The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-06-05
BUILDING TRADES
WORKERS FACING
WORSENINC evils
Unemployed, Speed Up,
Graft IRE Rife

SOndlLlOnS IN the building trades
are rapidly getting worse, accor> ing
to testimony Of rank and file unior
members who yesterday gave a de.
tailed picture of what the workers II
these trades nave to contend with
"The building trades today are fac
ing basic depression" one of these
workers declared. Unemployment is
general and severe and thousands OF
building trades workers are walking
the streets seeking employment which
is nowhere to be found.
Graft and Speed-up.
Graft, the speed-up system, collab-
GRAFTON between the bosses and the
union officials, are dominating fac
tors in the present situation of the
building trades workers." he charged
"The plumbers are especially hit by
this wave of unemployment, and
class-collaboration policies of the
bureaucracy of the plumbers locals
Local IA of Jersey City, consisting
of 2,100 members, has as the secre-
tary of the local, the city plumbing di-
rector. To any rank and file plumber
this is sufficient to convince him that
such a man cannot represent his in
terests. Ask any plumber and he will
tell you Of the thousands Of dollars
of graft that is collected by these in
spectors. How can such a man repre-
sent the interests of the workers?
Of h-s
within the local that is fighting the
class-c collaboration schemes of the Of
ficials. This group has succeeded in
lettering the conditions Of the men
and improving the conditions on the
-i:!TVbs. However, the officials are doing
their utmost to stop the progress of
this group. Whenever a member of
this group takes the floor and fights
the offirials he Immediately becomes
q marked man, He is reported to the
boss by the official of the union and
immediatc!y fired from the job. This
is the way these misleaders of labor
protect the interests Of the mem"
CONFIRMING these statements, an
other building trades worker declared
that member of the above group
who has frequently taken the floor to
fight the policies of the officials, got
into a heated argument with Elan
nagan who is the delegate of the To-
cal. Flanagan Immediately took
steps to get rid of this member by
endeavoring to railroad him out Of the
~
board, which consists of a clique of
the officials, took up the question of
getting rid of this member by trans
fering him to another local. The rules
of the plumbers locals state that no
transfers car be issued at the present
tire. By transferring this member
;hcy are trying to get rid Of him. and
deprive him Of earning living. When
The matter was brot before the rank
and file, about two weeks ago. Elan
nagan stated that he would take the
name Of every member who voted
against the suspension. This was a
scheme to scare the plumbers in vot-
ing for the recommendation of the
executive board. In this they succeed
ed as most of the plumbers We're
afraid to vote against the suspension
as it would probably mean that they
would be blaeklisted. Nevertheless
the progressives voted solidly against
the suspension.
This is only part Of the scheme, this
worker said Others complete the
trearbery.
while FlannaeaH IS carrying on
his dirty work inside q tiin heal. Nc
adams. rnc:her delegate is carrying
on the outside work. He reports to
the b'ss ;ti,y man who dares to oppose
the 'n'i';es oi' iis clique"
While ,he progressive group has
succeeded in lettering the conditions
an great Rcr,bcr Of jobs. due to the
fact Of iss weak forces Il has not sue
eeefed IL INSTALLING strict union con
Eitions on all the Jobs. There is a
Job on Merrdck Road, Lorg Island
that is being done by Gross & Sons,
Most of the building trades workers
on the job are non-union men, and
working below the scale. The plumb
ing on the job is unsanitary and is a
violation of the city plumbing code
The builder has police protecting the
Job and refuses to let either union
men or delegate on the job. 1t is the
duty of the delegate to ispect every
plumbing job that is done.
Plumbers Local of Brooklyn.
while faced with different situation
is no better, he declared:
"The officials of Local No [
Brooklyn, are trying to drag over the
matter of the new agreement, until
after the elections which take place
very shortly. This is but scheme to
put over the agreement until the fail.
BY that time there will be more un-
employment and the officials will be
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