Marine Workers Rank and and File Revolts The Origin of the Document AN APPEAL THE MEMBERS OF THE against their reactionary leadership (CapMARINE WORKERS INDUSTRIAL UNION to appeal to the unemployed. Although re leaders of this union and to replace them tain Maer) must be won over to our cause volutionary, a program incorporating more with class conscious workers from the For some time conditions in the Marand a vigorous campaign must be made to concrete demands is necessary if the unIne Workers Industrial Union have been unite these key men with workers on the rank and flle. Mink only answer to the employed army is to be marshalled for the very bad. They are going from bad to ships and the docks in one great and powopposition was: class struggle.
worse all the time. It is necessary to look The quicker you comrades are ex.
erful Industrial rnion so that a more ef We herewith present the following Into these conditions, to find out what fective fight can be made against the shippelled from them phoney unfons, the facts from the life and experiences of our quicker we ll build the League and the been happening and why it been hap owners for our immediate demands and to union which entirely substantiate our cri better like it.
pening and to find a way out of the crisis hasten the day of complete emancipation ticism and which prove beyond the shadow in which our union finds itself. It is the for the working class.
of a doubt that only by following the conINCOMPETENCE AND IRRESPON.
duty of every member of our union to face Name calling and abuse are not structive program we have outlined can SIBILITY OF THE BUREAUCRACY the facts squarely and to make proposals the methods for winning over workers to our union become a real mass union and The opposition had put forward the for improving the situation and really our class struggle. Only by patient hard fight effectively for the interests of the program of spreading out in the port of building our organization into a genuine work in the fight for the every day needs marine workers.
Greater New York and opening up halls in militant union.
of the working men can we win their con BACKGROUND OF THE WRONG other ports as rapidly as possible. Under It is in this fight that we present the fidence and bring them around to our POLICIES OF THE BUREAUCRACY the pressure of the opposition composed of following criticisms, suggestions, and rer. viewpoint.
Starting out as a club, functioning as comrades Morgan, Goldon, Anderson, Shellcommendations. We hope that the fellow All strikes must be prepared in ad a propaganda group in existing marine igan, Horn, Russell, Fanning, Peltzer, workers will see it this way and will rally Vance and properly organized. The work workers organizations, we failed to carry Aaronson, Haigney, McGrath, and others, to our support, back up this appeal and ers should first be convinced to strike. out the original program of the the leadership was forced to consent to the fight for the proposals we are making. Strikes, in order to be genuine, must come This failure to build strong Left wing opening up of a hall in Baltimore. AccordOUR AIM through a demand of the worker3 them groups in the existing organizations was ingly comrade Morgan, Port Delegate for Our aim is to build one powerful selves and not mechanically declared or due primarily to the opposition of the New York, equipped comrade Peltzer with industrial union uniting all the marine forced upon the workers.
leadership of our union to such a policy credential and supplies. Comrade Pelttransport workers in the country.
10. union in order to be alive must zer under very great difficulties and after Any worker in the marine trangas first proposed by the This consist of active members. Everything resistance to the original policy of the making many sacrifices succeeded in carryport Industry regardless of race, creed, must be done to develop self confidence to build Left wing groups in ing on propaganda and work for some color or political opinion, should be eligimonths without receiving any financial asble for membership in our union.
sistance from the Despite the The purpose of the union must be opposition of the leadership, comrade Morto fight for the bettering of the conditions gan and Aaronson were sent by the rank of the marine workers, to raise wages, The document which appears on these pages is the result of a struggle that has and file to help comrade Peltzer in the orshorten hours, improve living conditions, ganization work in Baltimore. After havfight against the speed up, for bigger gangs been going on for some time within the Marine Workers Industrial Union, and the Party fraction within it. The document itself is only a re statement and elaboraing been ousted from Anchorage Seamen on the docks and bigger crews on the tion of one presented by Party members to the marine workers fraction, which Institute) and having been set upon by the ships and lighter draughts on the docks bulls, and prevented from obarding for longshoremen, for better food, etc.
