The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-05-01
TEXTILE WORKERS
ADOPT PROGRAM
AT conference
T. u. E. L. Plans Call
for United Front
BY JOSEPH MANLEY.

| y SOOEF1 mftNLENs
LAWRENCE, Mass, April 30. -
Lawrence, Mass, known thruout
the labor movement as the scene Of
historic struggles in the textile In
dustry was the location Of a textile
conference held last Sunday, April 20.
The Lawrence conference is signif-
cant and important to the extent that
the miserable conditions of the textile
workers generally are becoming
worse.
The entire textile industry is faced
with serious developments for the
workers, brought about by the con-
centration Of capital, the wholesale in
PRODUCTION of automatic machinery
the application Of efficiency methods
Of production, and the use of super
power which, together with the semi
automatic machinery, enables the use
Of black and white unskilled labor
close to the source of the raw mater
! ial in the south. The textile trust in
I Its ruthless grasp for profits is grind
ing its vast army of workers down
to the very lowest degree of wage
slaves.
Out Of Date Unions and Leaders
The many unions, in the modern
textile industry are antiquated In
policy and structure. Offered as they
are by men and women (the later of
the type of Sarah Conboy) whose
principles are bounded by class COLA
ooration and whose theology is essent-
tally capitalistic, offer no resistance
whatever to the growing power and
profits Of the textile trust.
The many unions as they Ctand now.
whether Of the craft or semi-indus-
trial type, cannot and will not organ
ize the textile workers. Not more than
100000 workers out of total Of over
million and half are now divided
between these various unions.
Not a single one of these unions
attempts to meet constructively, or
even intelligently such obstacles as
the race problem or the tendency to-
ward craft division in the three basic
woolen, cotton and silk, divisions of
the industry. The inability to organ
ize the textile workers by bank
rupt bureaucracy at the head of anti
quated unions has for a long time
been pointed out by the Trade Union
Educational League.
Previous Work Laid Basis
The organization of the left wing
elements in the textile industry has
been advocated, and to some extent
.. been carried on for the last couple
of years by the Trade Union Educa,
tional League. Two years ago con-
ferences of militants in the textile
industry we're organized.
An amalgamation committee was
formed, a textile union amalgamation
program was adopted, and other
measures proposed to crystalize the
militant movement in the industry.
This propaganda and agitation, by the
I. U. e. L., national committee thru
out the entire industry has firmly con-
WINGED the textile workers that ANAL
gamation is practical necessity look
ing to the organization of the un-
organized.
The Wage Cut Drive
For months past, the textile trust
has been making war upon its work
ers. The seat of this war has been
in New England. The signal for the
battle was given by the trust in the
form of wage cuts and large scale I'M
employment. Immediately that the
textile barons announced their inten-
tons, the T. U. E. L. national COM
mittee sounded the alarm to the work
ers.
In addition, it proposed a line of
policy and program to effectively re-
sist wage reductions and unemploy-
ment. The T. u. e. l.. issued a mani
festo addressed particularly to New
England textile workers calling upon
them to follow its lead in the initia.
ton Of a wide campaign for a broad
united front movement of the textile
unions, and the unorganized textile
| workers against the united front of
the textile millionaires.
The T. U. E. L. Fighting Plan
Militant resistance to wage cuts.
and increased in hours was declared
for. The organization OF shop com.
mittees, in every mill, was proposed.
Immediate measures to resist the
widespread unemployment was con.
tanned in the manifesto. To deal with
the New England crisis, it was pro.
posed to call series OF conferences
at which basic programs should be
adopted, such conferences and pro
grams to lead to the Inauguration OF
a broad mass movement of textile
workers that will effectively meet the
onslaught of the textile capitalists.
The Lawrence conference is the
first Of a series. It was called by Dis
trict Organizer ]. J. BALKAN for the
T. U. Il. L. There were present at this
conference some forty odd delegates.
members OF five unions from thirteen