The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-11-19
.4DIC 6" JOBLESS
HEAR MARVELLOUS
EXECUTIVE PLAN
How to Solve Problem
That Don't Exist
BY H. G.

oy Al. VI
The executive committee of Lo-
cal No. 6, International Typo
graphical Union, in response to the
report of a committee of three on
unemployment among the member
ship, which report asked the execu-
tive committee TO devise some def
mite plan +. whereby our unem-
ployed will be put to work."
blithely turns the whole question
eff by saying that existing unem-
ployment is normal" and that only
Certain interested individuals" hold
the opposite opinion.
This IN the face, of the sub-com-
mittee's report saying that "The
unemployed situation has been
steadily increasing in our industry
ard as a result many members of
cur union are unable to procure
work"
How Come Interested"
1t appears that the executive
casts an aspersion on the motives
of the subcommittee, although how
its members could be interested
is not clear. Possibly the jobless
printers who are interested
enough to want to eat are the
guilty ones at whom the executive
hurls its insults.
In order to bolster up its case,
the executive committee usese a
string of figures which show that
those who have drawn unemploy-
ment benefits from the union have
increased in number only from 412
in 1915 to 694 in 1928. But this
happens not to prove anything more
than the fact that not all the I'M
employed are drawing benefits.
The Internal Unemployed.
The union has over 10000 men,
bers, and because the unemploy-
ment benefit in past years was usu-
ally drawn by the hard-up hobo"
element, the average worker hates
TO ask for benefits, feeling that he
will be looked down upon by his
fellows.
Also, the executive is careful to
cultivate this attitude by makicg
any printer who asks for benefits
feel that he is little better than a
bank rchber. They glory that they
made some jobless "hustle for
work" So the fact remains that
there are more printers out of work
than the benefit list shows, and the
executive is lodging the question by
citing that list.
A Bright Idea.
However, the executive boldly
offers to do something about the
rromlem which it states does not
exist. 1t offers new scale Of I'M
employment benefits. By going in
to ancient history the executive
finds that some Of the printers who
received benefits had not paid in
as much dues to the union as they
drew in benefits, for the simple
reason that they had not been many
years in the union.
From this, the executive fishes
out the idea that a man who joins
the union should be under suspicion
for several years, of joining merely
to get $14 a week once in blue
moon when he is brave enough to
face the Benefit Board and confess
that he has no job. "The attention
Of the committee" it says, is called
to the "fact" that Jobs were pining
away for workers who were living
in luxury on $14 week benefits.
"The time has arrived" declares
the executive, when something must
be done about this. Although the
executive says that unemployment is
normal. strangely enough while
our receipts remain about the same
our expenditures are continually in
creasing."
So the executive let's loose. the
suggestion that members of one
years standing should draw So a
week unemployment benefit (if they
dare), two-year men, $40 week;
three-year men, $12 week, and
only those who have been four OF
more years in the union can get the
chance to rob the treasury of the
great sum of $14 a week. The
printers are asked to adapt their
appetites accordingly, and if you're
one-year man you have right
only to an SO week desire to eat;
and you can sleep in Central Park,
where there is lots of room.