Mink, Johnstone and the rest of the Party and bureaucrats dealt within their characteristically contemptuous manner. The Stalinists have been pursuing a the ships it was decided that comrade Mor4. We are against the whole capitalist gan should proceed to New York and force system which is responsible for the misery course in all the unions controlled by them which has put one after another of them on the rocks. The situation in the Textile Workers Union, the Miners Union, the leadership to consent to open a hall of the workers in all industries. We are the Needle Trades Workers Industrial Union, are only repetitions in other spheres as a base for operations, as a rallying cenunalterably opposed to all imperialist wars.
ter for organizational work.
We believe in the international solidarity of the crisis now rending the Marine Workers Industrial Union. The bunglers and After comrade Morgan made his report and militant action of the marine workers worse who direct the destinies of these organizations, virtually all of which began to the League meeting, the members deto insure better conditions, to fight against with splendid prospects for growth and influence, have conducted such a policy of cided in defiance of the leadership over arbitrariness, mechanical control, alienation of Left Wing militants not members of imperialist wars, and for the defense of the protest of the bureaucracy, to open a the Soviet Union, today the only workers one Party faction, bureaucracy, and radically false policies, that they have left a hall in Baltimore. But when the hall was Republic in the world. We are for a trail of ruin wherever they have stepped in. Testifying to the immense vitality of finally opened the rank and file members workers Republic in the United States.
the new union movement, however, is the rank and file revolt expressed in this who carried on the work without any findocument. Out of the 17 signers who are the most active spirits in the At this time the most serious proancial assistance from the leadership were 14 those marked with stars) are me blem facing the marine workers is unthe Party. The Minks, Hineses and recalled. Then Hines was chosen by the employment. There are more than 250, Harveys are now planning to expel these militants not only from the Party, but from the Union as well! At all costs this must be prevented. Such tactics can be bureaucracy to replace the active rank and 000 marine workers (longshoremen, harfile workers. Though receiving a subbor workers, etc. Jobless and hungry. The safely left to Lewis, Sigman and Co. Let the workers discuss the situation objecsidy for seven months Hines departed from economic crisis and the speed up system tively. They are capable of deciding and deciding correctly. They have no need at are continually increasing the army of unall for the Minks, Johnstones and Fosters to do their thinking for them, especially Baltimore and left nothing but an empty hall on which the rent was due. Whatever employed by leaps and bounds. That is when their thinking is but a mental echo of their masters in the central apparatus of the Comintern and the progress had been made was completely why all our activities in building up our destroyed by the bureaucrats who instruct union must today center around the fight ed Hines to take over the New York Club against unemployment. While fighting for and initiative among the rank and fille.
unemployment insurance we must not forthe existence marine workers organizations as soon as he returned from Baltimore.
Without genuine democracy in the union resulted in the unconscious sabotage of THE BUREAUCRATS HOLD MASSES get that we must get immediately for our there can be no real live union. Bureau the slogan Seaman Club in Every IN CONTEMPT selves food and shelter actual instant recracy has no place in a real union and Port.
lief.
The leadership of our union has noTACTICS only destroys all possibilities for buildUpon the returning of the thing but contempt for the great mass of ing up the union, for making every mem6. We must mobilize the workers first representative. comrade Mink) from Mos marine workers. This bureaucracy has not ber a conscious responsible, active member.
shown any of all for the struggle for our immediate cow, he made his report with the recomreal interest in the actual 11. The leadership of our union canneeds, for the improvement of our workstruggle of the marine workers, and has not be won and should not be sought by mendation that a new industrial union of ing and living conditions. Only in this the marine workers be formed, but comrade thrown away many good chances which mechanical, artificial, bureaucratic methway can we get the greatest number of these struggles afforded us for building ods. Sound leadership can be won only Foster suggested a transitional step. Durworkers into the fight against the bosses. through gaining the confidence of the working the transitional stage, The Marine up the Marine Workers Industrial Union.
