The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-07-14
By M. HI.

|
The strike of the plumbers helpers,
altho it did not result in complete
victory for these militant young work
ers, was not in vain. Before the
formation of their organization, the
average helper was unacquainted with
the principles of trade unionism, and
did not realize that he is the most ex-
plotted worker, in the building trades
industry. However, things have
changed since the strike, and we now
find the helper seeing the situation in
far different light. He has slowly
begun to realize that there is such
thing as a class struggle existing in
the world today. Nothing has served
to make this more clearer to him, than
| the bitter strike which he has gone
through. He has seen the bosses also
united into an organization, and pre-
senting a united front against him
and his fellow workers. Slowly but
surely he has realized, that it is also
necessary for the workers to present
united front in order to meet the
combined attack of the bosses. He
has learned what happens to workers
when they try to protect their jobs by
peaceful picketing. In many cases
brutally beaten up by the police, and
arrested on trumped up charges, and
then either thrown into jail, or having
an unjust fine imposed upon him, has
proven to him that the police and our
courts are nothing but tools of the
capitalists, used by them to beat the
workers into submission when they
try to better their conditions.
In the recent strike of the plumbers,
the helpers were more active than the
plumbers themselves. For some I'M
known reason, and despite the fact
that they had fourteen automobiles at
their disposal, there was very little
picketing carried on by the plumbers.
1t was the helpers, these young work
ers who for the first time in their
lives were entering the labor move
ment, that succeeded in clearing job
after job where scab plumbers were
employed. Not only did they carry on
an intensive picket campaign, but they
took immediate steps to upkeep the
morale of the membership. They or
gained relief committee, which,
with the cooperation of other organ
izations succeeded in opening kitch-
en- which fed hundreds of strikers
daily This committee sent out dele
gates to various labor organizations
| 1ioor fo,, fi0apo;oJ Ill aJao
was very interesting to watch these
young workers, who never delivered
a public speech in their lives, stand
ing before their older brothers and
appealing for aid in their struggle.
The response they received was very
encouraging, and it also helped to
teach them good lesson in solidarity.
AS is usually the case in every strike,
many false rumors were spread
amongst the other workers regarding
the conduct of the strike. In order to
combat this, and also to present their
side of the story, the helpers put out
a snappy newspaper, called the Amer
lean Plumbers Helpers. This paper
has been widely distributed amongst
the other building trades workers, and
has helped greatly in presenting their
case to these workers.
The struggle in the building trades
is by no means over. The employers
are determined to slash wages, in
crease the hours of labor, and estab-
lish more perfect speed up system.
All signs point to bitter struggle in
the future. The plumbers helpers,
because of the experience gained in
the strike will play very important
role in the coming struggle. They con-
Quoted their strike like veterans, and
have won the admiration and respect
of the entire labor movement. No
more are they looked upon as a bunch
of kids, but are considered intelligent
young workers, who understand their
problems, and are prepared to solve
these problems in the proper way.
They are the vanguard, who will lead
the building trades workers, in the
struggle for human conditions and ex-
istence. 1t is they, who stand ready
to pave the struggle against the forces
of reaction, and who will not stop
! fighting until they have established
decent standard of living, both for
themselves and fellow workers as well.
! Bronx Young Workers. You are in
vited to the hike arranged bv our