November 13, 1937 SOCIALIST APPEAL CIO AFL Meet Shows Pleading With Prospects of Unity In Fur Bosses Is Fatal to Labor Labor Movement nemthe When the Stalinists wrested control of the apparatus of the Furriers Union, it became apparent that in their Washington, Powerful economic and political forces are driving the leaders march to People Frontism away from the class strugof the and the of in the direction of establishing unity of the labor with the bosses. We can best understand the depth of movement, it was revealed as the so called peace conference of the two warring groups this class collaboration polmet hele this week.
icy by investigating the contented furriers, the Staliniste The had received set backs in its political campaigns, as shown by the de course of the administration imported large numbers of YCLfeats of its endorsed candidates in the municipal elections in middle western indus in serving the stipulationsers who serve as floor boys.
trial centers. It faces the of the agreement.
nothing to rid the industry of Mass Action Ended large scale contracting serious possibility of a real and the needs of the Roose. basic issue of industrial versus which velt administration, are current craft unionism has been settled takes the bread from the mouths fight with General Motors ly submerging the differences by the organizational successes According to the agreement of furriers. No effort is made and Steel, in seeking and pushing forward the common of the o. and both leader signed with the bosses, overtime to secure work for the old furrenewal of the present con needs of the and the skips know it.
and contracting out of town is riers as provided in the agreeF. of It should be remembered, too, strictly forbidden. Since the ment.
tracts.
Quite contrary to the popular that while John Lewis on the beginning of 1937 only one em Another critical problem has The will need the entire impression, the question of indus o. side and Hutcheson, of ployer was to be permitted to developed in the industry. Desunited strength of the American trial craft unionism is not the the Carpenters, the of work in a shop. No floor boy pite the expectations of the furlabor movement to win its battle major stumbling block between side, are bitter opponents and was to engage in productive riers for a good season in 1987, to organize the huge Ford plants the two factions. Every union can provide stubborn opposition work. Further, old time furriers it was already clear in July, in Detroit.
man recognizes the absolute cor to peace, strong forces exist in who could not keep up with the normally the height of the seasrectness and success of industrial both camps for peace.
speed up system were to be on, that there was a sharp lull.
Feel Business Recession unionism in the mass production David Dubinsky, of the Gar placed on jobs. Concerning By the end of August, 10, 000 of Above all, and this applies to industries.
ment Workers, for example, has overtime, instead of organizing the 14, 000 furriers were the of also, the One of the most bitter op never agreed with all the o. workers committees to patrol ployed and condemned to go withunions are fueling the effects of ponents of the Wharton, policies as outlined by Lewis and the furriers shops to guarantee out work until May 1938. At the the current business recession president of the Machinists has continually sought means to that there would be no extra la same time the furriers must face through the lay offs of thousands unions, has been organizing his compromise the differences and bor, especially on Saturday and a new conference with the aseven Sunday, the union officials were sociation for a new agreement duction industries, and the unions basis for a long time. And many though it might have meant giv deliberately indifferent which may necessitate a general are declining in membership of the newly chartered of ing serious concessions.
Nothing illustrates more clear overtime the administration could By preventing the widespread strike and a further loss of work.
and strength. The of fedural unions are industrial in The Stalinists, understanding leaders are considerably worried character, ly that whatever peace is reached have created jobs for its unem the seriousness of the present about the effects on its memberwill be one favorable first to to quiet the dissatisship of the present down swing Formula Found both trade union bureaucracies ployed workers. Now and then crisis, in business activity.
than the fact than neither side the union did pay men to visit fied furriers, called a conference shop chairmen discuss formula has already been mentions democracy for the rank shops and stop overtime but by of developed in this country siner which can serve to settle amic new united labor movement. John The refusal of the officials did their utmost to prove that the The wave of reaction which found at the peace conference and file as a condition for the no means did they cover the mul the situation. At the conference, the defeat of the Little Steel ably the industrial union question Lewis and William Hutcheson striku has gained impetux because with sufficient face saving for see eye to eye on this question to organize large, effective fur responsibility of the present crisis council.
policy of splitting the labor ution on industrial unionism might not Unity of the labor movement time is explained when we real. Therefore, the furriers should not movement weakened the workers adopted in the 1934 San Fran. There are many possible monkey the good will and friendship of plained Gold, the union will hold ize how anxious they are to gain expect too much. However, exopposition to encouraged the cisco national convention of the wrenches that can stop the ma the bosses.
reactionary forces of The fact is that a conference with the bosses to But this cut both ways. It in The San Francisco resolution obvious that some of the bureau since the Stalinists gained con get whatever they can to improve jured not only the o. but directed the of executive crats on both sides will seriously trol of the administration there their conditions.
