The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-11-20
We Accept the Challenge, Mr..
Green!
Green!

council of the American Federation of Labor,
preceding the opening of the New Orleans
convention, William Green made two an
nouncements regarding policy and prospects
for the coming year.
7. That the convention will decide to wage
drive to organize the unorganized workers
in the basic industries of the country under
the slogan double the membership of the
American Federation of Labor in one year"
g That there can be no compromise with
the Communists
"Who seek the destruction CT the organized
labor movement and would substitute therefore
class war and class hatred.
Since it is we'll known that the Communists
are organizing the unorganized (and the A.
F. of L. bureaucracy is not) the two planks
of the platform as enunciated by Green may
seem to be contradictory. But a close examina-
ton of the facts will show that Green's words
do not mean what they pretend to mean, and
that when this is understood the two planks
cited above are very closely related!
Why is Green suddenly concerned about
the unorganiZed?
The answer is to be sought in the singular
achievements of the Communists in mobiliz-
ing, organizing and leading practically every
important labor struggle that has occurred in
this country during the past few years. In
these struggles where the A. F. of L. bureau
crazy invariably deserted to the enemy while
the Communists led the fight, thousands
upon thousands of workers have come to I'M
derstand the real character of the leadership
of the American Federation of Labor as an
instrument of capitalist reaction. 1t has be-
come increasingly difficult for the re-
dictionary labor leaders to play their tradi-
tional role of betrayers of strikes, because,
for one reason, out of the struggles of the
past few years there have grown new unions,
free of the domination of the A. F. of L.
bureaucracy
The achievements of the striking workers
under Communist leadership impel A. F. of L.
leaders now to issue the slogan to organize the
unorganized. But it is only words. The very
function of the reactionary leaders as open
guardians of capitalism forbds them to or
ganize the workers in the basic industries.
For years this reactionary and treacherous
leadership has never failed to serve the en-
ployers of labor the apostles of the scab shop.
Their principal function has been to stifle
any movement of the masses in the great
ganization and struggle against the trust
dominated industries. Now that a new mill
tant, revolutionary force has developed out
of the very conditions of American capitalism
and is leading masses of workers against
wage-cuts, the speed-up, and al other char
acteristics that fall under the general cate
CORY of naturalization" the American Fede-
ration of Labor officials are called upon to
b. 6 Al.
ers in the basic industries. The A. F. of L.
bureaucracy knows that any real movement
to organize the unorganized must bsa move
ment against them. The only reason that
Green & Co. propose such an organizational
drive is in order to be able to act as scabs
against the new Independent unions that are
beginning to thrive under Communist leader
ship. They will not organize any workers in
the big industries for struggle for better
conditions, but will step in, with the full ap-
proval of the employers, wherever the work.
ers begin to. resist their oppressors in an
organized manner, and will create strike
breaking groups of scabs under the protection
of the police, the courts, the militia, the Co.'S
sacks, the company gunner and other de-
tenders of what Green and his cohorts call
democracy"
Green Co. are opposed to the class war
of the workers against the capitalists, but
they openly support the class war of the capt.
talists against the workers
In their customary dishonest manner the
officiadom of the A. F. of l.. accuses the
Communists of seeking the destruction of the
labor movement. With the modesty so char
acteristic of them, these leaders claim that
they, themselves, are the labor movement
When they are under fire for their treachery
and their selling out of the working class to
the capitalist class they then howl that the
labor movement is being attacked, when
directly the opposite is the case. The most
effective way to fight to defend the labor
movement is to destroy the Greens, the
Wolls, the Lewisos and all their ilk.
1t is precisely the officialdom of the A. F.
i Il l. l. Il 80 l.