of loopholes in present inheritance and estates taxes. 3. Increased tax on profits and cash reserves of corporations. A few hun- dred’ of the largest corporations in the United States show surpluses and “undivided profits” amounting to ® total estimated at about 20 billion dollars. A partial estimate of in- terest and dividend payment, even in 1932, shows a total of over 7 F‘\- lion dollars. 4, Increased tax on incomes of ail those with annual income of more than’ $5,000 a year. In 1981 some 76 super-millionaires (allowing for the’ many not counted due to in- come tax juggling) reported net in- come, after payment of all income and surtaxes, averaging for the 75 about $1,822,738 each. Incomes over $5,000 a year should pay at least a billion more dollars a year in in- come tax. 5. Tax on bonuses of officers of corporations. 6. The same sources used by the government when, through the Re- construction Finance Corp., it hands over $1,800,000,000 to banks, raflroads and other corporations for the pur- pose of saving the investment of these capitalists and the creditor class. 7. The taxation of property and securities now tax exempt. Churches ing any taxes in recent years, 9. The end of all tax refunds the rich. In 1981 ‘Treasury refunds totalled dollars to the Mellons and Refunds to wealthy individuals and corporations since $3 billion. GET FRATERNAL ORGANIZATIONS TO JOIN CAMPAIGN Task of L W. 0. to Build a Broad United Front — the fraternal organizations, and, therefore, the danger of ths protection that such af- workers no matter to which fraternal organization they may belong. On the basis of their common interesta and.to make efforts to solve their Order as follows: demanding the unity of the workers -and that therefore nationalism, re- || ligion, color, etc., must not be per- || mitted to divide them. 4. To give organizational form and workers’ lepartm: their efficiency and decreasing their costs; by striving for unified . sanitarlum "service to members of various orga- nizations, and also by fighting untt- edly for government guarantees of ‘the funds of workers mutual aid or- ganizations. a cae develop and give leadership ‘kers oppositions Laan td our Rens front program against antl- working class leadership in enn ‘ois and social-fascist benefit aocl- veties. i Every one of the aims raised in ing the initiation of a broad campaign of the Fraternal Movement for So- cial Insurance and concerning the initiation of a campaign to build the ‘Order must now be put into execue tion, ~