The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-08-15
FURRIERS TO
HOLD LOCAL
ELECTION
ShGchtmGn, from New
York, to Speak


movement has such terrorism been
practlced against the militant rank
and file as In the Furriers' union,
especially In New York City. That it
has signaIIy failed and the progress
slvss in the New York shops won con-
troll of the Joint Board and have be-
gun a fight for cleaning out the I'M
speakabIe Kaufman gang from the In
ternational isteIf, should interest all
workers, particularly the furriers
outside Of New York.
shaehtman Speaks Tonight.
Tonight the Chicago Local of the
Furriers is to hold a meeting and the
progressive group has sent out to the
memberhip the following letter, set
ting for the program upon which
they ask the members to support
them locally and nationally The
meeting tonight is to be addressed by
D. Shachtman, secretary-treasurer of
the New York Joint Board, who is
well known to Chicago furriers as
their business agent for three years.
Shachtman will bring to the Chi
cago memberhip the message of the
progressive group and explain in de-
tail the conflict between the rank and
file and the Joint Board in New York
and the Singer regime of Kaufman
The letter to the Chicago members is
as follows:
Letter to Chicago Furriers.
"Dear Sisters and Brothers: On
Friday, August 14th, our Local Union
No. AZ will hoEd its election for bust
ness agent. 1lpe situation among the
furrlers in cAfago, as yoh know, i
very poor. OPfy a little over so per
cent of the inl ntry is organized; in
stead of 700 II 'riers being in our un-
ion, Their are scant 400. Yet moth
ing is being dome to organize the
others. Even Hart, Schaffner g.
Marx, heralded thruout the contry as
union firm, is nonunion to the fur
riers.
There are firms who have an agree
ment with our union and send work
to nonunion shops to be done; and,
our local makes no protest. let alone
try to stop it. What we need is a
live, militant organization. This can
only be brot about by the election of
progressive leaders to office, and by
pulling the entire membership into
the active work of the union.
Against Terrorism in Union.
"This will be exceedingly difficult if
the present method of terrorism that
exists in our union is allowed to con-
tinue. 1t is we'll known that the best
and most active members are dis
eliminated against in the shops by the
manufacturers and our present bust
ness agent, Milstein, does nothing to
stop it and there is no protest against
this discrimination from the union.
Not only that, but active members
have been threatened and some of
them beaten up, when they made
complaints, by those who should take
up these complaints.
y "You remember about year ago
when Brother Menilla, Brother S. H.
Goldberg, and Brother Adler who
were beaten up. Just short time
ago In our office, our business agent,
Brother Milstein, struck Brother Lip
ton. Again Brother Upton was as
oouIfad hv nrofhar Efarcfafn ,,.araIxr
because he nominated Brother Israel
son for business agent Brother Lip
ton complained to the executive board I;
and the executive board, after listen
ing to his complaint, told him to leave
the meeting.
Must Leave.
"Many other active members OF the
union have been threatened. Even
Brother Skolnik, one of the Oldest
members of the union was also threat
ened This kind OF work must cease,
and we ask your cooperation in elm
mating this terrorism within our or
ganization.
There has been no opportunity
given to the members TO state their
grievances either in, the union meet
ings or in our press. When Israelson.
the opponent Of Milstein in the pres
ent election, wrote short article
explaining the situation int our union
and criticizing the way the organiza-
ton is being run today, presenting