The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-06-30
By GEORGE Z. POWERS.


The metal trades workers of the
United States number nearly four
and one-half millions. These workers
are among the most necessary for
the functioning of the industrial
machinery Of the country, for with
out the services of the automobile
workers, blacksmiths, drop forgers,
boilermakers, iron shipbuilders,
craftsmen, technical engineers, metal
engravers, firemen and oilers, mold
ers, foundrymen, Steel workers,
steamfitters, structural iron workers
and sheet metal workers, etc. to mem
ton only some of the important
groups in the metal trades, modern
industry in this country would be
impossible.
Despite the prime Importance of
these workers in the industrial
scheme Of things, with few exceptions
they are among the most overworked
and underpaid workers in the United
States. On the other hand, there are
no industries more profitable for the
bosses than these same metal trades.
For example, the richest man in the
world, Henry Ford, got his billions
from the most inhuman system of
scientific exploitation Of scores of
thousands of automobile workers yet
devised.
The Blight OF "FordizatiOn.'
The same Scientific production"
with its speed-up, bonuses, stop
watch, company union, spies and stool
pigeons, known as "Fordization is
being more and more introduced by
the metal trades bosses in their at
tempt to extract ever more profit
from the sweated toll Of the workers
and to prevent the growth of the only
thing which can put check upon
their greed, namely, labor unions run
by the rank and file Of the workers
for their own interests as metal
trades workers. Real unionism of
this type is weakest in the metal
trades industries.
Small Percentage Organized.
OF the four and one-half millions
Of workers in these industries, less
than 100000, or about four and one
half per cent are organized, and even
this small number is split up into
some SO different craft unions, each
acting Independently Of the rest,
greatly to the advantage of the
bosses, who, on the other hand, have
been constantly uniting and co-or-
dinating their trade organizations
until today, the great accumulations
Of capital in the metal trades in
dustries are controlled as one huge
unit. It is this division among the |
workers and the unity among the |
bosses which is chiefly responsible
for the weakness of the metal trades
unions.
Agents of the Bosses.
The energetic efforts of the pro-
gressive, militant elements in the
various craft unions Of the metal
trades, to achieve more unity Of or
ganization and action, have met not |
only with the opposition of the
bosses, which is to be expected, but
of the reactionary labor leaders as
well. BY sponsoring such schemes as
the infamous "B. & O." plan. these |
misleaders of labor are attempting
to bring about what is called work
er-employer cooperation" high
sounding name for all company
unionism, as against a determined. |
organized struggle of all the metal
trades workers against their bosses. |
At this time, in the face of the highly
organized attack of the bosses. as
sisted by the majority of the labor
leaders, the progressive workers in
the metal trades should center their
efforts upon drive on the open
shops to organize the semi-skilled and