The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-07-16
By WILLIAM DUNE.


ganization of the workers employed
by the marlborough Rapid Transit
Company.
Support by the whole labor move
ment of the efforts of the Amalga,
mated Association of Street and Elec-
trio Railway Employees to organize
these workers has been pledged by
President Green of the American Fed
Grafton of Labor. Formal support
will be given without doubt but more
much more, than this is needed.
/ ANYONE who believes that these
"A workers will be allowed to organize
without bitter struggle by the I. R
| To whose preparations to prevent es-
| Establishment of an effective union in
the industry are perhaps the most
elaborate on record, will easily believe
that the moon is made of green cheese
The l. R. T. workers will be unable
to organize without srtike. In the
whole struggle of which the strike will
be the center the union will be built;
This has been the history of the Anal
gamated Association which includes
Approximately 100000 traction work
ers.
| TO proceed on any other theory than
that a strike alone can free these
traction workers from the yellow
dog" contract and the utter denial of
the right to belong to any organiza-
ton other than the l. R. IT'S person
ally conducted brotherhood" is to
assure the I. R. T. that the Amalga-
mated will remain imrl tent in the
face of a permanent injunction COM
bined with stool pigeon system
which stirs up and maintains a con-
tinual atmosphere of suspicion among
the workers themselves.
From the very beginning, all organ
ization work must be directed to one
end-that of preparing and calling a
strike which will bring every subway
train to a standstill.
Any other plan of action is simply
self-deception and still worse, decep-
ton of the traction workers. This
does not mean that all other means
of weakening the position of the trac-
ton barons should not be used. They
should and must be utilized but the
strike weapon is the one which will
be decisive.
THE political and moral pressure
which the New York labor move
ment will be able to exert will have
to be strengthened by the pressure of
the labor movement nationally. To
look upon the struggle against the
New York traction barons as a local
matter is grave mistake. The strug-
gle is something far more than this.
The sweeping character of the iniunc-
ton against the Amalgamated Asso-
citation and the l. R. 7. workers is a
challenge to the whole American work.
ing class.
Second, the extremely rigid and
dangerous form in which company
unionism, the spy system and the sys-
tenn of individual contracts, which the
|. R. t. forces the workers to sign.
appears in the traction industry, make
1t absolutely necessary that the strug-
gle should be against all these instru-
ments of oppression, make it neces-
sary that they be destroyed and scat
tered to the four winds before, en-
couraged by their success in New
York, the bosses institute this same
damnable system thruout the United
States.
TO defeat the traction barons is no
child's play. They have already
shown in the strike of last year that
they can command the police and
courts. They have shown a merciless
attitude toward workers who dare to
strike and they defy the labor move
ment openly.
1t follows then that the unions must
support the Amalgamated Association
and the traction workers to the limit
of their ability-financially, politically
and organizationally. The labor move
ment must be prepared to put it's
whole strength into the fight right
from the start and particularly must
it act sharply and decisively at the
first appearance of police and gang
ster terrorism against the traction
workers.
THE permanent injunction must be
disregarded en- masse and the au-
thorities made to understand that they
face the problem not of failing few
unsupported traction workers but the
united resistance of the whole union
membership in New York City, pre-
pared to fill the jails to overlooking
to smash the slave writ obtained from
the bosses courts.
The l. R. T. injunction is a part Of
the drive against the American labor
movement. The I. r. IT'S individual
contract system is likewise part of the
bosses offensive. 1t is futile to argue
as to whether these contracts, which
workers must sign or lose their Jobs.
are legal" They will become value
less to the company only when a