The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-04-10
SHOE WORKERS
OF LYNN FIGHT
FAKE UNION
"Boot and Shoe" Union
Under Boss Control
BY NJ. sHARAF.

LYNN, Mass.-The scab Boot and
Shoe Workers Union" has definitely
announced its coming to Lynn, in
spite Of it's frequently reiterated prom
Use not to attempt to do so unless the
majority of the Lynn shoe workers
expressed themselves in its favor thru
a referendum vote.
The present agreement between the
Amalgamated and the manufacturers
ends April 30. The Boot and Shoe
Workers Union" in spite of the &C,
tivities Of its underlings in the ranks
Of the Amalgamated, did not get the
required FIVE locals to call a referen
dunn vote.
Failing to secure referendum, the
locals favoring the B. & IS. notified
the Amalgamated and the manufactur
ers that those locals would not be
party to any agreement drawn up by
the Amalgamated.
Unity Against Reaction.
The militants within the ranks oil
the Amalgamated know that once the
b. & S. gets into Lynn, it will near
the end Of their common rights. These
workers succeeded in forming a bloc
including the stichers. cutters and
edgemakers, to combat the B. & S.
and the open shop drive.
The first gun was fired at the
stitchers' mass meeting. Among the
speakers were De Liberty, national or
ganizer of the S. w. Protective Union
and O'Brien, former member of the
B. & S., but now leader of the Brock
ton strike against the B. & S.
O'Brien is now a member of the
International Amalgamation Commit
tee of the shoe and leather industry
5roekton Workers Oppose q. & 8.
1t was brot out at this meeting that
the Brockton shoe workers 1.-THE
stronghold of the B. & S. are on the
verge OF another revolt against the
latter organization.
II the Lynn shoe workers were L
Join the B. & S., their action would
discourage and weaken the fightinl
groups both within and outside th'
B. & s.
The Forward AdVertises the 3. &
The advertisements in the Lynn
Press and the yellow Forward by tn,
B. & S. were ridiculed and severed,
scored. In the words of O'Brien, thu
only difference between the open shol
and the B. G. S. is the twenty-five cen
weekly dues.
Your correspondent told De Libert.
that the Protective made a seriou
mistake last year when they turned
deaf ear to the demands of the Lynn
shoe workers to call a joint conven
ton Of their organization and tn
Amalgamated for the purpose of merg
ing these two unions.
If that had taken place, Lyna woult
not be in its present predicament. A
it is, both the AmalgamateI and tn,
Protective are in danger. Tbs lacl
of cooperation has helped the cause
of the B. & s. and discouraged thu
many Lynn shoe workers with at
tempts to get amalgamated.
The Protective's Opportunity.
Since the start of the fight between
the Amalgamated and the B. & s. tn
vast majority of the latter organizs
ton has again been favoring a comb
nation with the Protective. The Pre-
tective could save the situation, an,
help bring about the amalgamation o
all shoe unions.
The locals in Lynn favoring the 3
& S. have never been self-sustaining
The B. & S. would be taking on a liza
bility instead Of an asset by granting
them charters.
Those acquainted with the makeup
Of these locals predict that it would
not take long before the B. & S. would
take away Their charters, and put then
in the notorious local zero"
Under the constitution of the B. 4
S. local that cannot sustain itsel
may have its charter taken away, ant
have its business agent appointed
by the takers to run the business o.
the local.
The militants of Lynn are active il
spreading the truth about the r. G. S
and are planning to call another mas
meetinng under the auspices of the
T. U. e. L.