The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-09-17
Miners union
ISSUES POLICY
Adopt Militant Plan Of
Class Struggle

l continued from Page One
> greed for more profits have followed
policy of closing so-called unpro-
, ductive mines, speed-up production.
, cutting wages, establish the open
: shop and eXterminate the union. In
: this the operators have found com
plete support from their criminally
! corrupt tools-the Lewis machine.
Old Union Smashed.
In district after district the union
has been smashed. Working condi-
r tions have been lost. The number
Of unemployed coal miners has grown
tn over 100000. In complete collab-
Grafton with the coal operators the
Lewis machine pursued this reac-
tionaryN policy of trying to drive
these 100000 unemployed coal min
ers out of the industry This If
face of situation where unemploy-
ment prevails everywhere.
The corrupt Lewis clique sold out
completely to the "open shop" drive
of the coal operators. Strike after
strike was defeated by their treas
enable policies of serving the bosses.
They divided the miners against
themselves by signing of separate
agreements. First by sicninc ur
some of one company's mines
while permitting the rest to operate
"open shop" next by signing sep
arate districts, leading to the Grim
inal isolation of the Pennsylvania
and Ohio strikers while the other
districts were taken out of the fight.
Lastly, this corrupt clique COM
pleted its dastardly wrecking policy
by abandoning the Jacksonville
scale, cutting wages in Illinois and
Indianapolis, betraying the Penn
, sylvania and Ohio strike and en-
tirely destroying the union in those
fields.
| Agents of Bosses.
These black reactionaries and
bosses agents who comprise the
whole of the Lewis machine nation
ally and in the various districts
have wrought a terrible destruction.
The United Mine Workers has now
been practically completely exter-
minated. The desperate efforts still
made by the Lewis machine to hang
on to the check-off in Illinois and a
couple of other isolated spots is
: just an attempt to maintain their
= exorbitant salaries. The result of
: the last wage agreement there for
, the rank and file coal miners is a
, drastic wage cut and the shackles
of company union.
Turnout the past labor history of
t this country the coal miners can
show a splendid record of militant
t struggle for working class organiza-
) ton. The unbreakable solidarity and
unconquerable fighting spirit which
made possible the building of a once
great union still lives. We will build
again where the traitors have
destroyed. Faithful to our great ira
, dition we the delegates assembled at
this convention, representing the
rank and file coal miners, finally
and completely repQdiate the Lewis
machine and resolve to build the new
union, the name of which shall be
the National Miners Union.
Repudiate Wage Cut.
John L. Lewis and his corrupt
> clique can no longer speak in the
name of the coal miners. We call
> upon the rank and file in all the
= fields to refuse to recognize any
E wage cut agreements signed by
them. Fight against the check-oft
}, and thereby destroy their hope tc
= keep you enslaved to the company
union. Break. completely with the
o Lewis machine and join the Nation
j al Miners Union.
= We solemnly declare to use every
e ounce of our energy to fight to the
!. last to remove every obstacle tc
e build an organization to comprise
2 the whole Of the rank and file coal
2 ma ers. An industrial organization
Il taking into its membership all mer
employed in and around the mines
e except the bosses. Within our ranks
I we welcome the colored miner as
= we'll as the white, the foreign borr
o. miner as well as the American. We
o pledge ourselves to fight for COM
, plete equality for all, in every res.
+. pect, regardless of race or nation
:, atty.
q Importance of Negro Workers.
The Negro miners are an import.
ant part of the workers in our in
:, dustry. They must be brought into
;. our union, drawn into full partici
- patton in every sphere of activity
and leadership. Ours is the fight t.
unite all coal miners under the ban
: ner of one great organization fol-
$ the protection Of our common in
terests.
Our object shall be to fight cease