The Connecticut labor news., 1923-06-22
HIDDEN DICTATORSHIP FROM MOSCOW IS BEHIND
 ONE BIG UNION SCHEME

sion, independent and national union ism and all the confusion inevitable with such developments; and,
 'WhereaS, Expressing as this ten dency does the sincere desire on the part ot large numbers ot workers for progress, the only solution for the S1tuatO1n IS the development of a united front of the workers by the amalgamation of the various trade unions so that there will remain only one union for each industry on the North American continent; therefore be 1t
 Resolved, That this Trades and Labor Council of - in regular meeting,, endorses the principle of amalganation as here set forth, and calls upon the Trade Congress as the highest body in Canada to circularize the various international unions, urg ing them to cooperate in calling a series of joint conferences for the purpose of consolidating the present craft unions into powerful depart mentalized industrial organizations, each of which shall cover an indus try
 Trade union reports from other countries show that this policy is not
 
 to meet Canadian conditions
 Advocates in Canada of this fore ign" amalgamation idea have failed to advise what would be the position of such a powerful organization as the International Association of Machin ists, whose members, under this new scheme, would be required to separ- ate and become members of the vari- ous unions of industry in which they are engaged, among which might be mentioned - the railroad industrial union, the automobile industrial union, the paper and pulp industrial union, the clothing trades industrial union, and numbers of others in which the present membership Is employed.
 Another question which should be answered is: How many industrial unions would be considered necessary to bring into close contact workers having a common alliance through their occupations?
 Would they be much less in num- Der than the present number of craft unions?
 The facts are that previous attempts to force amalgamation have miserably failed. Even today the difficulty is more one of keeping intact the diver sifed interests of those already em- braced in the so-called craft unions, and bringing together those eligible for member ship therein who insist on maintaining their individual auton- omies. This is illustrated by attempts to weld into one organization the various unions of railway and steam ship clerks existing at the present time in this country; the refusal of fn fhaIr 1d tity with the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, the numerous divisions existing amongst the workers of the textl g industry; duplication of unions in the electrical trades; and so on.
 Wherever the workers have had the real spirit of amalgamation indus trial unions exist, as IS proven by the United Mine Workers of America, the Amalgamated Iron, Steel and Tin Workers International Union, the In- ternational Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers, etc
 The immediate task for those hav- ing no ulterior motive, but desiring solidarity and unity amongst organ ized workers, is that of bringing into the already established organizations all grades of workers eligible thereto and urging the close federation of workers so organized wherever their interests become common. The suc- cess of Division No. 4 of the Rail- way Department of the American Federation of Labor, covering all me chanical trades on the Canadian rail ways, and the growth of influence and power of the building trades councils, are encouragement to proceed In this direction. NanwMryAr