THB TTLJTANT Sctober 16, 1927 Page such circumstances was not preserved but they were The Clothing Strike in Minneapolis Auto Industry Buick plant at Flint, in the Fisher Body plants and even the recent one at the Murray Body only left behind a mess of bungling. In the latter experience there was manifest greater militancy than has heretofore been By Barney Mass the case. The Murray Body Co. was working on the By Carl Cowl rush Four Door Sedan Model Ford job and was in Growing unemployment is indubitable and is not a precarious position. The workers were afforded a The needle trades strike in Minneapolis, embracing even officially denied by the executives of the auto insplendid opportunity but it slipped by through lack of about 300 workers in the men clothing industry is the dustry. Paper reports estimate that the Ford Motor proper organization. verbal agreement which was largest manifestation of revolt against the miserable Co. lopped off 20 per cent of its entire payroll. Smalmade between representatives of the Union and the open shop conditions existing in this city for a numler plants of the Briggs Body Co. are practically at a Company was ignored later by the latter.
ber of years. The strike, called by Amalgamated Clothstandstill. Chrysler, Hudson and the Chevrolet Motor The Auto Worker, the official organ of the Union, ing Workers of America, found fertile ground. Since Cos. in Detroit have laid off considerable numbers of devotes most of its space to the body workers. It does the first shop struck 10 weeks ago, other shops have men. The Buick and Chevrolet plants in Flint are donot appeal to all the workers in the industry. The pres followed suit. Four large shops must yet be called out.
ing likewise.
ent condition of the industry offers exceptional op Workers in every industry of this city, long famed The Michigan State Free Employment office and the portunity for factory meetings, extensive distribution as a lush field for exploitation, are watching outofficial automobile agency on Howard and Cass are of leaflets urging the workers to resist wage cuts, and come of the strike. The spreading and winning of the daily beseiged by thousands of worker who return home general activity of this kind which will lay the base strike will give tremendous impetus and inspiration to disappointed. Private employment offices are rushed for a shop committee movement. No concerted effort the organization of the unorganized workers of Minneadaily by several thousand workers looking for jobs. has been made to distribute the Auto Worker at the polis.
Every factory has unusually large lines which begin Ford plants. After a lapse of several months of valuaA review of the handling of the strike to date will forming at three and four in the morning. The num ble time, the Auto Workers Union may hysterically give us some conception of the forces in operation, ber hired is practically nil, only a few are needed to awaken to the demands of the workers in this industry. and the direction in which the strike is going. If we fill the customary turnover which has also reached a All this reveals lack of policy and leadership.
are at all to understand the situation and give guidvery low ebb.
There is a small group really interested in following ance to the workers, we must look at the facts as they The contributing factors in the present economic a correct line. Dominated by Party politics, they are are. The calling of the strike 10 weeks ago, in spite depression can be enumerated as follows: the disparity unable to resist the opportunism of the Party. There of the lack of preparation, resulted in the walkout of between the shrinking domestic market and the pro is no other expression in the Union since that organfour of the smaller overcoat and leather shops. The ductive capacity of the auto industry; the growing ization reflects mechanically the internal strife in the workers, ready and willing to put up a militant fight competition in the foreign fields which is characterized Party. The mood of the masses of workers is maturfor better conditions were held together by the promise by the purchase of huge foreign factories by American ing for organization and unless there is a change of of a general strike of the entire industry in Minneaauto interests, and the transfer of production of the policy, the union will find itself at the tail end of the polis. It seems that the words and deeds of the leadtractor to Ireland by the Ford Motor Co. the constantly campaign to organize the unorganized auto workers.
ership of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of Amerincreasing seasonal slump. Bad Habit ica are at variance and sharply so. In the weeks that Ford no longer enjoys the dominant position in the have elapsed since the calling of the strike, a marked manufacture of cheaply priced cars. He is now shar Although the reports on the situation in North Caroreluctance to spread the strike on the part of the ing with the General Motors the leading position in lina published in the Daily Worker appear to be genthis category. On their heels are the Essex, Whippet, erally correct and give a good picture of what is taking heads, Kaminsky, Genis, and Rosenbloom is apparent. They avoid the organization of the ladies etc. The respective organizations have reached un place, it seems as though the tempting itch to fabricate garment workers, furriers, etc. employed in the struck paralleled production records. The resale value of used news and give certain Party functionaries a bit of shops with the excuse that We invite no jurisdictional cars has dropped to a level that is jeopardizing the badly needed and undeserved publicity cannot be re disputes with the Furriers, Cloak maknew car market. Inducements to artificially expand sisted by the news office reporters. For example, a crs: we cannot go into their fields. and then they the market through liberal allowances for old cars, while ago the Daily Worker carried a long report on make no cffort to get these other unions to act.
fancy color schemes, light six cylinder motors which the funeral of Ella May Wiggins and extracts from a The agreement with the Excell shop signed three Ford is now in the process of manufacturing, are only speech made by Louis Engdahl at the grave side.
weeks ago above the heads of the workers, has created, yielding temporary relief.
