The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-02-25
The Mechanism of the Glass
Struggle

Dunn Vanguard Press. Fifty cents.
EVENTS which have followed on the
u heels of one another during the
past few months give a timeliness
and Importance to the subject of COM
pany unions such as has not hitherto
been the case. The labor movement
may be said to have walked up rather
late to the menace Of the company
union. The officials of the trade
unions, in spite of their verbal at
tacks, still continue to "sleep on the
issue" for the well-known reasons
But in the meantime the company
union may pass through another
stage and become an incorporated
factor of industrial development.
Evidence brought out at the recent
hearing on the proposed anti-strike
law at the Bar Association indicated
very clearly, if such law is passed
the company union with its hand
maiden, the "yelow-dog" contract,
will become respectable. There are
also number of signs that the labor
officialdom will not hesitate to seek
shelter under the cover Of this new
responsibility either to abandon alto
gether the struggle against the COM
pany union or to climb upon the en-
ployers' band wagon intellectually
as directors of the entire parade.
The faint-hearted attacks which the
IL al LAx Ir, f1n
pany-union are capable of ready con-
version into accents of qualified sup
port and finally they will not shrink
from open support of the company
union provided they themselves are
taken care of.
What does the company union real
" mean for the labor movement?
Even the militants, those who are en-
gagged actively in fighting the COM
pany union, should understand this
more clearly.
The author of this volume provides
the answer to this question in the
fullest manner. Dunn, who is the
outstanding student of the mechanics
of the class struggle in America has
gathered material here which will un-
doubtedly remain permanent con-
tribution in labor history. Incident
ally, it might be said that these stud
les of the newer methods of employ
ers are providing the basis for the
Wholesale attack which the workers
will soon have to make against their
open shop employers.
Considerable Of Dunn's efforts are
directed to showing that whatever the
employers claims. the basic reason
for the company union is to prevent
organization of the workers. The en-
ployers make no bones about their
intentions:
"After all what difference does
it make whether one plant has a
shop committee works council
a Ieitcb Plan or whatever
else it may be called? These diff
ferent forms are but mechanics for
putting into practice the
open shop" ("Industrial Manage
ment," Feb. 1920)
This is the general purpose of the
company union which embraces all
the others. It's two chief subdivisions
are wage reductions and speed-up.
The company union is valuable for
these ends-and how!
Dunn reports that "the wage-cut-
ting campaigns of 1921 revealed the
company unions as effective instru-
ments. Some textile company unions
voted themselves as much as 80 to 40
percent cuts in wages" Fresh in our
minds is the recent publicity given to
the methods by which the Inter
borough Rapid Transit Company
union was able to put over 10 per-
cent wage cut when all the locals of
the brotherhood" voted against it.
AS for speed-up, the constitutions
of practically all company unions al
most uniformly have their references
to Qualify and quantity of produc-
ton" "for the good of the industry"
etc. And these references are no
mere Formally but actually the flesh
and blood of the worker-emp.oyer re-
lationship.
A million and half workers are
SKETCH