The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-09-05
CRAFT UNIONISM
is DRAWBACK IN
WATERS STRIKE
Cooks Don't Leave Jobs
Thus Helping Bosses
BY TOM LEWIS.


The position of the bosses is becom
ing more untenable as the strike
of union walters here is pro
longed. The bosses some time age
encouraged the captains to ignore
their unions. Some of them fell for
it, because they gained some favors
from the bosses, still the union being
strong enuf, was able to retain juris-
diction over them with the result
that since the strike several Of them
have joined the strikers and are work
ing faithfully for victory.
FIore in Confusion.
President Flore of the Cooks, Wait
ers and Bartenders International ar
rived in town few days ago. He has
already taken hold of the situation
and doing the best he can under the
circumstances But like all labor
leaders who believe in the craft form
of unionism he is up against bad
predicament The unions he repre-
sents are in the same International
of which he is the president. The
walters are on strike, and all the
others remain at work.
Previous to last spring the respec-
tive unions had an understanding in
which no antagonistic agreements
could be signed at different periods.
But that was all changed last May
when the cooks signed up with the
bosses without considering the wait.
ers, and all because the bosses made
some promises to the cooks officials
in the way of lettering their condi'
tons somewhat with the conse'
quences they fell for it. Since then
there has been more or less bad feel
ing engendered between the officials
particularly of the walters and cooks.
which is now developing among the
workers also. The virus of craftism is
playing it's game aided by the bosses
and the weak kneed labor leaders
The president, Mr.. Flore is an adj
vocate of autonomous unions within
the international, to say nothing about
craftism. Now he is confronted with a
condition in which he must about
face, otherwise the walters will posi-
lively lose out in the present contro-
versy or struggle He is striving to
reconcile the forces, but the more he
attempts the impossible the more
foolish his whole view and action ap-
pears.
Amalgamation Necessary.
In the meantime the walters are get
ting ready to hear the message Of the
amalgamationist, while at the same
time they are waking up to the fact
that there is no hope for the workers
unless they amalgamate their forces
with all crafts within the industry.
The message Of Communism is not
unwelcome either, proving that strug-
gle makes the slaves amenable to lis
ten to something more valuable than
the old story of. in union there is
strength, when the kind of unionism
that is preached to them is a dead
failure.
Tho the bosses at the present time
are in a plight, yet eventually If the
cooks do not stand by the walters and
come out on sympathy strike, the
fight in the end will terminate in their
favor, so whatever losses or incon-
veniences the bosses suffer for the
time being will prove to their inter
est.
Strikers Put Up Good Fight.
While on the other hand. If the
walters will have to fight it all alone,
and the cooks continue to remain at
work. the international president and
the unions he represents will be
placed in the position, you'll be
damned IL you do, and woull be
damned if you don't, while obsolete
craftism gets another severe Jolt.
The spirit Of the strikers is good
they are continually picketing at all
hours night and day, whatever the
outcome the walters are TO be con.
graduated for the fine fight they are
putting up.