The Daily Worker Newspaper, September 22, 1934, Page 4

ate Page Four DAILY WORKER, NEW YORK. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 22. 1934 Opposition to Lewis Pennsylvania Miners, Evicted from Homes'What Are the Issues Grows in District 5 For Fighting Company Unions, Must Before the Delegates Of the United Miners Seek Shelter in Abandoned Coke Ovens Rank and File Slate Runs for Office on Program Of Fight for District Autonomy, Improved Conditions BROWNSVILLE, Pa., S machine of President John L. of the United Mine Worker file slate fighting Lewis and wise develor This is clear from the we in which miners are rallyiz to the meetings of the ran and file opposition. Ls Sunday between five and six hu dred miners stood two hours in drizzle to hear the eight-point p: gram of U ing at Centerville, Pa. ing, held under the auspices of Local Union 2399 of Daisytown, one of whose members, Robert Craw- is candidate for the office of ary-Treasurer of District 5 of the union, hei Charley Nolker, andidate for district president of Locel 224! Joseph i a | O'Hara, of Local 1993, candidate for vice-y ident; and E. C. of Local 6875, candidate for Teller. t for Better Conditions t | confronting the time: dis { against compe , for | the right to strike, for of all U. M. W. A. offi the N. R. A. Boards, for the 6-hour | day and 5- week, for the $6 daily wage sci for unemployment and social i nee and for sup- port of the Workers Unempjoyment Insurance Bill (introduced into the last session of Congress and known as H. R. 7598). Repeated applause was the only thing that disturbed the meeting. None of District President Pat Fagan’s gangsters were in evidence. Delegations of miners were pres- ent from Westmoreland and Fayette Counties. In order to give the coal diggers of this territory another opportu- nity to hear the candidates and the program of the rank and file ex- plained, another meeting will be held tomorrow at the same farm as last Sunday, at Centerville. A/| meeting will be held also on Sun- day at Acmetonia, at 2 p.m. The rank and file opposition urges that its supporters see that members of the opposition slate are nominated in all local unions. Nominations will take place in October. Opposition Slate The complete list of candidates of the rank and file opposition for Officers..of the United Mine Work- ers, District 5, follow President, Charles Union 2232, Curtisville, Pa. Joseph (Scotty) O'Hara, Union 1993, Renton, Pa. | Secretary-Treasurer, Robert Craw- ford, Locel Union 2399, Richeyville, a Nolker, Local Local International board member, Rus- sell Esken, Local Union 4439, R. D. No. 1, Fayette City, Pa. | Tellers, E. C. Culp, Local Union | 6875, Vestaburg, Pa.; Joe Maravitz, Local Union 762, Vestaburg, Pa. | Auditors, Dick Shultz, Local Union | , --Harmarville, j e,-Local Union 1143, Enterprise- Washington, Pa. Subdistrict board members—Sub- District 4. Joseph Yablonski, Local Union 1787, Richeyville, Pa.; Sub- District 5, John Indof, Fitz-Henry Local Union; Sub-District 7, Theo- dore (Ted) Gaul, Local Union 3506, Russellton, Pa, Racine Holds Conference RACINE, Wis., Sept. 21.— Wide response is expected to the 46 calls Sent out for a local conference to be held tonight by the Provisional Committee of the Second United States Congress Against War and Fascism. Plans for a huge send-off and for the transportation of the delegates from this city will be worked out at the conference. NEWARK, N. J. Concert—Banquet Celebrating Opening of the WORKERS CENTER SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 23rd 516 Clinton Avenue BELLA DORFMAN OF ARTEF in Jewish, English Recitations Freiheit Gesangs Farein Mae Giuberman—Ace BELIEVE IT OR NOT! SPECIAL TRAIN to CHICAGO Sept. 27th, 1934 9:30 A. M. VISIT THE Second Congress Against War and Fascism $20 Including two meals on train See the World’s Fair— Ticket good for 10 days Ticks emm be nuroksend ot WORLD TOURISTS, Inc. 135 FIFTH AVE | New York Cit; Tel. ALg, 4-665: Round Trip To Chicago | members. ept. 21.—Opposition to the Lewis is growing in the ranks The strength of the rank and all his district agents is like- Pearey O p ens ?MA Parley By \ssailing Reds Is Not Even Elected| Delegate, Records | Indicate GILLESPIE, Ill, Sept. 17 (By Mail)—The Second Constitutional Convention of the Progressive Mine! of America opened this morning with around 200 delegates representing 20,000 employed and 8,000 unempl and blacklisted The machine succeeded nm electing Pearcy as chairman of he convention. The first clash at the opening between the opposition delegates nd officialdom came on the ques- tion of expenses of those deleg: coming from unemployed and strik- ing locals. In order to narrow down the convention to those who sup- port the