The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-12-05
Drive Against Left Wing in Trade Unions

cure supreme control OF the trade
union movement Of America, we,
the loyal members and officers of
the organized labor movement will
strike back and strike hard. We
will neither rest nor cease our eff
forts until Communism and the
Communist philosophy and those
who represent It are driven from
the ranks Of organized labor"
What is the basis for this expulsion
policy which is now being used so
violently against the left wing? The
cause of it has two roots. The cause
is to be found in the improved fighting
policies Of the left wing within the
last few years, which makes it neces-
sary for the reactionaries to proceed
to more drastic measures of struggle.
The second is to be found in the turn
of the labor bureaucracy more sharply
than ever towards class collaboration,
which weakens their control over the
organized masses, and which throws
them into the imperative necessity at
this time of destroying the influence
Of the left wing at all costs, regard
less of the means used.
AS to the first proposition: For
many years the left wing, because of
it's infatuation for infantile ideas of
dual unionism, was negligible factor
in the trade unions. The reactionary
bureaucracy had plain sailing to con-
troll the masses for their policies-the
opposition of the yellow socialists
being never very. vital. Hence there
vas little or no need for an expulsion
policy, except in special occasions
where more or less spontaneous local
revolts occurred. But now the situa-
ton is fundamentally altered. The
left wing, despite all it's failings, has
learned how to fight in the unions.
1t has almost fully recovered from the
dualism which hamstrung it for so
long and it has learned the main
principles of left wing organization
in conservative trade unions. More
over, it no longer wastes its time in
these unions, as it once did, in an
empty NEGATIVES criticism Of the organ
izatfons and their officials in general.
Now it has a practical program for
the revolutionizing of the unions. 1t
takes the lead, so far as its all too
weak resources will permit, in the
everyday struggles Of the masses. 1t
contests the union elections against
the reactionaries. In other words, it
is now engaged in a real struggle
against the bureaucrats for the leader
ship of the unions. The effectiveness
of these new tactics of the left wing
was graphically demonstrated by the
tremendous sweep of the amalgama-
ton movement. The reactionary
bureaucrats, confronted with the new
menace of an organized left wing that
has learned how to fight for control
of the organized workers, had to
strike back quickly and hard. The
expulsion campaign was their answer
ing tactics.
Now as to the other phase of the
expulsion policy: The great defeat of
the trade union movement in the
historic struggle of 1920-23 demon
strated clearly the burning necessity
for the trade unions to consolidate
their ranks, to organize labor party,
and generally to adopt more mill
tant policy of struggle. But the bu-
reaucrats controlling the unions alb
solutely refused to learn this lesson.
Instead of developing the power of
resistance of the unions as against
the employers and adopting policy
of an offensive, they proceeded to
hoist the white flag of surrender, and
accordingly began to work out and
apply the various new schemes Of
class collaboration, such as the B. and
o. plan, workers insurance, labor
banking, ETC., which are tending to
degrade the trade unions into little
better than company unions. But
such a policy was not without its
hazards for them. 1t had to be fairly
rammed down the threats of the rank