The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-05-14
The New Open Shop Drive

10000 miners are out on strike against wage
reductions. The avowed view of the interests in
control of that industry is to smash the Miners
Union.
In the needle trades in New York, open shop con-
ditions being established by the employers with
the cooperation Of the Executive Council of the
A. F. of l.. led by the president of the Civic Fed
Grafton, Matthew Woll The Master Plumbers As
socation of New York under the direction of the
organized building trades bosses, break their agree
ment with the Plumbers Union and make lockout
of 10000 men in order to stop any upward
wage movements in this industry In New Eng
land the textile industry for The last six months
has intensive drive to establish the 54heur
week in which Mcmahon, president of the U. 7. w.
A.. A. +. of L. textile union cooperated
The production record in a number of important
industries shows definite downward trend These
are few of the weather signs indicating what is
to come. Are in for a period of industrial de-
preston beginning right after the 1928 presidential
elections? What is behind the present attack against
labor? What is the most likely action of the A. +.
Of L. leadership? What the left wing do in
such situation? These are few of the questions
eur movement must have an answer for before long.
We can already quite clearly perceive few out
standing facts in this situation.
In the open shop drive of 1892 the capitalists
took advantage of the depression in industry
sequent to postwar sterilization peace basis,
to rob the workers of whatever advantages they
gained during the and to drive the workers
standards in several important industries even be-
low the pre-war level The A. F. of l.. lost all its
war gains, that is over a million members in this
drive American capital succeeded in reducing stan
dards sufficiently to be able to get ahead of the
other imperalist powers who weakened as result
of the world war and captured many of their
kets.
These were the days of the great organization
movement, Labor Party, LaFollette Ord Party
movement etc. These were also days when the
A. F. Of l.. leadership instead of heading this ire
nendous forward movement the political and
industrial fields surrendered to the trusts and fl
nancial combines, who were tremendously strength
ened during the war, and with the coming in Of
imperialis prosperity the A. J.. of L. bureaucracy
having executed its first great postwar swing TO
the right took the offensive against the mtants
by outlawing the leaders of these forward move
ments that dared to continue in their progressive
activities.
II was not sufficient however for American capital
to drive labor backward to its pre-war standard and
strength in order to maintain its position the
was being re established and stabilized at the
pense Of the workers. peasants, petty bourgeoisie
and the middle classes Production had to be driven
upward at enormous pace thru speed-up methods,
labor saving machinery, etc. The A. f. OF H. leader
ship coopcrated in this and announced its new role
Of efficiency foremen officially in its socaed New
Wage Theory resolution adopted at the Atlantic
City convention and forcefully demonstrated in
what is known as the 3. g. o. plan
Thus the employers succeeded in obtaining AZ
per cent increase in production at but per cent
additional expense incurred in wage increases and