The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-09-21
Business as Usual'' in
the Amalgamated

peaceful though it seems!
Leaving New York let us turn else
where, Let's see whether Business
as Usual" is applicable to other mar
kets. Suppose we take look at
Rochester, That market is an I'M
portant one Excepting Chicago,
Rochester is the only regularly dues
paying center and from a financial
view point ranks second highest
having a membership of fully nine
/ thousand dues paying members. The
predominating nationality are the
! Italians who claim that they were
never given their full number of
representatives either in the joint
board or in the administration.
I Many stormy meetings were held
! over this issue. That matter, how
ever, is never settled, it is always
4 pacified, somehow. An instruction
on the part of the membership is an
every day occurrence in Rochester
which is usually followed by some
momentary compromise which soon,
in turn, is followed by another out
burst Of revolt.
Local Jealousy.
Until two years ago the manager
of the Joint Board was an outsider
placed there by the National Office.
AS usual in such cases, that fact met
with resentment by the local office
seekers. Why have an outsider run
our business when we have so many
capable fellows among ourselves who
could do the job better and cheaper,
was their line of argument. Before
long group of local politicians
capitalized the slogan of autonomy
and economy" and consequently
gained power A local man was
placed at the head of the organiza-
ton
That group having gained power ii
Immediately declared war upon those
who had opposed them in the past;
those, who with the National Office
fought against the ascendary of the
local group. The National Office. on
the other hand, began fraternizing
with the newly elected chief and his
associates; the very same group that
they fought most bitterly when they
were on the outside. AS a conse-
quence of this double-faced role on
the part of the General Office one
Italian organizer and Jewish
women-business agent were forced
to leave Rochester shortly after.
Needless to state that before long
the rank and file in Rochester began
to see and feel the acts of dishonesty
on the part Of the local leadership.
Abuses and wilful determinations
were mounting. Because of their
Ignorance and utter lack of principle
the local leadership became arrogant
and insolent. They treated those who
criticized them with utmost intoler-
ance. The Italians claimed that they
were, particularly, being Disseminated
against. No amount of supplication
tended to prevail upon those new
leaders" to adopt a broader outlook
toward the large rank and file.
To get closer picture of the la
mentable situation in Rochester an
illustration is in place Some time
ago an employment exchange was
established. A man and a girl were
placed in the office; incidentally, or
otherwise, the man was Jewish and
part of the local machine, and the
girl was Italian. After working in
the capacity for several months, do
ing her work most satisfactorily, the
girl, for no definite reason at all was
suddenly transferred to another de-
partment, and an inexperienced girl
was placed on her job. Naturally, the
news reached the Italian executive
board members and they wanted to
know the reason for that change.
The facts are these:
A member of Chatman's-the man.
ager's-machine quit his job in order
to get position in another factory
that would enable him to earn more
money. His name was placed in the
proper section on the employment
list. 1t appeared, however, that sew
eral other workers were registered in
that section ahead of him. These
workers We're on the list for some
time. Now, in order to give that
favorite the coveted job the other
workers had to be somehow dis
pensed with.
Here the ingenuity of the Employ
ment-exchange-manager came into
play. Through tacit arrangements
with a number of foremen he dis
patched these workers to various
shops. Having thus temporarily dis
posed of them the favorite was given
the job he desired The other work
ers, needless to say, were back on the
employment list within a day or so,
having been fired from their trial
jobs as per arrangements between the
foremen and the employment man.
ager.
The girl who attended to the Job
list objected to such tactics and her
removal was affected.
The following incident is more
pointed:
A girl was fired. She came to the
union-office to complain against the
arbitrary dismissal. Imagine the dis
may Of the girl when waiting to make