The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-02-21
White Goods Workers Strike

Twenty-Five thousand white goods workers are
on strike in New York City. The strike is for the
purpose of enforcing an agreement for an advance
in wages, improvement of working conditions and
for the unionization of shops unorganized.
The wages of some of these workers are as low
as $12 per week and the average is only about $1S
or $40.
In this industry there are dozens of small cap
iasts and for the most part the competition is of
the cutthroat kind althO reduced somewhat of late
years by the organization of trade associations
which attempt to standardize prices but whose
chief business is fighting the union.
Three local unions of the International Ladies'
Garment Workers have pooled their efforts in this
strike and with the bosses admitting a revival in
trade there are good prospects of concessions
being secured.
The bitter opposition to organized labor in Amer
lea is shown by the history of this industry that
compared to the giant combinations in STEEL coal,
metal mining, transportation and lumber, be
classified as decentralized In spite of the competi
ton that still exists and the possibility of the Or
ganized workers using one boss against another,
with few exceptions the workers have been forced
to strike every year about this time
For America, the industry is well organized.
What becomes then of the policy of "concilia-
ton" arbitration" and Friendly understanding"
urged by the reactionary trade union officials in
completely centralized industries where the work
ers are only partially organized? The very weak
ness Of the unions in other basic industries shows
the need for militant policies. Constant retreat
and surrender serve only to strengthen the posi-
tons of the capitalists.
As for the Ladies' Garment Workers officials,
they too have failed to learn the lessons of the
numerous strikes forced on the organization Anal
gamaton does not consist of the mobiizing of local
unions of the same union. This should be a matter
of course.
Amalgamation is the unity of all the unions in
the industry-the needle industry in this case
against all the bosses.
The success of policy can only be judged by
its effect on the organization adopting it and in
considering the International Ladies' Garment
Workers, we must ask these questions
Is the union stronger now than it was five or ten
years ago?
Has it more job control? Is it keeping pace with
the development of class organization among the
bosses?
Every member of the union knows that these
questions must be answered in the negative and
that the present militant action of three locals of
the union is only the result OF the lett wing acty
ties and not policy having the whoehearted en-
dorsement and support of the Oficaldom.
Even in the still decentralized needle industry
the capitalists are doing more amalgamating than
the unions. This is dangerous condition that can
be corrected only by the adoption of the program
of the Workers Community Party and the Trade
Union Educational League The present strike
will furnish new lessons that can be brought to
the attention of the rank and file by the COmmun-
istled left wing.