THE MILITANT laturday, February 1, 1980 The New Industrial Unions Milinois Periko is already making items eftects Cleveland Labor News By John Foley actual wrong policies preceding and during the felt more.
Every mistake made strengthens the position of the of bureaucracy.
The Mass Organizations of the Workers or Narrow Party Sects. But these mistakes are typical of the Cen CLEVELAND The garment workers trist leadership as directed throughout the strike has been settled with a weak comBy Arne Swabeck International by the Stalin regime. They promise, accepting the 42 hour week as zig zag from Right to Left, from unity with against the 44 hour week they were workThe new industrial unions organized giving them that direction which answers the betrayers of the British general strike ing. They struck for the 40 hour week and under Communist Party leadership, have in the general Interests of the proletariat in to extreme leftists chatterings, which in as fine a dispaly of solidarity of workers the short period their existence in its struggle for the conquest of power.
reality isolate and weaken the Left wing as ever existed was manifested in this several instances succeeded in Inspiring (Emphasis in original. in the labor movement. It should be re struggle. The union shops came out to workers to militancy: they have thrown And further, under the heading The membered that at the time we introduced the man, and about 700 from the nonfear into the hearts of the exploiters. But Tasks of Our Parties. the correct conception in to the Communist union shops are still trying to get recogthey also have shown serious failures The real test of the strength of every Party of organizing the unorganized indus nition from the American Plan Shops, this caused by basically wrong policies.
Communist Party is the actual influence It tries, Foster Joined with the Lovestone city being the national haodquarters of the The efforts to organize new unions in has on the workers in the labor unions. group in opposition. Ever since then the American Plan Association, the unorganized industries remain as necesThe Party must learn how to influence the Centrist Party leadership has been feeding sary and as correct as ever. But since the unions without attempting to keep them in As a spectator at the Garment Workers and strengthening the Right wing Lovenew line of the third period these efforts leading strings. Only the Communist fracUnion conevention a couple of months stone group by giving it apparent justificahave become caricatures of what they should tion of the union is subject to the control of back at the Public Auditorium, listening tion for much of their criticism, be, mainly through the basically wrong to resolutions calling for Bronze Conventhe party, not the labor union has a whole. The Responsibility of the Right Wing tion Badges being turned into Gold Badges conception of revolutionary unions. from If the Communist fractions persevere, it The Right wing in turn carries heavy which so many other mistakes flow. If this their activity is devoted and intelligent, the for spineless officers, don think that responsibility for the present Leftist rantwere merely a matter of grandiloquent party will reach a position where its advice the American Plan Association will have ings and irresponsible mechanical manophraseology with which this period is enwill be accepted gladly and readily by the much trouble defeating this Jellyfish of the euvering with workers Interests. When in riching itsell, it might possibly be 1gunions.
old International Ladies Garment Worcontrol of the Party, it proved itself master nored. But unfortunately it has become an The establishment of the revolutionary kers Union that once affiliated with the Inof such manoeuvering. It consistently opconception, The results of ternational Federation of Trade Unions of trade union center. the could posed the conception of organization of the this can only be that the splendid opporhave become an important factor in Amsterdam Second International unorganized into new unions, Now It is fame.
tunities available for organization become strengthening Left wing influence. The orBut don think it makes much differtrying to take up our criticisms as cover entirely neglected; the working masses, ganization of a center for Left wing activity ence whether they are sold by Internationfor the introduction of its own tendency growing more ready for struggle, become and groups is not only correct but a pressing al Ladies Garment Workers Union or drivtoward social reformism into the labor alienated from these unions and the unions necessity. Its basic conception, however en by the American Plan Association.
movement.
themselves will come to occupy a position leads it in the opposite direction. The In regards to the trial of 11 demonThe present epoch is the epoch of capitof narrow sects, isolating the Left wing conception of a center in the sense of a strators arrested in the City Council on alist decay and proletarian revolution. It from the working masses.
new federation at the present time, naturDecember 2nd the case was nolled on acis now further accentuated by the present Revolutionizing the Unions ally means a head on clash with the old advancing industrial depression, count of capitalist hoodlums trying to get If it unions control for Unions become revolutionary in revoof rid of the city manager in Cleveland.
the At teaches Communists anything in winning the last two meetings of City Council, they lutionary periods, and in general, when, workers, coming long before the Left wing through the unions an influence over the has succeeded in establishing and extendturned this dignified, august sanctuary of having a mass basis, they reflect the degree majority of the working class, it teaches ing its influence.
