6 SOCIALIST APPEAL January 8, 1938 In Thé Teachers Union INDEPENDENT GROUP COMBATS PEOPLE FRONT POLICIES OF the cians. a system which is essen millions of dollars with which to tially progressive because it is make appointments of substitute based on merit rather than on teachers to regular positions.
political pull or favoritism. Be In addition, the program called side, the measure, if passed, for independent political action would benefit only a few teach and against the policy of the Ameers at the top of the list who had rican Labor Party in endorsing secured their temporary posi the candidates of capitalist partions chiefly through favoritism. ties. It also called for opposition The bill did not provide a single to imperialist wars and against dollar for jobs by which appoint affiliation with the American ments could be made and which League Against War and Fascis the nub of the whole matter. ism with its collective security This measure appeals as we have program.
said before, to substitute beIndependents Show cause of its apparent concession in the matter of exemption from Strength examinations, but the opposition In opposition to the Adminiby exposing the people front stration, and in opposition to the NEW YORK. The honeymoon, thought is expressed nou to ex. chairmen and in other posts that demagogy as a fraud, and by Progressive Group, which agreed period in the Teachers Union of cuse the course of the leadership had been allotted to them. Their proposing a program of fair ex. with the Administration in its New York City is over. Once but to explain the vicious role of resignation, one by one, was aminations and appropriations of support of the policies and canmore the battle for progressive people frontism. The Rank and clear proof of the unsoundness millions of dollars with which didates of the American Labor policies in the largest and most File lions who once roared for of such a course. The bankruptcy able to poll 44 per cent of the able to poll over 20 per cent of to make more appointments was Party, the Independent slate was important organization of the mass action and nothing but of the Davidson Beigel of course American Federation of Teach mass action now become mild was apparent.
vote cast in a referendum vote the vote and to elect several of ers in being waged with full vi parliamentarian lobbyists at Alof the membership.
Strong its candidates to the Executive In order that the reader bany and at City Hall and at the within the membership of the protest movements gor.
The opposition to the Adminis Board, a remarkable showing may gain an understanding of Board of Education.
tration measure United Progressives against such that they did not dare to intro Administration has had on the was so great considering the grip which the why the progressive forces are Mr. Isadore Begun, the leader election deals we present a resume of the im was ousted from his teaching Davidson Beigel leadership came State Legislature, was vetoed by the American fighting the present leadership of the Rank and File Group, who but the struggle against the duce it in the legislature. Besides, membership in the past.
In the national convention of portant issues that have arisen.
job by the Board of Education to a head, when in violation of Gov. Lehman, the people front Teachers at Madison, Wis. which Federation of Period of Growth because of his dramatic espousal the clearly expressed policy of Governor, at the request of followed, the delegates of the of the cause of a dismissed teach the United Progressive Group on Mayor LaGuardia, the people Independent In 1935, the combined efforts er, now began preaching soft the question of independent po front mayor. Together with this with other delegations to form Group, combined opposed to the Lefkowitz Lin certain members of the Board broke away from the Group to legislation, he also vetoed other a national caucus in advocacy of ville Beadership resulted in sav of Education. He, who hauled form a bloc with the Rank and wages of the underpaid substi for a national campaign for the legislation raising the per diem a progressive program calling from Dr. Lefkowitz over the coals for File in support of the American tutes and the annual salary of purpose of organizing the more disruption. Due to the progress. his defense of Mayor LaGuardia, Labor party Roosevelt Lehman certain categories of underpaid than one million teachers of the ive policies that were adopted now became lyrical over the vir Campaign of 1936.
school teachers.
and to the inner democratic re tues of the people front mayor.
country and in opposition to the gime that was instituted by the It was from this debacle that people front on the war quesEmergence of the Indenew administration which con. Defend American Legion che Independent Group arose and tion. See Socialist Appeal Sept.
pendent Group conducted an election campaign 11, 1937 for an account of this sisted of representatives of the It not only issued invitations various groups, there followed a The chief issue in the union based upon a program calling for convention. period of rapid growth of the to the American Legion, but de elections of May, 1937 was the the end of over crowded classes Another article dealing with the Teachers Union will Union from a membership of can militarism from hostile eri loyment among teachers which gisters and the appropriation of about 1400 after the split to a ticism of its anti labor policies has been acute since 1929. New appear in the next issue.
membership of over 6, 000 in less to the dual union splitters, the York City teachers than two years. Recruits were Teachers Guild, it offered the gular positions in the service obtain reEAST SIDE LABOR FORUM obtained from employed and un liquidation of groups in the after passing civil service exami employed public school teachers Union, one of the basic demo nations conducted by a Board of in the elementary and high school cratic issues in the conflict.
announces divisions, from the school clerical Examiners. After that they must staffs; a college section was de United Progressives wait for appointment by LABOR TOUR OF THE WORLD veloped which has since grown Board of Education, which apa ints a separate local, and a pripoints only when vacancies exist Surveying the labor movement in the world vate school section was set up to organize teachers employed in there was organized the United for that purpose by the city go hottest spots In opposition to these policies, or when vacancies are created by it due to funds made available private schools, Progressive Group, which was a vernment in the annual budget.