Pearcy machine. Secre- tary Treasurer Keck sent out let- ters to all unemployed and black- listed locals asking them to suspend provision of the constitution which calls for one delegate for every hundred members, and instead, to elect one delegate for every 500 members, supposedly to save ex- pense. Many locals, however, re- fuse to fall for this trick, and sent the regular quota of delegates al- lowed by the constitution. The question arose as to who will pay ihe expenses who did not com- ply with the arbitrary decision of | the officialdom. Motion was made by the Pearcy machine that only | one for every 500 be recognized, whereupon Laverne Pruitt, delegate from Local 56, Pana, Ill., and Com- munist candidate for Congressman- at-large, took the floor explaining the viciousness of such arbitrary decisions of the officials, and moved an amendment that all delegates sent by the local unions from strik- ing and unemployed locals be seated | as regular delegates with board, lodging, and pay during the course of the convention, to be paid from the district treasury. This amend- ment was carried by an overwhelm- ing majority vote. Pearcy Assails Militants In a statement to the press, Pearcy attempted to raise the red- baiting campaign against the mili- tant rank and file delegates. Pearcy said: “Complete harmony and accord is expected from those delegates who may have come under the influence of the Communist Party, which group has seriously hin- dered the progress and efficiency of the organization during the past two years. This red group (Continued on Page 5) Fight for Own Union? Despite Employers’ Terror By Tom Keenan BROWNSVILLE, Pa., Sept. 21.—Miners of Wash- ington and Fayette Counties who will not submit to the rule of the coal operators who are attempting to force them into company unions “Broth- erhoods” are being evicted whole- sale from the company patches and forced to find shelter in abandoned coke ovens of the dis- rict. Whole colonies of these oven a spreading wings of blue eagle, where work- ir families make miser- | under the Roosevelt’ ers and thi able shift against the rains and| snows of winter. | | Hundreds of company housesj stand vacant while these victims of the new deal huddle under the damp roofs of these earth-covered hoyvels, striving to keep alive on: the starvation relief orders dis- pensed grudgingly by the authori- ties. | | | dwellers have already been formed / The accompanying pictures show | a few of these coke oven huts. One of them, at Old Bestco, near East Bethlehem township, is that} |of John Kubatchko, a typical ex-| ample of what happens when min- ers attempt to “organize into un- ions of their own choice” in Fayette. A Typical Case. Kubatehko had worked 12 years for the W. J. Rainey Company at Clyde No. 1, but when he joined the United Mine Workers in 1933, |and was once spied talking to a miner who was catalogued by the company stool as a “red,’ "he was fired immediately and driven from @ company house. Since then he has been an oven dweller. Another photo shows the home of Helen Byrd and her family of four. Her husband was fired, also by the W. J. Rainey Co, after vhich she and her little ones were |dumped unceremoniously into the treet. A coke oven township was the only could find, despite the y of vacant house: In three of in Luzerne shelter she over-abun- in the vi- these ovens, rving as bedrooms and kitchen, the Byrd family stays alive on a miserable $6.15 per week supplied ing coal on nearby slate dumps hh which to cook the scanty meals and provide enough heat to keep from freezing during the winter. Repeated appeals to the relief authorities to find decent shelter) for these ms of coal operators’ greed have fallen on ears which are purposely deaf, since the oper- | ators own and conirol the whole district. The unemployed are left to huddle in coke ovens, to serve as warnings to those miners whom the companies can still intimidate. Cattie Fodder for Humans, ace, in the Old Bestco in of coarse field corn, used for cattle fodder, been stored up for consump- has tion during the coming months, to the relief board, the children | | augment the $1.50 starvation relief | over 60 families have been driven order each week. from the H. C. Frick patches at In the abandoned Champion | Grindstone No 4. because they re- ovens, right near Brownsville, over | fused to join the Brotherhgod and thirty expelled miners make their) chose the UMWA as their union. | “homes,” The Frick company has been at- | During the past three months tempting to weed out all militants | Under the Wings of the Blue Eagle Some of the abandoned coke ovens in which un-:mployea miners live in the Brownsville, Pa. area. There is, of course, no running water, no gas or facilities fo rsanitation, Miners File Full Slate Of Opposition in UMW PITTSBURGH, Pa., Sept. 21—A complete list of can- didates pledged to a struggle against the strikebreaking ad- ministration of John L. Lewis, president of the United Mine Workers, has been nominated, the office of the Rank and File Committee announced here. The entire rank and file ticket is pledged to a fight °—-———— Taos | improver f the| withdrawal of all U.M.W.A. offi- jee oe soprovemene Geake cials from the N.R.A, Labor jconditions of the miners, par-| Roaras. 