We admit that Engdahl is far more in place at a along with the reactionary policy of the leadership, The present large output of autos and the increased funeral than at the head of the but it merely production that must accompany the growing constant happens that Engdahl was never at or near the ina very serious situation among the strikers. The agreement, undated, grants tentatively the more harmless capital must be accomplished with less men, cheaper terment. The next time he speaks at a grave he should demands of the union; the 44 hour week, pay for seven wages, improved methods in technique, and greater at least take the precaution of being present. Another legal holidays, time and a half for overtime, recogniintensification of exploitation of labor power, in order story printed in the Daily Worker told of big detion of the union. The vital question, that of pieceto meet the keen competition for the narrowing domestic fense meeting held in Charlotte, and gave the number work rates, is left unsettled the agreement specifies market. The Chrysler Dodge merger preceded by the of workers in attendance, the names of the speakers that the workers continue at the old rate till the other Graham Paige Dodge alliance was the beginning of a and parts of their remarks. Again, it happens that alshops settle, with the union. With the shortening of series of trustifications that will be accelerated as the though such a meeting was scheduled, it could not be the work week, this results in a cut in wages.
competition sharpens. The closer the saturation point held for lack of a hall and was not held as we learn What does this mean in actuality? What effect has of the market is approached the greater will the pres from the Gastonia Labor Defender. In themselves this great victory on the morale of the strikers? The sure be on the auto workers.
these incidents may not be so catastrophic, except to workers feel that the Excell Manufacturing Co. boss The relation of the domestic market to the foreign indicate the bad habit the Daily Worker has of manuand not the workers is deriving the benefit of this market, considering the productive capacity of the in facturing news instead of printing it. The reader in agreement. They are putting out his work. He is obdustry in the two spheres, dictates greater investments Seattle or New York or Moscow will be impressed by taining new and large orders lost by the struck shops.
in European industry and complete rationalization of these stories. But what impression will the Charlotte Now he is using the agreement as a club over their the home industry. Mr. Sloan, president of the Gen or Gastonia worker get of the Daily Worker as a whole, heads when they demand a raise in the piece rates.
eral Motors, who returned from Europe two years ago when he reads these reports and of his own experience The strikers in the other shops feel that if the strike after an extended trip, marked the advent of his organ knows them to be so much fantasy?
nets them a cut in wages, why fight for the union?
ization bid for the European market. Sorenson, of On the other hand, in the eyes of Kaminsky, Genis, the Ford Motor Co. has just returned from Europe, We Made Little Mistake and Rosenbloom, the Excell Manufacturing Co. is a having mobilized the forces of that company for the In a previous issue we wrote: At the Minnesota shining example to the bosses of Minneapolis that the ensuing war. The shifting of operations closer to the State Federation of Labor Convention at Mankato, only Amalgamated Clothing Workers Union is no danger European market will add to the contradictions of the Votaw, member of the Communist League, was a to business, but rather, a benefit. Furthermore the home industry.
delegate with no other Left winger present. Our Amalgamated Bank, in taking over Excell notes As a result of these tendencies, wage cuts, unemMinneapolis comrades write to correct us a little. There foreclosed through the influence of the Citizens Alployment, longer hours, and a general worsening of was another Left winger present, a member of the liance, at the same time compells the union to supply conditions can be anticipated as a permanent situation Communist Party named Watts representing a Min passive workers without labor trouble. or else risk which will become more incisive.
neapolis local union. The bureaucrats made a motion losing the notes.
