The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-12-09

of the membership.
g. Election of business agents
every year.
3. A five-day week of forty hours,
and a twelve dollar per day wage.
A. Each local union shall be sole
judge as to its representation in the
district council.
5. Freedom of expression within
the union.
6. All amendments Endorsed by five
locals to be sent out for referendum
of the membership.
z. Job control so that the workers
can put an end to the "hire-and-ire'
sytem.
The Candidates.
James McAdam, Local Union 5S5,
for president.
Mortimer McGrath, Local Union 7S7,
for first vice-president.
Waldemar Lihzis, Local Union 2O9O,
for second vice-president.
Michal Kavanagh, Local Union 2725,
for secretary-treasurer.
The Officials Method.
The officers are elected by local UNI
ion delegates to the d. G. and in a
leafiet that is signed by the United
Progressive Carpenters the locals are
urged to instruct their delegates to
vote for these candidates, before Dec.
% when elections will be held.
The formation of this left bloc is a
result and reaction against the actions
of the present corrupt administration
headed by John Halkett successor to
Brindell. The method used to defeat
the will of the membership was to
fight one group at time, stamping
each as a group of reds, T. U. i. L,
members or disrupters thereby divid-
ing the opposition and giving them
the chance to defeat one local group
at time.
Two Allies in the Left Bloc.
The two main groups are:
1. The group that supported Rosen
as general president of the carpenters
union in the last general election and
is composed of real left wing fighters
for the interest of the membership
upon concrete program.
2. The other is the group that sup
ported Brown for president. 1t has
no program and is composed of liber-
ais, conservative honest trade union
lists, and others that are mainly inter
ested in fighting corruption or ousting
the present officials.
Nature of the Alliance.
The fact that for the first time this
latter group was forced to unite with
the former upon a written program
based on the interests of the rank
and file is a result of sound left wing
tactics, in the last campaign for pres
ident of the carpenters union and is OF
great significance for the labor move
ment and a forruner of great fights
yet to develop. 1t is of course ex
pected that the latter group will not
at present accept the entire left wing
program. They will only learn the
need as the fight developes.
Some of the recent local events that
lead to this progressive bloc are in
teresting Local 2163 adopted an
amendment to the district council by
laws that all D. c. officials should be
elected every year by referendum
vote instead of every three years by
delegates to the district council. This
was indorsed by eleven locals but the
reactionaries suppressed it by ruling
1t out of order and not allowing the
district council to send it out for a
referendum vote.
Blocked by Officials.
The demand for a 5-day week and
a $12 per day wage was raised by the
| left wing and the membership brought
so much pressure that the d. c. was
| forced to send it out for a referendum
vote. Local after local voted 800 for
it, so overwhelming was the vote that
the officers of the d. c. refused to
make the tally public satisfying them
! selves by saying that it did not get
the required $50 vote of the member
| ships A motion in the ID. G. was
carried requesting the building trades
council to give their approval to this
carpenters demand but John Halkett
who is car of the building trades
council and also of the carpenters
district council, ruled it out of order
A good method by which the corrupt
officers of the d. c. perpetuated them
selves in office and defeated the will
of the membership is by disfranchis-
ing locals that elected progressive
delegates, by refusing to seat them.
Would Not Seat Proeressives.
A recent example is the refusal of
the ID. c. to seat Morris Rosen former
left wing candidate for general pres
ident as a delegate from Local 1916
The local sent a letter and resolution
! to all the locals in the district con
demning this and demanding that
Rosen be seated Immediately. This
was Endorsed by number Of locals.
Another is the refusal to seat A.
Kivowitz OF Local 2717 who was dis.
| eliminated against because he is a