The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-09-16

dlICI ClISu.
This state of labor affairs,
has set many earnest workers
in the labor movement, to seri-
ously concern themselves with
the health of labor. But let us
state the bad condition existing.
Organizations Wrecked.
Practically all organizations among
the railroad shop crafts have been
destroyed, what exists being com
pany unions. Almost nothing has
been done in the state. to cope with
this situation among the rail workers.
The building trades are also in a
very bad way. Outside Of Minneapo-
lis, st. Paul, and Duluth, the building
trades have been wiped out. And in
these cities seventy-five per cent of
all construction work, is done under
open shop conditions. The situation
is simply unbearable with respect to
these trades.
AS far as the metal trades are con-
cerned, we can say positively that
hardly are they organized. Only a
handful Of these workers are organ
lied out of the vast numbers in the
trade.
The culinary trades are non-exist-
ent as far as organization goes. This
trade is the most sweated of all
Long hours, low wages; intense ex-
ploitation of female workers, are the
prevailing conditions. Laws which
ostensibly we're made to protect the
women and girls, are openly violated.
The federation has left this trade to
sleep in misery.
This is also true in regard to all
the miscellaneous trades. No effort
is put forward to organize them. 1t is
simply disgraceful to say the least.
Steel Workers Ignored.
A hundred thousand workers, d.
rectly and indirectly, employed in the
steel industry, are now, as during the
entire tenure of office by Hall and
his reactionary cohorts, are complete
/ ly without organization.
These workers labor for nine and
ten hours a day. Their wages are
paltry. No safety devices are fur
nished, as the recent accident in a
mine near Crosby disclosed, which
cost the lives of 40 miners.
Moreover, VIM. McEwen, editor of
Duluth Labor World, and a member
of Halls reactionary family, as a
member of the governors investigat-
ing commission, indicated the steel
trust of all negligence, of all guilt.
A fine piece of work indeed,
Federation Lacks Vitality.
One of the first questions, there
fore, of prime Importance to organic
ed labor which must be answered, is
the scandalous lack of vitality in the
federation.
There has been a tremendous fall
ing off Of membership and a great
number Of local unions have passed
out of existence. The general posi-
ton of the federation with respect to
its membership and it's activity, has
never been so low as it is at the
present time.
f. G. Hall, the president Of the
federation, and George Lawson, its
secretary, together with their ilk,
have shown no signs of program TO
meet the desperate situation which
confronts organized labor. They have
absolutely made no effort to organize
the unorganized. Not only that, but
they as leaders of the federation, have
not crossed single straw to stimu-
late the low pulse of the federation.
! As far as their activity is concerned,
in these important phases of the fed
GRAFTON, 1t can be tersely expressed by
the word nil.
Consequently, there is quite a grow
ing sentiment against the further de-
featist leadership of Hall and Law.
son, whose outlook, such as it is, on
labor problems, has not benefited the
federation, as the record shows.
This plight of Minnesota labor de-
mands a program of organization and
education, such as the militant left
wing Is presenting to reconstruct the
decaying organizations. The failure
of Hall, Lawson & Co. to deal with
these organization problems is sufi.
cient proof of their utter incompe-
tency to lead the federation, unless
We are to regard the federation as
their special pie card reserve. In
that case they are highly qualified to
remain at their posts. But not from
any constructive labor standpoint.
The Labor Party.
The labor party is mother issue
that is going 10 stir the convention.
As is well known. Minnesota labor Is
among the pioneers of the labor party
II has definitely committed itself to a
labor party at the New Ulm conven.
ton held in 1918, the federation took
its stand on this qeustion as follows
Resolved, That the delegates to
the Minnesota State Federation OF
Labor, in annual convention assem-.
bled, do hereby declare that they
keenly appreciate the urgent neces.
sity OF united. aggressive and indepen-
dent political action Of the working
i.