The Auto Workers Union came into being and reachto refuse a seat at the convention to comrade Votaw, The puny minded Stalinites, stalwart leaders of the ed its fullest strength during the time when bodies were the counter revolutionary Trotskyist, on the grounds workers in fierce class battles have found in the new chiefly made from wood. This organization tended tothat he is a Communist. militant co delegate of Vo revolutionary trade union line of the party a new ward the workers engaged in this phase of the industry.
taw (representing the same local union of machin excuse for deserting the workers in this strike. Under The men employed on the chassis, gears, axles, etc. ists) got up and spoke against the motion. Watts, with the false and non Leninist slogan that all existing were ignored. The latter formed a majority of the the New Line in one pocket and the Third Period in unions cannot serve the interests of the working class, workers in the industry. The machinists local of the another, was so weighed down by discretion that he they are capitalizing this situation to demonstrate that of took an interest only in tool and die makers could not rise from his seat and failed to speak against the old unions are fake unions, that the strike is a and others of a skilled or semi skilled nature. The the motion of the bureaucrats. We do not even know fake strike, that the only recourse for the workers unskilled machine hands were left to the mercy of the if Watts voted against the motion; if he did, it was is to abandon the old union, and join the new mags auto magnates a position in which they still find done with splendid quietness. Nevertheless, we made needle trades union (locally consisting of five memthemselves.
a little mistake in the last issue. It seems that there bers. The strikers are a thousand times more loyal Only recently has this stratum of workers received was another Left winger present at Mankato. to the strike than the Stalinites believe, and are bitter some attention. Metal has supplanted wood, making against the Party leaflets denouncing the strike. They necessary that the auto workers union recruit these New Opposition Paper do not seek to abandon, but to win the strike. And finworkers. The union lagged behind mechanical develWe are glad to announce that the long hoped for ally, it is significant to note, the Daily Worker fearopments. The members of the machinists union were and long projected weekly organ of the French Oppo less organ of the revolutionary masses. has not been instructed to withdraw from this union and join the sition has finally made its appearance under the edi able to find space to mention this strike even in ridiA. Instead of concentrating in the two unions torial direction of comrade Alfred Rosmer, one of the cule. With its present policy the Party is a nonentity and working for a coordination of effort between them oldest militants in the French movement and a found in this strike situation.
the result has been a small independent Auto Workers er of the Communist International. The paper is called The crying need at present is the organization and Union with a few hundred members, mostly body workLa Verite (Truth) and the first two issues we have development of a militant Left wing group to fight the ers, openly and mechanically controlled by the Party thus far received are a splendid promise for the fu fight of the workers, broadening and deepening the and a machinists of local which at one time ture. La Verite is not yet the organ of all the Op strike into every field in the industry. Thry the initiahad a strong Left wing group but is now fully conposition forces in France, which have been in a state tive of the Communist League such a group has been trolled by the reactionary clique and makes no pretense of division and conflict for a number of years. But formed. Pressure must be exerted in the strike for at trying to organize the auto workers. few hundred skilled and semi skilled workers comprise this it is undoubtedly the first step of major importance the demands of the workers for organization and bettowards the rallying of all the best elements in the ter conditions. That pressure, to become effective, must local.
To rectify the past mistakes a shop committee moveFrench Communist movement for its regeneration, and be a result of the concerted and organized demand of we greet it as a mark of progress for the International the strikers themselves. The tasks which the Left wing ment must be launched which will unify all sincere must set itself and take responsibility for are heavy.
elements and bring Opposition. The forces of the Opposition in France, at ure on the weaker ones. Bepresent divided and unclarified, will receive a sharp Each militant step towards winning the strike will fore spontaneous walkouts are permitted to develop impetus towards unification on a principle basis by come from this group, determined to push forward the into impotent strikes due to lack of organization and this step. The issuance of a Weekly by our French interests of the garment workers, in spite of a reacisolation, a foundation for a shop committee movement should be laid. Of course, in some concrete situations comrades encourages us in our efforts to issue the tionary leadership and a cynically disillusioned ParMilitant as a Weekly here. Those comrades interested ty, to victory. Our slogan is: a decisive struggle cannot and should not be avoided.
in reading La Verite can get it at the subscription rate FOR HUNDRED PERCENT ORGANIZED Departmental walkouts in some of the body plants have of 25 francs, sent Checque Postal: Frank. 136, 855, NEEDLE TRADES INDUSTRY! MAKE THE been seized upon by the Auto Workers Union and STRIKE GENERAL! INITIATE GENERAL ORdeveloped as sensational strikes in the press. Without Paris. The address of the paper is 45, Boulevard de la Villette. Paris, 10e.
GANIZATION CAMPAIGN IN MINNEAPOLIS!
realizing the next step, organization of the workers in