The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-10-04
Letter to the Editor)
BY L. COOPER.

magazine section of the DAILY
WORKER, what can shop nuclei do?
can be divided into two parts criti-
cism and construction. AS much as
he is correct in the first part, in the
criticism of the branch activities by
just as much he is rather wrong in
his plans of reconstruction of the
party into shop nuclei.
It is true the branches as they are
now constructed do not do much ac-
tual work Members do not attend
their shop fraction meetings and are
inactive in the unions. We have to
press upon them to pay more atten-
tion to this work.
But the reconstruction of the party
into shop nuclei will do more harm
to the party than do good.
We have to bear in mind that we
live in the most reactionary capitalist
country. AS soon as our shop nuclei
will meet in the factory either at
lunch hour or after work, all of them
will be fired the very first day. Be-
sides after five or even four and one
half hours of hard work you feel like
having your lunch and you go to a
lunch room. There you cannot have
your meeting; this is clear to every
one of course. After the day of work
is over you cannot have any meet
ings again, as you are tired and rush
ing home. The tailors and the office
workers might get time to meet but
the machinists, blacksmiths, laborers,
etc, will not find any time to meet,
while every member can attend his
party branch meeting after supper.
1t seems to me that Comrade Ahern
did not work in shop lately and he
forgot what the conditions are there
He says they can meet almost any
time, since they are always together"
But how about the dogs that are
watching your step, that your machine
should not stop for second? In the
Baldwin Locomotive Works, in the
Midvale Steel Co. watchmen are
placed in the lavatories so that no
one sits too long and does not attend
too often. In the smaller places it is
still worse.
They pay their dues at noon lunch
to the secretary Of the shop nuclei"
does not the secretary have to eat, or
will the foreman give him an extra
one-half hour for lunch?
l just imagine the activity of such
nnaI0f II 10
discuss an important party question
at the lunch hour. il {Aey have to go
to the lunch room hSSand having.
the dogs" watcbing
There is thez19 y q aoR vail news
papers or builstiRs aslsin ink or
pencil, il need ~be'Ta I'D k0sted in the
factory somewhere forsthe workers in
the shop" Comrade Abern must think
he is in the Union of Soviet Socialist
Republics, where all this is done open.
ly. Try to paste the most innocent an.
nouncement on the wall and you will
be fired, not only the one who did it,
but the whole nucleus.
We did not reach the state where
we can work too much in the open
in the factories. Do not forget that
union officials are against us, as Com.
munists, as members of T. u. e. L.,
the capitalist agents watch US closely,
and consequently we cannot work as
free as we have to.
agree and insist upon It that the
shop nuclei must exist and work hard,
but do not agree that it should func-
ton as a party branch. Our party ac-
tivity is very small now but it will
be less yet, if we reorganize the party
on the shop nuclei basis.
What the party should do is to
COMPEL every member to be active in
his nucleus otherwise to expell from
the party, the same way when the
member does not pay his dues.
| would like to ask Comrade Abern
how is he going to construct the
nuclei of the painters and paper
ta.I.t 4