4.—Against discrimination and for full rights for the Negro miners, against lynching and for support of the Negro Rights Bill. 5.—To sanction the organization of Women’s Auxiliaries and youth sections of the Unien and fer equal pay for the young miners. 6—For the ht of every local union and district to elect their own officers. For rank and file democracy and against appointive power. 7—Against the use of armed forces in strike and against war | and fascism, 8.—To reinstate all miners un- justly expelled from the U.M.W.A,, | and to unite all of the miners driven from the U.M.W.A. by the Policy of John L, Lewis into one union of all coal miners. The complete slate of national candidate nominated by the Rank and File Committee follows: For president, John F. Sloan, Lo- jticularly the abolition of the | Southern wage differential, the $6 | daily wage, the fight for the Work- |ers Unemployment Insurance Bill, |and the creating of genuine dem- ocracy in the union, which has long been strangled by the Lewis gang- | ster administration. | The Rank and File Committee, which publishes an official organ, the “Rank and File Coal Digger,” | stated that John F. Sloan, West- | ; Ville, Ilinois miner, will head their | slate in opposition to Lewis for | presidency of the powerful union. The complete text of the rank | and file program foliows: | 1—For the $6 day, 6-howr day and 5-day weck, with the aboli- tion of the differential between the North and South, for a Na- tional one year agreement and a miners’ referendum on all agree- ment. 2.—For the unity of the em- ployed miners and the unem- ployed and for support of the Workers Unemployment and So- | cial Insurance Bill, H. R. 7598. | 3—For the right to strike, against forced arbitration, aboli- tion of the penalty clause and the | | | ville, Tl. For vice-president, Oscar Guynn, Local No. 3917, Lansing Ohio. For secretary-treasur George | Green, Local No. 1443, 524 West Washington Ave., Shenandogh, Pa. For tellers, James Emery, Local co} cal No, 5509, 114 Illinois St., West- | |Many Join Unemployed Councils to Carry | On Fight since the captive mine strike of 1933. Already 3,000 Frick miners have \flecked into the Unemployed Councils over the heads of Presi- dent Heinz and the officials of | District 4. Miners of the Alicia |and Smock locals asked local offi- |cials whether UMWA members {could join the U. C. and Heinz ruled | emphatically against any such ac- |tion. The wholesale movement | into the Councils was their answer to the district leadership. Heinz does nothing to organize the UMWA in the face of the growing fascist brotherhoods of the companies, fulfilling the orders of |the Lewis machine which “ap- pointed” him president when the militant miners drove traitorous | Bill Feeney from their midst dur- ing the strike. K. K. K. Grows. Linked with the coal operators and their puppet UMWA Officials are the fascist K.K.K. bands, which have sprung up in the district. Following the Labor Day parades }of the miners at Mather, Union- town, and Fredericktown, 13 fiery crosses were burned along the | Monongahela valley and on nearby | | hills, | When company evictions are the | order of the day, the company deputies assist constables in mov- ing families into the street. At Oliver, near Uniontown, 40 youths, members of miners’ fami- lies which have been thus evicted, have formed a coke oven colony. But the miners are determined to fight against the rule of the operators. Unemployment Cotn- ils are growing rapidly. A miners’ delegation is among those which |are demanding the provisions of | adequate relief funds by the State | Legislature now in special session at Harr:sburg. The answer of the j miners to fascisation and starva- | tion under the N.R.A. is fight, and | the fight is spreading quickly in Washington and Fayette counties. Portland Holds Dance PORTLAND, Ore., Sept. 21.