PAGE SIX THE INTERNATIONAL AND UNIONISM organize their opposition. Moreover, these the old unions. These unions mostly But how are you going to work in the extra union organizations act within and organized on the antiquated bases of old unions? That is the crucial question without the trade unions, and if they crafts, are, under the pressure of con the question of methods and means. When cannot get the unions to act in a crisis centrated industry, unable to really unite you say, work in the old unions, you say these extra union organizations act inde the workers in the unions and carry on much and nothing, It is necessary to pendently of the unions and of the bureau an aggressive struggle. The workers in have Communist groups in the old unions; cracy they are the most adequate means the old unions revolt against the limit but what are these to do? Are they simply of driving the unions to more revolutionations of the forms as well as the pur to preach abstract Communism? Radek ary action and of mobilizing the masses poses of the trade unions; and we must answers, no: they must become the leaders for the aggressive struggle against capital urge upon them the industrial union form of the economic struggle of the workers.
ism. In England and in the United States of organization an indispensable phase of Very well; but that requires means; and these extra union organizations have been our struggle to transform and revolution the means, we insist, do not consist of produced by life itself, by the experience ize the old unions.
pacific penetration of the unions, of trying of the struggle of the workers; it is to elect new officials in place of the old, 3) The unions will, after the conquest through the creation of such extra union of making a fetish of maintaining the old of political power, become organs of the organizations that the Communists can organizations and forms of unionism; the administration of industry under the probest become the leaders of the immediate letarian state.
economic struggle of the working class.
means consist of aggressive struggle in Craft unions cannot, bethe unions, of mobilizing the cause of their form of organization cormasses What we insist upon is not leaving the responding to integrated industry, function against the bureaucracy and liberating old unions, but organizing an aggressive, decisive srtuggle in the unions and against Industrial unions are necessary, is means of the management of industry. them, of the agitation for and construction the bureaucracy proven by the Russian experience. The unions. Comrade Radek recognizes and it is also necessary to carry on this larger the industrial unions and the under accepts this, but does not make it a living truggle outside of the old unions. This standing of industrial unionism, the easier and pulsing part of his theses; Radek is will be the task of economic reconstruction so absorbed with the problems in Geris accomplished by the organization of many, where certain people have issued after the revolutionary conquest of power, new, independent unions. It is absolutely This is the conception of unionism dethe slogan abandon the old unions, that necessary that the organization of such unions (and secessions from the old veloped and formulated by the American he over emphasizes the other policy.
unions) be based upon objective condi is an indispensable phase of Communist movement; and we are convinced that it And again because of concentration on tions, and express the mass struggle itself.
Germany, Radek treats very gently the tactics.
But it is equally necessary not to be afraid problem of organizing new and secession unions. Under certain conditions a split of new unions. It is just as harmful to The Second Address act in general against splits and new is necessary; it must not be forced; but unions (where these concern masses) as equally we must not allow a split to be it is to split in small groups thereby isol Zinoviey are so wrought up. They insist wonder why comrades Radek and imposed on us, we must not be like lambs, ating ourselves from the masses. But we must possess a policy on new unions after all, a split is a decisive, aggressive in the unions but that is an argument on emphasizing the necessity of working that gives us the initiative in the matter and not our enemies. After all, a split act, and may accomplish more revolution. only against the representative of the ary agitation than years of peaceful rouis in a measure a revolutionary act; it the United Communist Party of America, who may accomplish more in driving tine work in the unions. Moreover, by is opposed to working in the old unions.
uniting the independent industrial unions masses onward than months and years of But the position of the is emwith the extra union organizations in the ordinary agitation; sometimes it may be phatically not that of the other comrades old unions, we perfect a force that will necessary, even, to force a split. It is batter from within and without; who are criticizing comrade Radek theses. action that we insist upon. It is on the In my opening address emphasized my which, inspired and dominated by the basis of action, and not theoretical diverCommunists, will constitute a powerful acceptance of working in the old unions, gences, that splits must come.
factor in mobilizing the masses for action.
not simply because of the arguments made Moreover, we insist upon recognition here, but because the whole experience of We are in a revolutionary epoch and the American movement of the new forms that are developing in imposes that our fundamental task is to liberate the unionism policy upon us. The Shop Stewards masses for action we Particularly in England and cannot depend America, this development is of the utare they against working in the old uniupon the peaceful prolonged process of ons? It would be preposturous to assert most importance. We must objectively capturing the bureaucracy.
that; the Shop Stewards and similar study these developments, learn from them, Parallel with this problem of extra organizations are not a part of the old adapt our theory to the peculiar variations and forms of life itself. That is revoluunion organizations is the problem of unions, they are the most adequate exindustrial unionism as against the craft pression of the Radek Zinoviev policy of tionary practice; that is what is necesform of unionism. This problem has working in the labor unions. have said, sary, particularly on problems of unionism.
three aspects. as concerns the United States, that approximately 80 per cent of the workers We must liberate the masses in the 1) Industrial unionism is the organiza are unorganized; but nevertheless it is unions for action. Through their economic tion expression of the unorganized un impossible to abandon the old reactionary struggles, skilled workers (which in the United unions; and if for no other, because of through understanding and States comprise the majority of the one particular reason: the majority of the adapting ourselves to the variations they industrial proletariat. The construction unorganized workers are foreigners, the develop in forms of organization and of new generally implies the adaption of majority of the organized Americans: we action, we mobilize them for the Revoluindustrial unionism. Industrial unionism must make our contact with these Ame tion. We must not be abstract, or doctrinis the basis for the development of revo. rican workers, since they will necessarily nire; we must always realize that it is the lutionary unionism.
assume the leadership in the Revolution, action of the masses potentially that de2) The agitation for industrial union. not in the theory but in the action of velops the means and the forms of the ism is a necessary part of our work in Revolution.
final revolutionary struggle and