The daily worker., 1924-05-03
BY J. w. TOMBSTONE.

Il tnree principal unions IN the cloth
ing industry will take place. On May
5th the International Ladies' Garment
Workers Union opens its biennial
convention in Boston; on the 18th,
the Amalgamated Clothing Workers
meet in Philadelphia; while on the
same date the Furriers are called to
meet in Chicago. In these three un.
ions, in one of the most advanced sec
tions Of the labor movement, will be
fought out three phases of the battle
for progress in the trade unions.
1t is the Furriers' Union that pre-
sents the most extreme form Of re-
action in the needle trades. Altho
the rank and file of the union, in large
majority, are progressive and revolu-
tionary, yet the administration of
Kaufman, supported by the machine
of the Jewish Daily Forward still
keeps the Union committed to right
wing policies and ruled by right wing
elements. The methods by which this
has been accomplished are well
known. Thugs and gunmen have been
called in to break up local union
meetings to prevent action against
kaufman and his coherts. In the elec-
tions, all the left wing candidates
were arbitrarily ruled off the ballot
Notwithstanding the fact that, by
this arbitrary rule Of force, the re-
dictionaries will control all "officially
recognized" delegates, they are still
so fearful of the militant rank and file
that the Convention, instead of being
held in New York, center of the un-
ion forces, is taken to Chicago, where
there is but a small and conservative
local. Even the reactionary delegates
with the mandate won by exclusion of
all rivals from the elections, must be
carefully segregated from the infiu-
ence Of the rank and file.
In the Furriers we thus have the
most extreme type of reaction in pow
er. 1t rules by brute force. the ex-
clusion of opposition from the cleo
= tions. and by alliance with the reac-
tionary forces in the other unions. 1t
is bold and unashamed, and makes no
pretenses of working class democracy.
Ruling by such methods over rank
and file that is naturally revolution
airy, this bureaucracy is headed direct
ly for smash-up. 1t is possible that
their boasts of complete control of
the Chicago Convention may be made
good-but the downfall of the Kauf-
man machine in the not distant fu-
ture is guaranteed by the primitive
nature of its methods of rule. 1t can
not last. The progressive forces must
and will organize their rank and file
support, which is in vast majority,
and take over the Furriers' Union.
Ladies' Garment Workers and
Expulsion.
The l. L. G. w. u. has been, for
the past year, scene of battle be-
tween the left wing elements, led by
the Trade Union Educational League
and the right wing administration,
led by the Forwards. P. alliance.
The left wing has been fighting for
amalgamation of all needle trades un-
ions, the right wing for craft separa-
tism; the left for an alLinclusive La
bor-Party, the right for an exclusive
S. Bureaucratic collaboration; the
left for the shop delegate system of
: union organization, the right for con-
tinuation Of the present cumbersome
local forms; the left for militant
struggle against all reductions in
wages. the right for compromise and
collaboration.
When, year ago, the left wing was
sweeping into power in the principal
local unions thruout the country, the
reactionary general administration
launched a war upon the left. in a
desperate effort to stem the tide of
progress. Expulsions, disfranchise-
ments, and determinations, were the
principal weapons relied upon. altho
even in the I. L. G.. w. U. strong-arm
men were occasionally brought in and
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