—The American League Against War and Fascism, which got its start in this} city in July and has been conduct- | ing an energetic organization drive | with the help of working class ex-| service men, held an Anti-Milita: Ball last week to defray the e: pen: of its delegation to the Sec- | ond United States Congress’ Against | | War and Fascism. | No, 4252, 709 Plum St., Danville, | ll.; M. Williams, Local No, 41, Box | 64, Catlin, Il. For audi‘ors, Lee Grace, Local No. 1944, Danville, Ill.; Clarence Nolan, | Local No. 3662, 913 N. Griffin St., | Danville, M11. For delegates to the American Sederation of Labor, John F. Sloan, Local No. 5509, 114 Illinois St., | Westville, Ill.; Oscar Guynn, Local | No. 3917, Lansing, Ohio; George Green, Local No. 1443, 524 West | Washington, Ave., Shenandoah, Pa.; ;James Emerey, Local Union No. | 4252, 709 Plum St., Danville, DL; | Lee Grace, Lecal No. 1944, Dean-| ; Ville, 7.; Clarence Nolan, Lozal No: | es, 913 North Griffin, Danville, | adhe I | | iN.R.A., Strike By Louis Hold Parley Against War In Coal Area Elect Delegates to the Chicago Anti-War Congress By AGNES SNEAR and LELA R. JACKSON FAYETTE, Pa.—Forty delegates, representing 21 organizations, at- tended the conference of the Ameri- can League Against War and Fas- cism in Uniontown, Pe., on Sunday September 16. These delegates worked out a program in the fight against War and Fascism in the Fayette coal fields and sent five delegates to the Second U. S. Con- gress in Chicago. Many more organizations would have attended the conference, but there was a terrific rain on this day. Mrs. Lela R. Jackson, President of the Grindstone Auxiliary of the United Mine Workers, and a dele- gate to the Paris Womens Congress, was elected chairman. Comrade Croushore, a woman member of the Socialist Party, was one of the vice- chairmen, and Bob Washington, a Negro leader of a local of the U. M. W. A., was the other vice-chairman, The secretary was Agnes Snear, one of the leaders of the Womens Auxi- for the state legislature. The five delegates were: Mrs. of the Braznell local of the U. M. W. A., Paul Valentine, a local So- cialist leader and coal miner, and E. C. Culp, Negro mine leader and Vice President of the Na‘ionel Un- employment Councils. A geod discussion was held on the report of Comrade Snear, on the part of the H. C. Frick coal company and their company union —the Independent Miners Brother- hood. It was also pointed out that the coal company is again reviving the Ku Klux Klan, and other fascist organizations. Mrs Jackfson re- ported on the Paris Congress Against War and Facism. Among the resolutions that were adopted were those pointing out the wo-k of the Fascist organiza- tions in the United States and espe- cially Fayette County, a resolution on the youth, a call to the leaders of the trade Unions and one to the churches. The sum of $25 was raised to send the delegates to Chicago. Unemployed? Builders! Join the Red By Bill Gebert HE Daily Worker received a six- page article written by a Detroit auto worker who is a representa- tive of the workers in his depart- ment in the company union. This worker takes issue with my article as it appeared in the Daily Worker September 1, under the title “Sys- tematic Activity Urged in the Com- pany Unions by the Communist Party.” This comrade polemizes against the article on the ground that it is useless to work in the company unions, that it is impossible to work in the company unions, that work in the company unions will give prestige to the company unions. To quote his letter: “I have azrived at these con- clusions from my personal experi- ence as representative in the com- pany union where I work with the co-operation of the members of the C.P.—but where we accomplished very little, aside from giving ‘the company union some prostige among the workers in the shops who had known us as militant fighters in their behalf. Therefore, I say, don’t get mixed up in the company union whatever the pur- pose may be.” Then he further declares: “All sincere workers now serv- ing as representatives [meaning in the company union—BG] shouid resign from the company union. Representatives refusing to do so shouid then be them- selves expesed to the workers in the shop.” I am not in a position, naturally, Communist Party, with whom he works, as a representative on the company union, functioned. This we will leave to the comzades in Detroit to explain. Maybe the} Maybe the attitude of this worker | toward the work in the company unions coniributed to the fact that! no results were obtained. Maybe| thera were other fectors. We caly| ’ t Why Militan N ORDER TO ORG to discuss how the members of the| & ts Should Wo ANIZE THE WORKERS W rk in the Company Unions ITHIN THEM, TO BUILD GENUINE TRADE UNIONS, GEBERT POINTS OUT know one thing, that the company unions in the auto factory in Detroit are the same company unions as we have in steel, raiiroad and metal and other industries. They are no | different. The worker correspondent takes company unions which we carried in some steel mills, that at one time we call upon