priests into a bedlam, according to the of development of the workers. When separthat the new industrial unions must have daily murder sheets, into scenes similar to ated in exclusive crafts of skill trades they New Unfons Everywhere!
a mass basis and that the policies must be the French Revolution. The judge admonnaturally lag behind this development; but From that follows competition for shaped so as to accomplish this. One ished the group of laughing Communists even the most backward ones can in such building of unions all along the line also necessary part of this is the correct coand said he had a sense of humor and periods be pushed forward, though they usuin organized or partly organized industries.
ordination of the Left wing within the would not allow them to martyr themselves ally remain several steps behind the working The fight of the Left wing becomes one unions with the Left wing and opposition in his court.
class. It is the duty of Communists to help not against the reactionary leadership of movements within the of There wonder if the bourgeois judges think and to guide this process of revolutionizing the existing unions but against the unions can be no disputing the necessity that breaking into jail is martyrdom.
the unions. It will certainly require the as such, and certainly it can appear in no of taking up in earnest the work of buildTheir rotten system of starvation and evicmost persistent, devoted activities and other way to the workers. Where some ing a revolutionary ideology and undertion is the cause and jail is the only home struggle of the revol organize wing elements still within the old standing within the existing mass organizanew unions in the unorganized industries, worker has got under capitalist prounions they split oft as the whole policy tions and giving it organized expression.
duction.
but the false conception of revolutionary 18 a split policy and completely withWe must also accept the duty of organizing had the American Civil Liberties unlons in the United States at the present draw all Left wing activities from the workers into these mass organizations Union defend me, the other ten the I, degree of development of the working class, of and kindred unions. It is a where they exist and stop the senseless Because employed the American Civil Libwhen even revolutionary party does not split policy, not applied when it is neces split off of small sections.
erties Union the sent me a letter yet exist as a mass factor, it continued, com Itated by developments, but resulting in the The advancing period of depression that my bond would be withdrawn the pletely annihilates the necessary mass basis revolutionary conter getting the small poses many serious questions to the Comnext day! It seems that the worker that of the unions. This is what is happening fraction outside Isolated from the mass munist movement; but especially does it went my bond had more spirit of solidarnow, made yet worse by extremely advensection of organized workers while the repose the one of correctly applying the ity in the workers movement than the turist, Leftist enterprises, manoeuvering actionary bureaucrats, who are an integral united front policy in such a manner as to secretary of the in District and without any regard for responsibility to the part of the capitalist structure are enabled bring the largest sections of both the old refused to withdraw it. suppose he will working class.
to solidify their influence over these unions and the new unions into united be disciplined for this breach of Stalinist As a natural consequence of this essen masses.
struggle for their class interests. Once Communism.
tally wrong conception, the Party appears One of the most recent examples of that is learned, a big step will have been travelled the slave market today in the role of exercising complete mechan this development is the creation of taken toward extending Communist influlooking over the situation. find in Cleveical control over these unions. It prevents couple of small unions in New York with ence among the American workers.
land about one hundred unemployed for the development of a leadership coming from big pretensions to an industrial form and every single pjob that shows up.
out of the ranks of the workers a leaderaffiliated to the T, appearing as On January 17, 1930, at three we ship which could stand on its own feet and split off sections: the new Subway Workheld a meeting on Public Square. It was gain the confidence. of the membership ers Union and the new Building Service LOS ANGELES, Calif. Belmont News Co. very cold but a couple of hundred unemSelection of leadership thus becomes arbit Union, Their course will be one of 80 101 East 5th St. Western News Stand, ployed stood in the cold to listen to speakrary, baged exclusively upon the prerequis many of its small split off predecessors. Box 604, Arcade Station, ers. One wobbly whom the workers have Ite of ability merely to accept orders and They will lead a sectarian existence until SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. McDonald 65 respect for, has been co operating with the such leaders usually have the least experthey disappear, unless they grow sufficient. Sixth St.
