The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-04-30
HOW Levin KEEPS
PUPPY-DOC ARMY
UNDER HIS Thumb
Hierarchy of Terror Thru
UnderIings
CONTINUED from page y.

ment, and it is left for the business
agent to sub-divide this total among
the different sections.
For instance, the Arm agrees to
pay $500 for the making of a coat
The business agent divides s3.S5
among the various sections and Is
cents he saves for what is called a
shop treasury" II certain section
does very good work for the machine,
such as smuggling militants, terroriz.
ing the other workers in the shop,
etc, the business agent gives them
present" an increase of their price
fixed for the section of, let us say,
two cents. In some cases this means
an increase in wages OF about $500
or $1,000 week.
In this way the business agent is
able to develop in some shops a
group that VIII on a minutes notice
be ready to do any dirty work he
wants. An instance is rather illumin-
ating.
Calling Out the Hired Troops.
At a meeting called by the suspend
ed members to protest against the
outrageous action Of Manager Levin
in removing workers from their jobs
for merely distributing Local SIS leaf
let, the officials brought down, not
only hired gangsters, but also order
ed reliable" groups from the shops
to do their dirty work.
l noticed among these groups cut
ter who knows very little about union.
ism. The following day he asked me,
What was it all about?" l explained
to him about the removals from the
job. Then he exclaimed:
What He Would Do If Business Was
Not Business.
If Levin would take me off the
job for such reasons / would not con
slider the consequences but would kill
him on the spot. Nobody can dilly
daily with the bread and butter of
my wife and children"
When asked why he participated
with the gangsters if that was the
way he thought, he answered, "Busi-
ness is business" These are the ele-
ments that are suspending members
from the union because OF "dis-
loyalty"
When any member of the A. c. w.
rom different city comes to work
in Chicago, the first few weeks they
let him run to the employment office
for job without any results. Then
when the member gives up hope of
ever getting a job, they call him into
the employment office and tell him
Breaking the Newcomers Spirit.
Attic you are not next in line for
a job We can see that you
are a good union man, sensible
fellow" etc. $50 we are going out Of
our way to help you out Go
ing to send you to work and hope that
you will be all right.
In this way they give him the first
lesson that if he expects to get along,
and il he knows what is good for
him, he will be good boy" If, in
time, he proves to be possessed of
some ability, they make him promis-
es. Elm time you will become an ex-
ecutive board member, or a joint
board member and even it is possible
you may be paid official"
slander Campaign Against MiIitants.
If, after all this, the member dares
to express an opinion contrary to the
interests OF the machine, then, of
course, there is a different story.
Even tho the member has given away
his life to the organization, he is
handled as a man who knows moth
ing, that never did anything for the
union-as foreigner.
what does he know about the Chi
cago organization?" is a popular re-
mark. They will even put up ire
sponsible people to spread the rumor
that he is a former scab, etc. In this
way they try to kill the reputation of
each rebel that comes from different
part OF the country.
Revolt Brewing in the Shops.
With all these methods, the bu-
reaucracy was able to keep an iron
grip on the organization. But lately
the workers in the shops are awak-
ening to the fact that the union has
become only a means whereby the
officialdom can collect dues.
This began since the "readjust-
ments," which followed Hillman's
promise at the last May Day meeting
that there would be no wage reduc-
tions in Chicago. Wages were cut,
nevertheless, under the guise of re-
adjustments, in many instances it
amounted to rs per cent cut. Es-
pecially has the removal Of workers
from jobs stirred the membership of
Chicago A. G. w.
For the first time in years you
can hear the workers In the shops
discussing seriously how TO organize
and wrest the control of the union
from the hands OF the corrupt bu-