the workers to vote “No” and the proposed “democrat- ization” of the company unions and then participate in the elections of the company unions. He feels that this is very inconsistent. It is |clear that this worker does not as yet understand the methods of work in the company unions. Why Do We Vote “No”? First, as to why we carry a cam- paign to vote “No” and the ques- tion of so-called “democratization” of the company unions, and at the same time paste stickers on the bal- lots “I Vete against all forms of compahy unionism. I stand for the rights of the workers to jein genuine trade unions.” The proposed “dem- ccratization” was, in the words of the General Superintendent of the Illinois Stee: company (subsidiary of the U. S. Steel Corporation) “deemed desirabic by the recent in- terpretations of the N.R.A.,” that is, to make the company union appear as complying with paragraph 17-A and therefore really zepresentative of the workers, Naturally, against this we under- take a sharpest struggle. In reality |the majority of the workers re- or pasted the stickers on the ballot. The figures of this election was given by the company itself: 4,279 votes were crst for the amendments, 3,372 against them, with 580 balllots voided, primazily because of stickers on them, and 1,700 workers did not} methods of work were not good. | participate in the elections at all.| That is, either they were not work- ing at the time the elections tock place or refused to vote. But de- cpite this, which shows that the ma- jority of the workers were against exception to the struggle against | | sponded to our call and voted “No” | the plan, they only took into con-| union was exposed before the work- sideration the slight majority of|ers as an instrument of the bosses. those who voted “Yes,” disregarding | A relatively stzong local of the the voided ballots and those who] Steel and Metal Workers’ Industrial abstained and therefore proclaimed | Union wes built in the shop, Then, | that this “democratization plan” of | when the company attempted to re- | the company union has been car- ried. After this, what shall we do? Shall we drop our struggle against the company unions? Shall we en- gage in the general shouting of Was undermined and crippled by the work of our people—then it was the proper time to call upon the work- ers not to vote and the workers understood us very well. Because 4 of that out of 600 workers in the ie toa a company | S80P, less than 150 workers par- unions?” This would be incorrect. arene dni the “combeny union Such slogans will lead to passivity instead of activity. Therefore, it was absolutely correct for us to enter into the elections, just pre- cisely because, as the Detroit worker correctly states in his article, the workers are forced to vote in elec- tions and abstention means to throw suspicion on the workers. There- | fore we put up candidates, worked out concrete demands, and in some of the departments workers on |their own initiative printed plug- ge:s, stating demands of the work- ers in the departments, calling upon the workers to vote for the | given candidate. In the depart- | ments where we placed candidates | we were able to organize groups of workers around the issues raised by us and in one department elected a representative to the company | union. tI is quite clear that such a | Policy is a very correct one and we further say that as a result of this We were somewhat strengthenéd in the shop. We can very categorically declare here that if six months ago we would not have entered into the elections, the company union would still be a company union in that shop. Now it is a small minority, And we must con‘inue to work in this minority! The other workers have becn won over against the company union, This is swfficient proof how cor- rect our policy is. article appeared in the Daily Worker on September 1, in one of the important plants in the sate of Indiana, we entered into the elections in two departments. Our candidates have been elected on the principle of struggle against com- pany unionism and for immediate demands. After the elec‘ion, these representatives called a meeting of the workers in their departments, Twenty workers came to the meet- ing. They set up a grievance com- mittee to raise the problems of the workers, to popularize demands, to rally the workers around them, preparing them for struggle and to undertake to build a trade union group. Being elected as repre- sentatives it was possible and rela- tively easy to undertake ihis ac- tivity. If we did not enter into the elections in the company union, if we did not participate in the activities we would have isolated ourselves from the basic sections of the workers. The above-mentioned worker also | takes issue with the question of the metal shop in Chicago where more than six menths ago we participated in the elections in the company union. Here, too, we participated |on the basis of a struggle against company unionism and we placed candidates in the departments. We elected them. A majority of the dcpartments did not subseribe to our program. But because of the conscious policy on the part of those who were elected. the company juvinate the company union, which} We can report that since the| Finally we have to discuss one | very important question raised by the worker correspondent, namely, that if we raise demands of the workers in the company union, as they have been listed in my article quoting the leaflet of the SM.W.LU. in the Chicago Hardware Foundry the representative would last if we were to present these demands as listed in this leaflet?” Naturally, if the representative, without consult- ing the workers, withou: organizing the workers in the department would present these demands from, | literally speaking, the blue sky, then he can be very easily eliminated from the shop. But if this repre- sentative ties himself up with the workers in the department, or- ganizes them around these demands, if these demands will come from the workers, the workers will not |only support these demands but will fight, in the case of firing of this worker, for his reinstatement. Must Broaden Our Work Our opinion on the matter is tha‘ not only must we work in the com- pany unions, but we must broaden cur work, | the tasks of the Communist Party and Young Communist League, unions of the Trade Union Unity League, and revolu.ionary forces in the American Federation of Labor |is to develop united struggle against |company unionism, to smash the |very structure of the company unions by means of establishing a |system of calling meetings of the workers in the shops, demanding | exclusion of the representatives of tives of the manzgement, foremen, jetc. from such meetings, to formu- |late demands that the workers really wish to fight for. Bring them to go to the meetings of the repre- sentatives and fight for these de- mands, participating in every elec- tion in the company unicn, and if we would develop real work in the company unions, it is possible Company, “How long do you think | It is our opinion that | \the company, that is, representas | to such meetings, elect delegations | to convert |unions into trade unions, and de- | Beding on the situa‘ion in the given shop or industry, to organize these | Workers into the unions of the T. U. U. L., independent unions or A. F. of L. The bosses would appreciate nothing better than if we Commu- nists and revolutionary workers will abstain from work in the company unions under the left phrases ihis worker uses in the article to the Daily Worker. This “purity” has nothing in common with the reali- ties confronting us. The “leftism” in this respect of abstention from work in the company unions means to permit ihe bosses to carry their program of establishing in the shops a kasis for a fascist organi- sation. The Right to Vote Among other things we must raise the demand for the right to vote women, youth, for the righ: of |everybody to vote in the elections. There aro all kinds of eliminations, the auestion of citizenship, young workers, etc. | the company unicns for the purpose of the destruction of company |unionism, for the purpose of con- verting ihem into mass trade unions in the shops. Maybe in many cases then we will convert the company unions into trade unions, to organize shop delegated bodies on the basis of delegates from each depariment, excluding all vepressntatives of the company. All these questions are still a prodlem confronting us in our daily | Work in the shops. We must be ‘clear that without a clear-cut policy, politically and organization- ally toward the company unions we cannot speak of winning the ma- jority of the workers in the basic industries and shops. Any ‘heory of abstention helps to strengthen the company unions and not to weaken and destroy them, re liary and a Communist candidate | Jackson, Agnes Snear, Frank Neffs | Many of | the miners brought out the tezror | the existing company | in the company union of) In short, work within | To AFL Convention? Wave, Unemployment Insurance, the Fight Against Green’s Red-Baiting Are Central Problems, Says Weinstock Weinstock The 54th Convention of the A. F. of L. is approaching, |The reactionary leaders of the Executive Council of the A. |F. of L. will try to maneuver at this convention, as they |did at last year’s convention, and in previous years. Before raising the important issues facing the working alass at the present time, we nust recall a few of the speeches made at