The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-08-19
Shiplacoff, the $25O,000 Manager

the union spirit of the rest of the
workers. These militant union men
were suspended so that the will and
sentiment of the membership voiced
by these union fighters should not be
heard at the membership meeting.
Hold-up Tax.
Enormous sums of money are be-
ing spent to keep up a hierarchy of
powerful characters" to terrorize
the members, to block them from
every form of resistance.
Shiplacoff's administration was so
certain of having the membership re-
duced to total helplessness that it had
the nerve to propose $50 tax, which
means quarter of a million dollars
to be taken from the members peck
cts. To think Of the insolence of a
labor leader to face workers with
such mad tax proposition.
There were times when the Pock-
etbook Workers Union carried on or
ganization work. In those days it
must be remembered the dues rate
was much smaller than now There
were critical moments when this
union faced the outcome of negotia-
tons with the employers. But never
in those times was such tax ever pro-
posed.
The Organization" work carried
on at present is not even worth men
tioning. At present the union is two
years before negotiations for a new
agreement. Why a tax? The an
swer is that the only attraction
union has for leaders such as Shipla-
coff and his kind is a big treasury.
With great sums of money at his dis
posal he can play the rich uncle in
the Jewish labor movement. The Sig
mans and the Beckermans played
their game quite well when they made
Shiplacoff the head of all the union
breakers. But Shiplacoff can hold
his own among those union breakers
by having in the back of him big
treasury. Otherwise he is a failure
even as union breaker.
rays Upon SentlmentS.
Shiplacoff's administration planned
to take the membership by surprise,
In the tax proposal they also included
the proposition of buying a home for
the union. Shiplacoff relied too much
upon the workers sentiments. What
worker does not want home? But
for the home only $4,000 are need
led. Why propose a quarter of a mil
lion dollars?
The workers sensed the lie imme-
diately. At first, when the members
learned of this tax proposition, they
simply jeered at Shiplacoff and took
the whole proposition as joke. The
first meeting called for the consider
alton of the tax question was fail
ure. Another meeting was called
this time in Cooper Union. The adj
ministration having learned some
thing from the previous meeting, that
the fancy leather goods workers
haven't gone crazy yet, proposed
through one of their agents to break
up the question in two. The question
of buying building, the administra-
ton suggested, should be discussed
independently of the tax proposition.
Whether the members voted down
the building proposition because they
learned The building is TIE former Lo-
cal 8, OF for any other reason, the
fact is that the members voted
against buying building at the pres
ent time But such difficulties the
chairman of the union can easily sur
mount. He simply announced 4 ma
jority in favor of the clique. The
members on the other hand do not
recognize the decision and are deter
mined to fight for a reconsideration
of this question at the next mem
bership meeting when the tax ques-
tion will be considered
No Financial Rel ort.
AS to the tax proper it must be
said that not only sixty dollars tax
but even a sixty cents tax is crime
against the membership. Do the
members ever get a report as to
what is being done with these enor-
nous sums coming in to the union,
year in and year out? Never. The
Pocketbook Workers Union has a
steady yearly income from dues and
initiation fees of about $4,000.
Where does this money go to? The
members slave for that money. Have
they no right to know what purpose
this money is being put to-? Let it