In rallying workers to struggle we must This contempt for the marine worker ers by tireless activities and sacrifices in Workers Progressive League was organresort to education, organization of our masses is shown in part by the following the everyday struggle. Leadership based ized. The League members were to carry ranks, strikes, organization for the unfacts: on clique control, on favoriteism, on stifour program of class struggle into the employed, organization of the unorganized, wage conservative unions and a fight The leadership failed to take advaning opinion or strangulating all the rights and similar tactics to build our union.
of the rank and file can only hurt our against the reactionary leaders, and to tage of the opportunity to make contact We must work to build a powerful popularize the slogan of amalgamation.
with members of the Associated Marine Comrade Foster also laid particular stress Workers before the expiration of their Left wing movement in all other organizaBANKRUPTCY OF THE PRESENT This tions of the marine workers, thus making agreement with the Tugboat Owners.
on those points of our policy which dealt possible their unification into one indusLEADERSHIP AND ITS POLICIES with work in the existing unions, and that lack of interest shown by the bureaucrats trial union in the industry. In the craft We indict the present leadership for this work should be intensified.
in the struggle of these workers against their reactionary officials and the bosses and conservative unions there are thou 103 policies on the following grounds: Despite the fact that The Internation.
sands of workers whom we must win over really lost these workers for the cause of The present leadership pursues an al Seamans Club had a considerable militant unionism.
to our program for militant industrial unadventurist, sectarian, utopian, unrealistic membership, the name of Mink was never The leadership neglected for two and a tonism.
program.
submitted to the club members before he half months after the convention which It the marine workers are to wage a Transforming the Marine Workers was sent to the Conference by successful struggle against the ship ownlaunched the union, to issue any memberIndustrial Union into an impotent sect inthe in a like manner, Foster ship books or publish the Marine Workers ers, musu have unity in our ranks.
we stead of building a mass organization, a gave the club members the decision that The sectarian policy now being pursued by Voice, our most effective means with genuine union.
Comrade Mink was to be head of all Marthe Marine Workers Industrial Union only which to acquaint the workers with what Following wrong and irresponsible ine organizational activities for the happened at the Convention.
results in segregating the class conscious organization methods. This so called decision was workers from the masses of less advanced After the launching of the Union the Entirely neglecting and dropping a piece of highhanded, bureaucratic conworkers, leaving them to be used by the rank and file made considerable progress niving of Foster upon all work for the building of a powerful which the club reactionary officials of the conservative among the longshoremen of Baltimore. We Left wing movement in the craft and conmembers were not even allowed to discuss.
held a meeting in front of the unions against a revolutionary class strugservative unions. Substituting for such Who made the decision? Where did it halls. But the bureauoracy pursuing a gle program.
come from? Why wag it made? Why important work name calling and merely disruptive line of tactics destroyed all our The rank and Ale members of the Indenouncing as social fascists, etc. all those weren the members considered or conwork destroyed everything which was acternational Seamans Union must be won who are today not in the Marine Workers sulted?
complished. Comrade Harvey acting more over to a class struggle program for their Industrial Union.
Our activity in the existing marine like disrupter than a union organizer union and for waging relentless strug5. criminal bungling of strikes, fol workers organizations was discouraged by antagonized the longshoremen instead of gle against the reactionary leadership lowing policies of pure adventurlem, using the leadership which told the membership trying to win them over to the cause of (Furuseth, Olander) and to replace them by the worst bureaucratic methods, actually of the League that membership in the ex militant unionism. This criminal action class conscious workerg from the rank and sabotaging strikes and here and there even isting marine workers organization was destroyed all the progress that we had file.
resorting to methods which are dangerous not necessary. Not only did the leadership made. It broke up all the contacts which The workers opposition in the Interly provocative.
say that it was unnecessary to belong to we had made with the rank and fle memnational Longshoremens Association must The leadership has foisted upon the and carry on work in the existing unions bers of the International Longshoremen be supported in their Aght to oust the reunion a terribly bureaucratic regime and but it even ordered all those who were Association actionary leaders (Joe Ryan) from their wiped out all semblance of democracy, of members of these unions to withdraw from The same contemptuous attitude tounion and an educational campaign must rank and file control in the Marine Work membership. The opposition objected to wards the workers was shown by Mink in be carried on within their ranks to win ers Industrial Union.
this wrong arbitrary move of the bureau New Orleans. The silly and childlike acthem over for the cause of the revolution7. The program for the unemployed, cracy on the ground that the Left wing tion of comrade Mink in showing off in ary class struggle.
formulated by the and adopted group in the Marine Firemen Union In braggadoccio manner donation checks to The membership of the Associated Mar by the unemployed convention at Chicago, ternational Seamen Union) was in a fav workers whom we were just drawing in as ine Workers who are already in rebellion July 4th, has proven to be too abstract orable position to oust the reactionary new members of our union in New Orleans inion