the 53r Annual Convention of the A, ¥. of L. in Washington, D. Cc. A rank and file delegate, Brother Suny of Philadelphia, in his criti- cism of the NRA and in demanding the withdrawal of the A. F. of L. officials from the NRA Board, stated: “... With hundreds of thous- ands of coal miners, steel workers, cultural workers, etc., engaged in heroic struggle for the right to live like human beings, met as they are by martial law, tear gas attack, wholesale arrests, outright murder, and armed terror of all | kinds, many of them killed while | this convention is mecting, bru- | tality—which in many instances | exceeds the brutality of Hitler- ized Germany, the only resolution | calling for support of these ad- | vance guards cf the working class | interests are objected to and ruled | off the floor. Not a single union | Official, nor a siagie member of | Sthe Executive Council of A. F. of | L, in this convention has calied | for support of these great mass2s | of workers or hailed them as | fighting for the interests of the entire American labor movement.” | At the same convention Mr. Wil- | liam Green, president of the A. F. ,of L,, in introducing General John- | son on the seventh day of the con- | ticn, made the following remarks: |‘... have been privileged to as- | seciate with General Jchnson and to work with and serve with | him.” ... “He is the very man who was needed to serve as Adminis- trater of the Naticnal Recovery Act.” “. .. 1 want to repeat again what I have previousiy soid, that if all others fail, if all other groups beceme discouraged and give up the fight, Laber will stand with tie | Genoral and see it all through. I | Pledge to him our support.” | Mr. Green made a pledge to stand with the General if everything else fails him, and possibly William | Green will live up to his pledge. Organized labor, however, never |made such a pledge; it was only |Mr, Green and his fellow reaction- aries who promised to support Gen- eral Johnson. Johnson’s Crocedile Tears Today when more than half a million textile workers are on strike jfacing gunmen, militia, strikebreak- |ers, the terror of the employerc— when the entire labor movement in the countzy is watching keenly the developments in the textile strike— General Johnson sheds tears for the Textile Institute, Mr. Sloan, the same Mr. Sloan who is responsible for the death of 14 workers and the wounding of more than 100 strikers. Delegates to the 54th Annual Convention of the not forgot the cle: eral Johnson, Mr. Sloan, Willliam Green, Thomas MacMahon, Francis | T. Gorman and other zeactionary | leaders of the A. F. of L. Delegates to the 54th convention of the A. F. of L. will demand that the A. F. of L. go on record for un- employment insurance, concretely, for the Workers’ Unemployment and Social Insurance Bill (known as H. R, 7598). They will further demand that the A. F. of L. give not merely lip |service to unemployment insurance, | but that they mobilize all forces in | the organization to fight together | with the millions of unorganized | workers to force the House of Repe jresentatives and Senate to ime |mediately establish an unemploy- | ment insurance system paid for by |the government and employers. |. The right to strike without waite ‘ing for sanction from higher bodies | will be demanded at the convention | by. rank and file delegates. | The question of sympathy strikes, ‘the fight against company unions, \the struggla. against the use of ‘troops and National Guardsmen in |‘ strike areas, the struggle for trade | union democ:acy in the unions ane the fight against gansterism and racketeering will be forced on the floor of the convention by the rank and file delegates. The fight far these demands will be carried from the convention floor into every local union affiliated with the A. F. of Ly Shouki Expose Red-Baiters The “red scare” raised by William Green at the last meeting of the Executive Council will be brought | to the ficor of the convention. Mr. ;Green and his fellow Executive , Council membe:s must be exposed | as enemies of organized labor, who | are using the “red scare” to weaken. the resistance cf the workers in \ their fight for higher wages, better (conditions, against wage cuts and ‘for union recognition, The whele policy of the Execu- | tive Council of the A. F. of L. wiil be challenged by the membership, | Mr. Green and the Executive Coun- (cil leadership is now being repudi- ated daily in the strike struggles | taking place. In the tertile strike, in the gen- eral strike on the West coast and in ether strikes whete workers have | Sone out over the heads of the bu- reaucrats, the workers have learned to use methods which fit into a class struggie policy and not into the (Continued on Page 5)