Such arguments poison also the of whose mem council to issue charters for na threaten any progress made at whatsoever. Everything is con minds of workers and educate bers felt the added pressure of tional industrial unions in the the present conference.
the bosses more strongly than automotive, cement, aluminum ducted with an eye to law and them to be satisfied with the before. It is because the rank and such other mass production Unity Needed order.
crumbs that capitalism hands and file of the and the and miscellaneous industries as and of directly suffer the in the judgment of the council sure non both the and the ment, which entitles only one sininen Instead of carefully fulfilling them. Is it not a fact that beContinued rank and file pres the terms of the union agree cause of capitalism and its represworkers organized into bad effects of the split that they might be necessary to meet the of leaders is the best boss to work in a shop, the fur unions? Is it not also true that are pressing so vigorously for situation.
unity of the labor movement.
Preliminary discussions guarantee that the misleaders rier officials have so compromis whatever gains the workers made Conversely, it is the fact that the be will be defeated. The presented the union that today in all were won despite the boss system labor bureaucrats on both sides tween the of and cry for unity with full rights for shops two bosses are permitted and in struggle against it by the feel the blows of the split only negotiating committees at the industrial unionism must swell to work organized force of the unions. conference indicate that serious into a thunderous chorus whose indirectly, that they permit many jurisdictional disputes involving power will prove invincible.
From the above mentioned This part of the agreement was arguments of the Stalinists and other minor considerations to the major unions can be Combined with a struggle for At that time the Stalinists con could see the lack of integrity to be enforced in Jonuary 1937. their block the path to unity.
supporter the furriers avoided. Harrison of the of democracy within the unions (A. ducted a series of conferences with which they would go to The coming session Congress accentuates the need for the auto, rubber, electrical and adoption of militant class strug. stretched into months. Finally, committee mentioned directly of Land and the with the association which labor unity, and acts as an acces radio, newspaper, mine and mari gle policies against the bosses, a shady agreement was made were negotiate with bosses.
lerating force in the progress of time industries where he thought the fight for unity can serve as which gives two bosses the right The Four Points be too bad for both the and tled. The dare not com preparing the workers for their provides two extrae months of led the following four points The chairmen meeting adoptthe of if the capitalist promise here. politicians play them against one ultimate struggle the revolutionanother equal division of work in the year which were recommended by Ben thereby avoid pas.
What is important is that the ary overthrow of capitalism.
for the furriers. The big gain Gold and the Manager of the sing any legislation which might ers from this deal are the bos union.
block the drive towards reaction.
ses. Thanks to this arrangement That the discharged workRoosevelt Position the unemployed unionists who ers shall be reinstated.
had hoped to secure work remain That the work be distri.
Roosevelt has publicly stated standing in the streets of the buted in 20 hour a week periods.
that he desires labor unity, not, fur market. That bosses shall not be to be sure, because he wants la It is a sad commentary on the la revolutionary organ of the It is indeed ironical that the allowed to work in the shops.
bor solidarity against capitalism, American comrades and sympa American working class. The Stalinists have found the gall to To maintain the level of but because he can better put thizers that letters like the fol Appeal is meeting with such a tell furriers that this state of seasonal wages.
over his own treacherous pio lowing do not come from them fine response in Toronto and we affairs is a victory of the work The result of the reformist gram, if he receives the united but must come from outside the are certainly pleased with its ers. This is the fruit of class policy of the Stalinists of begsupport of the of country. Toronto is coming contents and calibre of its arti collaboration.
ging the bosses to concede these lobbies.
through. Not only do the com cles.
In the last few years, the pro four points, brought them a nose Besides, Roosevelt and the en rades there send in contributions Enclosed you will find a slight blem of the floor boys replacing thumbing as an answer.
tire administration have grown but their subscriptions are in contribution of 13. 50, a gesture regular furriers spread to a ma In place of taking action tired of being in the middle dur creasing and their bundle orders of solidarity to your movement jority of shops particularly in against the bosses, Stalinists ing the entire dispute between are paid for pro Toronto in the from group of To the cheap line. The chief vic turne over the whole probl the two labor factions. And not alone cannot keep Appeal go ronto 4th Internationalists. tims of this were the nailers. the so called impartial chairman the least of his reasons is Roose ing. The following letter is typ With comradely greetings, Semi skilled floor boys were given of the fur trade. Meanwhile thouvelt desire to have a united la ical of what should be coming Group of Toronto Trotskyists. union books by the Stalinists eands of furriers are unemployed bor movement behind his pro war from American comrades: Now is time to start sub and permitted to do the work and the Stalinists adopted a polipolicies which are due to be devel Dear Comrades: scription drives. If the Appeal of skilled men literally rency of waiting.
oped further by huge armament Greetings to the Socialist could realize its increase in sub dering large sections of nailers The furriers can expect no appropriations by Congress, Appeal as you step out to defend scriptions it would not be neces jobless. To protect their reac more. Even if the bosses acIn other words, the pressure of revolutionary Marxism. It is in sary to make these weekly ap tionary machine in the union cept the agreement offered, the the economic and political forces, Ideed a pleasure to see once again peals for contributions. from the growing ranks of dis season is over.
Push The Appeals to