The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-04-16
CHIEFS BETRAYED
HELPERS; BETRAY
PLUMBERS TODAY
Juniors and Union Men
Must Work Together
(By a Worker Correspondent

After the strike the plumbers
helpers went thru last year, We were
promised by the officials of Local l.,
Plumbers Union, that they would
consider our case at the general exc
cutive board meeting which was held
in Chicago on Nov. Z.
Send Delegates.
Our association was invited to send
delegates to this meeting. We sent
Brothers Miller, M. Helfand, Seew-ld
and Patrick.
When they got to Chicago, Mr..
Thomas Burke, general secretary Of
the United Association of Plumbers
Gasfitters and Steamfitters, met
them. He introduced them to Mr.. Coe-
field, the general president OF the
United Association. Both told the
delegates what a wonderful town
Chicago was. These gentlemen told
our delegates to come on the next day.
Present Demands.
On the next day our delegates APP
peared before the meeting of the gen
eral executive board. Each one was
allowed to speak. After that they
were told to leave and the meeting
would take up the matter concerning
the plumbers helpers. Before our
delegates left the session they pre-
sented a set of demands to the Of
ficials.
A few days later when our dele
gates returned to the meeting, they
were told that Mr.. Leonard, organ
izer of the United Association had
been instructed to call meeting of
all the New York Plumbers Locals
to consider the matter of the helpers.
No Conference.
A few weeks later Mr.. Leonard
called a conference Of all N. Y. To-
Gals. We sent two delegates to this
conference. Our delegates were asked
many questions. None of them had
anything to do with the helpers
themselves. We were promised sec
md conference but until this day the
officials have never called one.
We tried to see "Bilp' Doran, the
president of Local 463, but he refused
to see us. "Bill" Doran posed as a
progressive" before the election in
Local 463. He has never been honest
since. He sat in with Gar Brindell
of the building trades fraud. Yet he
has nerve enough to call himself a
progressive"
Call Cops.
All our efforts to see Doran were
in vain. So we staged a demonstra-
ton in front of the Plumbers Union.
Cops, who came at Doran's orders,
arrested us.
The officials of Local l are no bet
ter For year Local / worked with
out an agreement. Now at last new
agreement is being presented to the
membership. If the agreement should
be adopted by the membership, Local
l will be nothing more than a COM
pany union. The plumbers of Local 1
are being completely betrayed by
their officials to the bosses.
Nothing is said in the agreement
about the plumbers helpers except
the usual bunk about being a helper
for five years. Further, after five
years you have to be a so-called
junior mechanic for over a year. This
point is great victory for the bosses.
These phrases are not even worth
the paper they are written on.
1t is about time we helpers began
exposing these officials as enemies
of the plumbers and the plumbers
helpers together We have been fooled
too long by these kindly gentlemen.
We should show them up in theil
true colors.
They have been trying to kill us
with kindness" Are we going to lei
them do this? No one can better re.
ply to this question than we our
selves. AS individuals we are moi
strong enough to do anything, but a.
an organization we can do a whole
lot.
1t is the duty of every plumbers
helper to rally to the union. Our slo
gan should always be, every Plumb
ers' Helper a Union Man."