The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-05-11
UNORGANIzED AN
imp 0RTANT ISSUE
AT CONVENTION
A. c. w. Delegate Can
Learn from Montreal
81 a WORKER correspondent

Reprinted from Living Newspaper In
the English Language, Chicago.
One Of the most important problems
that will have to be considered by
the convention of the American Cloth.
ing Workers of America, in Montreal,
May 10, will be the organization of
the unorganized. This question il not
solved in the immediate future is
threatening the very life OF the un-
ion, because the unorganized workers
are undermining the conditions of the
organized workers and the manufac-
turers are gradually moving the in.
dustry to the unorganized cities and
towns.
Adopt Wrong Policy.
The general executive board Of the
American Clothing Workers has tried
to solve this problem in two ways:
1. They gave all kinds of conces-
sions to the manufacturers in the
form of wage cuts and readjustments,
so that the manufacturers can COM
pete with the unorganized shops. This
policy has failed to keep the work
from going to non-union shops, be-
cause the employers in those shops
could always reduce the wages of
those unorganized workers below the
standard of the workers in unionized
cities.
2. The general executive board
also tried to organize the inorganic
ed, but has succeeded very little, ex-
nnnf An Tfn
er, Mr.. Nash, has (for various rea-
sons which we will not discuss in
this article) turned over the workers
to the Amalgamated. But in cities
like Philadelphia, where the A. G. w.
A. has spent hundreds of thousands
of dollars, the union has made very
little progress.
No one can say that the general
executive board does not want to or
ganize the unorganized, but it has
taken the wrong attitude. that few
paid officials and plenty of money will
do the job and by this time the dele
gates to the convention ought to real
lie that an organization campaign can
only be successful when the whole
membership is drawn into the cam
paign. This can only be done when
the membership has full confidence
in the leaders of the organization.
The condition In the organization in
Montreal where the convention will be
held proves this viewpoint to be cor
rect.
From the latter part Of 1928 to the
end Of 1924 the Montreal organiza-
ton Of the A. C. w. continued to dis
integrate. The leadership of that or
ganization having lost the confidence
of the members, were helpless. So in
tolerable did the conditions become
that in 1928 there was scarcely any
semblance of organization in the
small shops. The average dues paying
membership dropped to 700 out of
5000 employed in the industry.
Results Of Concessions.
The methods used by the officials in
their efforts to save the organization
were, concession upon concession to
the employers. The system of Stand
ard of Production" was introduced, re.
duction of wages was granted, the A
hour week was actually done away
with. These methods only brought
about a situation where the members
became disguised with the union and
this helped the bosses to disorganize
the workers.
The rank and file finally revolted
under the leadership of the "lefts,"
new elections were demanded, mass
meeting after mass meeting repudiat-
ed the bureaucracy until finally the
pressure of the rank and file became
80 great that the bureaucracy sue
cumbed. New elections were held and