ON FRIDAY EVENINGS AT 8:00 Due to the effestive use of merger of various tendencies in mass pressure tactics a number the Union who were opposed to During the past economic crisis, Jan. John Wright of noteworthy victories were the unprincipled, demogogical the Board made relatively few (Translator of Trotsky Works)
cuts, the appointment of hund of the Rank and File leadership on the one hand and on the other wom: the restoration of salary and class collaborationist policies appointments with the result that Jan. 14 CHINA Robert Graves reds of new teachers and there. But the United Progressives were hand thousands of unemployed. Authority on Far East)
instatement of dismissed college unable to make any headway teachers walked the streets.
teachers.
against the influence of the Jan. 21 SPAIN. Harry Milton monthly organ, The New Rank and File because within In the elementary school diviYork Teacher, and a weekly news the former (First hand report from the front)
was distinctly sion there are thousands of teachletter were issued regularly. right wing tendency. Davidson ers now on regular lists who have Jan. 28 James Burnham The educational authorities were Beigle leadership) which believ been waiting for appointment compelled to recognize the ex ed in collaboration with (Prof. of Philosophy. the since 1930, not to speak of many istence of this new factor by the Rank and File leadership in the thousands of qualified teachers granting of various other con hope of reforming it.
in this branch of the service who LABOR TEMPLE cessions to the teachers including This right wing criticized the the Board of Examiners and who have been failed arbitrarily by 14th St. at Second Ave.
ed to the Teachers Union in offi Rank and File, not with the ob have been driven out of the procial and semi official conferences, jective of convincing it of the fession altogether.
superiority of its poilcies. When the Urrion elections of June 1936 In the high school division Role of Rank and File took place, it executed a right there are a few thousand unempGroup about face agreement with the loyed teachers who have been Rank and File Group for a com failed by the Board for regular In the phenomenal growth of mon slate. This agreement was positions but who are employed substitutes on temporary the Union the chief beneficiary an unprincipled one, because of as was the Rank and File Group the basic differences that exist jobs as these arise, at a fraction of the regular the largest, the most influential ed between the two groups, but of the salary Compiled Over Period Of Thirteen Years By and best organized of the former it was brought about because teacher. This is clearly a wage opposition groupsdeveloped ori the leadership of the Rank and cutting device. During the session HERMAN AXELBANK ginally on the basis of a third File and of the right wing of of the State Legislature the Adperiod trade union, and political the United Progressives found it ministration of the Union proEdited, With Commentary Written and Narrated By program. Despite the fact that more convenient to divide the posed a bill requiring the Board its dual union policies and ad posts between themselves with of Examiners to place subsitutes MAX EASTMAN venturistic tactics drove hund out a principled struggle in full with three years experience on reds of old members out of the view of the membership. regular list even though they. Who knows when he will have a chance to view Union and into the camp of the That the Davidson Beigel lead bad not passed written civil service an unexpurgated story of the Russian Revolution Teacher Guild splitters (Lefkoership of the United Progressives witz Linville. its essentially had sold the birthright of the Measure Deceives again. Ludwig Lore, Post.
militant program and the ardor Group for a mess of pottage was with which it carried it out at revealed soon after the election On the surface, this appeared. film that is so impressive, so exciting, so tracted many of the younger was over. The Rank and File very attractive to many substi thrilling that it immediately goes on your list of teachers to whom trade unionism leadership proceeded not only to tutes who thought that now their photoplays that must be seen not once, but again was a novel experience, tear up the common program troubles would be over. But a and again. William Boehnel, World Telegram But the militancy and progres agreed to as a basis of the slate, closer examination of this measiveness of the Rank and File but in place of the collective sure will show that it virtually People frontism and class col was to be the concrete expres of New York State, a system laboration policies were imposed sion of the deal, they proceeded, which furnishes a certain mea.
from without upon a young lead to make it impossible for the sure of protection for some 200. SUNDAY MONDAY AND TUESDAY Only ership that basically desired to adherents of the United Progres 000 civil service employees from follow a progressive policy. This sives to function as committee lexploitation by corrupt politiOrganize a etc.
Exclusive Philadelphia Showing!
TSAR TO LENIN leadership did not last very long leadership in the Union which abolishes the pericitater vice system POPLAR THEATRE, at Poplar