The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-01-11

Union have their influence on the
young worker and since the legiti-
mate trade union movement ignores
the youth, this of course has no
counter-action
Sports and the Labor Movement
Factory sports is given much at
tention by the bosses. Hardly a
large factory exists that does not
have some form of athletics This
subordinates the young worker to
the Influence of the boss.
Many times he is afraid to fight for
better conditions because it will mean
The loss of his sports rights or his
place on the sport team. Of the
large plants there are an average of
74oG who have some form of ath-
| letics
Labor Sports
This situation must be countered
by the trade union movement. One
Of the best methods of winning the
youth for the trade union movement
would be the establishment Of a CO.
ordinated labor sports movement, or
ganized and controlled by the trades
unions. The Left Wing must begin
a movement to coordinate all the ex-
isting union sports and athletic or
CARNATIONS into one centralized or
ganization with their own leagues,
fields, referees and umpires, and
competition matches. Along with
this coordination of all the union
teams should be gathered in ell the
other workers sport organizations ex.
isting and thus lay the basis for a
national labo reports organization of
large dimensions.
Unionization of Young Workers.
The central problem for the Left
| Wing in relation to the young work.
ers is the unionization of these young
workers All other problems are
] linked together in this central task.
| Facing the trade union movement is
| this great mass of eleven million
workers, eligible for membership
WORKING in basic industries-full OF
| fighting ability and courage and yet
not / per cent. are members of trades
unions. These are elements who have
not been chained down to the past
they have grown up in an age of
struggle-they can either become
fighters in the class struggle or form
the backbone of the American fascist
How To Go At 1t.
What is necessary is to present to
the trade union movement the chow"
to go about this task. Just as we
approach the problem of women or
Negro as special problems requiring
an approach and methods somewhat
different than the average so we
must also view the task of organizing
the youth as requiring special APP
proach and special organizational
methods. Once the local unions have
been convinced and movement is
under way, new methods will evolve
out of experience and struggle.
AS preliminary steps, we view the
following as concrete organizational
measures which are necessary:
a. on every TU Organization Com
mittee there should be a sub-commit-
tee for handling ways and means OF
reaching the youth.
b. in entering a struggle to union
ize the workers, special demands
dealing with wages, hours, health and
Social conditions, should be incor-
porated in the program, for the young
workers involved.
g on this basis these special de-
mands should be printed in special
literature which has a different APP
proach than to the adult.
d. the trade unions should take
into consideration the wages Of the
young workers and make the neces-
sary allowances in relation to initi-
alton fee.
! e. the young trade unionists should
! be encouraged to assume local union