The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-08-05
BOSSES and
TAKERS BOTH
INSURING US
Both Going to Make Us
Die to Win
Rx HARRISON eEoReE

The working class Of America Is
certainly going to be insured. Between
the bosses and the labor takers they
cannot escape II.
The American Federation of Labor
is starting a plan to sell death bene-
fits to members of organized labor, in
view of the fact that the unions, I'M
der the misleadership Of the union
bureaucracy, the benefits the mem
bers get while living are vanishing
under theAaskaults of the employers
without hight of magnitude and de-
termination.
These employers, however, have
some schemes of their own about
death dement's for the workers-de-
rived from exactly the same idea as
are the schemes Of the labor takers.
The employers, too, knowing that the
advantages, Of better wages and hours
are the things most desired by the
workers, yet intend to prevent the
workers getting these advantages AS
something "just as good" they promise
them, Just as the labor takers do
death benefits.
Death Becoming Desirable
Recently. for example, $4,000 men
and women railroad workers employ
ed by the Louisville and Nashville,
the Nashville, Chattanooga and st.
Louis, and the Louisville, Henderson
and st. Paul, have been, willy nilly,
insured by their bosses.
These companies have made deal
with the Prudential company to insure
all their employees. For those earning
less than 800 a month, life insur-
ance of $1,000 will be taken out.
Those earning from 500 to S175
monthly will be insured for $4,000 and
those above SITS will be permitted"
-as the report states, the great boon
of getting $4,000 when they die. No
medical examination is required, and
the policies for all will be effective
when rs per, cent of the employees ac-
cept the scheme.
Boss VIII "Bear the Burden" OF
eea Control
One fly. in the ointment is, quite
naturally, that the workers them
selves are, asked to pay the premiums
in part-the companies will, so 1t is
announced-S.bear the remaining ex-
pense andfyill undertake the account
ing and clerical work"
What the proportions of the prem
iums are which the workers pay,
.LA - s,&o~astin0 hut avan this
1 point is notaso interesting as the tact
that the railroad companies, out OF
the boundless generosity Of their
hearts CD offer to do the accounting
and clerical work" In plain English,
they offer ito control the funds, not
| only keeping. in their hands the pre-
miums paid in by themselves and also
those paid by the workers, but in ad-
dition the companies will have the
power to psy--or not to pay-the
benefits. ri
A, Nice Looking Trap
Now, one need not argue further
with the average worker who knows
we'll enough to what such control
will lead, in power to coerce the work
ers to remtin eloyal' to the company,
to discriminate against active union
lists and red agitatorsH and to hold
the whip OF, loss Of premiums over the
workers when they threaten strike,
and so on.
However, the workers are not with
out remedy in this dilemma, which
poses the question of being victimized
by the bosses or led into class col
laboration and defeat by their labor
takers all in the name of insurance.
What to Do II You Must Die
Granting the desirability of life in
surance, the workers must reject COM
pletely the poison proposal of the en-
ployers to trap them into a position
of helplessness and inability to fght.
Equally, theoworkers, especially the
membership of the unions, must vigil
antly demand that the union bureau
cracy cease to regard life insurance
as a substitute for class struggle
against the bosses, and that all such
business" be taken completely out OF
the hands of the officialdom and put
lHlO Jut Hduuo VI llC AAAChADOA oAAP eN
der real control by them, upon basis
of genuine cooperative management
Must Control Unions, Too
Nor will the movement ever be
secure from corruption by the pres
ent reactionarYIb bureaucracy, until the
membership OF, the unions, following
the program of the Trade Union Edu-
airy leadership and establish leader
ship which viii tight for working class
interests and not evade the struggle
by abandoning the fight for wages and
hours and going into the banking and
insurance business to insure" their
high salaries in the face OF falling
treasures and loss of membership.
More Airshlp Routes.
AIR NJrrIC CITY NJ I Aug q