The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-08-07
BROACH AIMS TO
Get MORE POWER
IN LOCAL THREE
Amendments Re ad Y
for Thursday Meet
Continued from Page One

eral idea that the electrical work
ers are rolling in luxury.
About two years ago the electrical
workers in New York were demand
ing an increase in wages. The
Brotherhood sent H. H. Breach, its
international president, to take
charge of the situation. After con-
ferring with the bosses who had, as
usual. been bitterly opposed to the
wage increase, Breach mysteriously
announced an easy victory.
Later it became known just what
took place at the conference table
between Breach and the employers.
The bosses at the time were COM
planning that considerable part of
the work in the trade was being
done by the open-shep, smaller con-
Germs. The game agreed upon was
to organize these small shops so
that the big fellows could eliminate
their competition. This was the
trade made by Breach.
Breach Admits Deal.
In hearing before the Industrial
Survey Commission last winter,
Breach openly admitted that he
came to New York City at the re-
quest of the big fellows in the in
duetry to eliminate "the carpet bag
gers" as he called the others.
The O'Hara administration, which
then controlled Local 3, fought
against the policy of opening the
books to new members, a policy
which was bad for the union just as
it's other policies and methods
worked against the interest of the
members. How Breach got rid of
the O'Hara group is well known to
the labor movement.
That Breach did this job for his
own purposes and not for the good
of the organization soon became ap-
parent.
Then BroachA proceeded half
heartedly with his so-called organi-
cation scheme. That he really knows
practically nothing about how to or
ganize mass workers, in spite of his
high-sounding boasts, has been am
ply proved in New York just as it
was proved during his activities in.
the 1919 steel strike where those
working with him testify that he
was wholly incompetent and that he
is "yel4ow."
The organization fizzle in New
York cost the union about 100000.
Then the real career of the Lit
tie Caesar" began. He introduced
a set of regulations in the local
which can be equalled only by the
practices of the greatest labor faker,
Berry, of the Printing Pressmen's
Union. If a member discusses union
issues at the meeting, he is liable to
heavy fine or suspension. Hun
dreds of members are kept out of
the meetings, gang of spoilers
watch at the entrance. Hired slug
gers and paid police IN the fashion
of the John Lewis of the mine work
ers, are the methods of Breach.
One of the chief schemes Breach
was interested in was the sale of in
surance to the membership. The
real graft of this scheme cannot be
exposed here. Soon Breach began
promising the men that if they "be-
haved" everything would be "won-
derful."
But conditions on the job were go
ing from bad to worse. When the
present unemployment crisis set in,
the members naturally looked to
Breach for some real plan of relief.
He offered them sympathy" and
finally admitted that he could do
nothing. When the members fought
for plan, 500 of them were ex-
cluded from the meetings.
Then the great organizer" an
nounced his famous scheme about
ok (Metal-insulated wire. Ed
Well, every member knows how
this turned out and no more need
be said about it.
No real organization drive, no
protection of the men on the jobs.
If union man gets fired, he is told
he is "out of luck" No attempt to
organize the public utilities, which
the international has agreed not to
touch. Instead we have vicious at
tacks against the Communists, an
issue which he uses as a smoke
screen to hide his own failures.
Low Wages, Bad Conditions.
The average electrician in New
York works no more than 6 months
year and averages no more than
$35 per week Nearly a dollar and
half a week total charges goes to
the union. How much is left?
And how about the thousands who
work under non-union conditions at
$6, ST. and even less, per day?
Every single member of the union
must come to the Thursday meeting
and fight for his union. A reaction
airy machine can win only because
the members stay away from meet
ings and refuse to fight.
The progressive electrical work