The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-05-02
The Drift of the Labor
Bureaucracy to the Right

the organization. During the an
thracite strike of 1925 there was a
splendid opportunity to rehabilitate
the organization by pulling out the
bituminous miners. But Lewis re-
fused to do this. He permitted the
employers, under the fiction Of the
Jacksonville agreement, to under
mine the organization, to the extent
that where three years ago union BIZ
luminous miners were producing
7096 of the bituminous coal and non
union miners 800, the percentages,
on the eve of the present strike, were
almost exactly reversed. Lewis pol
icy brought the union in actual dan
ger of destruction. The "Save the
Union" slogan of the progressive
bloc in the recent elections, was
based upon the realist of realities.
THE loss of the vital steel work
L ers' and shipments strikes result
ed in the bureaucracy Of the labor
movement going far to the right, with
consequent neglect of the workers
interests and to the decentralization
and weakening of the unions. AL
ready the weakening Of the Miners
Union has had a reactionary effect
upon the labor movement. And the
loss of the present bituminous strike,
which would shatter the U. M. w.
A., backbone Of the American labor
movement, would also drive the bur-
eaucracy still further to the right ,
and inflict fresh disasters upon the
trade unions as whole. Hence the
rallying Of all possible support be-
hind the striking miners looms as
the major task confronting the labor
movement at the present time. The
miners strike must be won in spite
of Lewis policy of betrayal.
The Road Ahead of Us.
THE present fight of the workers
for a powerful and militant la
Dor movement is difficult one. The
reactionary bureaucracy, who are set
upon their policies of no fight against
the employers, cling to the control
of the unions by autocratic measures
which outrage every tradition and
practice of democracy in the unions.
But the situation is much better than
it appears upon the surface. There
is widespread discomfort among the
masses of workers. This was evil
denced in the recent miners elections,
when the opposition undoubtedly poll
led the majority of the votes cast.
It is also manifest in the vast up-
heaval now taking place in the needle
trades. In the Machinists' Union,
which the recent election demon
strated, the workers are Disconnected
with the reactionary leadership. Even
in such organizations as the carpen-
ters, the rank and file (witness the
elections in Chicago and other cities)
are finding themselves in conflict
with the reactionary officialdom.
N the unions there are great num-
= bers of workers at odds with their
leaders. The task is to unite these
under progressive and left wing lea
dership. They lack organization
and definite program. It is not
that the bureaucracy is so strong
but that the opposition is so disuni-
ted. The T. U. E. L., with its slo-
gans of organize the unorganized
within and without the existing un-
ions, the amalgamation of the craft
unions, the formation of labor par
ty, and the characterization of the
unions, points the way to victory.
What is needed is the DEVELOPMENT
of widespread united front Of pro-
gressive and left wing elements to
put these vital slogans into reality.
This is the specific to stop the drift
of the present leadership to the right.
1t is the way to militant and sue
cessful trade union movement.