The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-03-15
Unemployment and Labor Aristocracy

peak month, August, 1923, was l.
Sf5,5O5. From then till the end of
the year 1928, 1925 railroad work
ers were laid off, which means 81
per cent. We can judge how heavy
an unemployment this 81 per cent
decline means if we bear in mind
lhat during the greatest crisis of our
economic history, the maximum de-
cine OF employment of the railroad
workers was not more than 22.2 per
cent. 20
But the decrease of the number Of
employed railroad workers does not
give the complete picture of the
catastrophe economic situation of
the railroad workers. An ever grow
ing number of railway workers are
employed only part time. In August
the number of full time EMPLOYED
railroad workers was 1,713,OOO. In
december only 1,524,000 That means
that the number of full time Jobs
declined by IL per cent and the
number of those working part time
increased no less than $4,000.
We have still third figure which
is not as fully significant as the
others because it is not a national
figure; but it illustrates the mass
character of present unemployment.
In Massachusetts, according to the
January report of the State Depart
ment of Labor, the reductions of en-
ployment between October and jan
uary show that almost one-tenth of
the workers in the State of Massa-
chusetts were laid off during that
period.
Unemployment and Labor
Arist0cracy.
The facts analysed above show
clearly that the working class of the
United States is facing a heavy I'M
employment. Almost one million few
er factory workers are employed to-
day than in the middle of 1923. And
IN addition to that about 10000 less
railroad workers are employed TODAY
than half year ago. And again, in
addition to that, we must add the in
creasing number of unemployed coal
miners. But all these figures. as /
showed In my previous article, still
do not give the complete number of
unemployed worker. They give only
the figures showing by how much
the number of employed workers de-
creased. But these workers whom
the capitalists drive out Of the fac
tories, railroads and mines are only
a part of the growing industrial re-
serve army which is being constantly
increased thru hundreds of thousands
Of dispossessed farmers, and new i'm
migrants.
The unemployment is very heavy
and has mass character; but it IS
not as heavy as during the great
, economic crisis of 1922. The
greatest difference between the two
periods is the condition of the metal
industry. In the previous period the
metal industry was most heavily af-
fected. Today the metal industry
does not yet show the full effects of
depression.
The present unemployment has a
mass character, and the working
class suffers greatly from it. Part
time work and wage cuts are a gem
; eral phenomenon today. 1t is in
sharp contradiction to these facts
NtANe bhc OihCAdl ldDOT movement ana
the press of the American Fedora
ton of Labor simply take no cog
nizance of this unemployment. How
is that possible, and what is the
solution of this contradiction
We can give a clear answer to
this question If we study carefully
the industrial Employment Infor-
nation Bulletin" of January. 1924.
of the United States Department of
Labor.
The facts show that unemployment
does not affect equally all strata Of
the laboring masses. The masses Of
unemployed consist Of unskilled
workers. And at the same time the
labor aristocracy is fully employed,
and in many cases there is even a
scarcity of skilled labor.
We could cite scores of examples
proving that fundamental fact, but
we will present here only few CT
fafinnu fr~w. 49,