The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-07-15
BY NV. TOMBSTONE,
Assistant Secretary, T. .. E. [

Assistant secretary u " e IL
VATITH the appearance of the Month
wv ly Bulletin, issued by the East
ern Pennsylvania District Conference
of the Brotherhood of Painters, Deco
rators and Paperhangers of America,
we see that at least one small section
of the building trades is beginning to
realize the danger that confrcnts them
in the approaching industrial crisis.
This sign of activity, altho of de-
fensive character, is largely due to the
agitation that has been carried on,
for the past year, by the building
trades section of the T. U. +. L. in the
unions and in the Progressive Build
ing Trades Worker, official organ of
the International Committee for Anal
gamation of the Building Trades.
The Bulletin, in an editorial, shows
the need of an organizational drive,
and urges the painters to accept the
challenge of the employers, under the
slogans Of organize the unorganized,
no wage reductions, no lengthening of
hours, no reduction in the workers
standard of living. This is a step in
the right direction, but 1t is along the
usual narrow craft lines. They must
broaden the base of their activities by
forming a united front with the other
unions in the building industry, at the
same time carrying on an agitation for
amalgamation and working class polit-
ical action.
The slogan of organize the morgan
lied should be taken up by every mill
tant in the building trades. Every
where chaos reigns in the industry.
Chicago is a classic example. The
common laborers are poorly organ
lied land there are tens of thousands
Of tradesmen who do not belong to
any union and who are workers for as
low wage as IS cents per hour.
Nothing can be expected from the
building trades official family unless
tremendous pressure is brought to
bear upon them, and the most con-
vincing kind Of pressure is the kind
started by the Pennsylvania painters.
The building trades officials constitute
the extreme right wing of the labor
movement. They are even more con-
sentative than Gompers. They accept
the two old parties without question.
and the majority of the rank and file
acquiesce in this policy. However, the
rank and file have demonstrated in
their many strikes that they are mill
tant in action and respond readily to
radical slogans when under pressure
from the employers.
The coming Industrial crisis. which
will throw millions of workers into
the ranks of the unemployed, differs
radically from the usual periodical de-
pressions that have occurred from
time to time during the growth of cap
italism. The coming industrial crisis
will differ in many ways from those
that have gone before. 1t will signify
the beginning Of the decay of capital
ism in America. This will be brought
out more clearly to the workers dur
ing the struggle. The crisis undoubt-
eddy will be of longer duration, involv-
ing greater number of workers, and
will affect. the entire working class to
a greater degree than any other crisis
In the history Of America.
The objective of the employers will
be to make a slashing cut in wages.
lengthen the work day. reduce per.
manently the present standard of the
working class, to weaken, and wher-
ever possible completely destroy, the
labor movement. This is a picture