International Brotherhood Welfare Aassoclence, Independent views, in general con ly conservative to again become part of WASHINGTON, Gale ook Shop iation, the Communist Leaguers, the Anarformity with the Left wing program of the the organizations from which they split. Tenth St.
chists, the emergency program of the Inunions, are not even tolerated. Communists In industries where the existing unions are PITTSBURG, Pa. A News Co. 220dustrial Workers of the World and the and Left wingers who disagree with Party more firmly established the result will just Federal St.
official Industrial Workers of the World bureaucrats are arbitrarily removed from be much more fatal because such policy CHICAGO, ILL. Cheshinsky Book Store, members all responded to the call of or.
pffice and barred from participation in the has nothing in common with the conquest 2720 Division St. Horsley Book Store, ganizing the unemployed and unorganized work. These digressions are quite inevitable of the majority of the working class by the 1623 Madison St. and on various news workers. spoke at the first meeting whon mechanical control becomes substiCommmunists.
stands.
and explained that these organizations retuted for the correct method of establishing of the new industrial unions none has SPRINGFIELD, ILL. Joe Angelo, 431 No. presented flows of social forces in society Communist influence. Mechanical control escaped suffering under these wrong con We. Tey St.
and they all called for the class war, and has nothing in common with Communist ceptions and wrong policies, The Needle BOSTON, Magg. Shapiro s, Beach St. we could all fight the common enemy toleadership and the results cannot be without Trades Workers Industrial Union is but a near Washington. Andelman s, 291 Tre gether, use the movement for recruiting effect upon the union membership who see fraction of the once powerful Left wing mont St. Newsstand, 38 Causeway St. grounds for members, as no organization in It only a repitition of the of Influence among these workers. The Nat. DETROT, MICH: Aldas Book Shop. 1718 has a monopoly on unemployed and misery, bureaucracy. It destroys the confidence of ional Textile Workers union is now facing 24th St. and on various newsstands. and use the movement also as a training the workers in the unions, narrows Its leada decline in the South despite the favor MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. Engelson News ground for dynamic rebels.
ership basis and separates the Party ever able objective conditions. In both instances Co. 234 2nd Ave, So.
But of course, you know we have the more from many valuable experienced elemay be noted the failures of the Left KANSAS CITY, MO. Buehler Book Store, remnants of Lovestoneism and Amterism ments.
This in turn becomes one of the which means the Communist Party to at 220 West 12th St.
and the hero worshippers yet in Cleveland, important reasons for many mistakes in tempt to develop united front actions with ST. LOUIS, MO. Foster BC Store, 410 although we have a new district organizer, policy.
the workers in A, of unions. It Washington Ave.
Anthony Bimba, and a Trade Union Unity The Third Congress on Trade Unions might be objected that reactionaries oppose PHILADELPHIA, Pa. Newstands at 5th League secretary, Douglas. They may or The correct relationship of the Commun. it, that they betray the workers or lead Market; 11th Market; 13th Market; may not be responsible, but due to mechan.
ist Party toward the unions could not be them in fake strikes, etc. These are not Market between 19th; 9th Locust; War ical control and suppression of unemployed more explicitly stated than in the theses valid objections. The workers in both in wick News Depot, 262 So. 11th St. expression. All these elements mentioned of the Third Congress of the Communist dustries suffer intolerable conditions, they BUTTE, Mont. International News, 121 above withdrew their cooperation. The have been engaged in struggles which So. Arizona.
International, then still under the leadership burlesque tactics of artists and bourgeoisof comrades Lenin and Trotsky: would give the Left wing the opportunity SEATTLE, WASH. Raymer Old Book trained youth looking for careers and ego To increase the union of the Party through efforts for united action to broaden Store, 905 Third Ave.
expression hung the crepe on the movement with the masses means above all a closer their contact with the masses, better expose TACOMA, Wash. Raymer 1317 Pacific St. as far as real spirit is concerned. We have alliance with the workers organizations. the betrayers, turn the demands of the St.
had the finest type of fighting spirit, the The task does not at all consist in mech. struggles into more genuine accord with TORONTO, ONT. CANADA. On various most dynamic individuals of past class anically and outwardly subjecting the the interests of the workers and give them newsstands.
battles all working together here. When anlons to the Party and thereby denying more political and revolutionary content. NEW YOR. :On various newsstands in these fellow workers start organizational them the autonomy required by the very The growth of the National Miners Union New York and Brooklyn; Biederman Book work, the comrades of Stalin fame become nature of their work, but in the revolution. has certainly suffered from the mechan store, 2d Ave and 12th St. Randokstore. 30 Jealous that they try to lightning rod Ary, Communist elements within the unlons ical manoeuvers. The recent experience of East 15th St. The Militant, 25 Third Ave and mother the world Where to Buy The Militant