The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-01-04
DELEGATES LAY
BASIS OF BROAD
YOUTH MOVEMENT
Second Meeting to Be
Held Soon

That labor should take steps for
the reorganization of the morgan
lied young workers into the trade
unions and for the creation of speci-
fic plans to effect this aim, were the
conclusions arrived at in a two-day
conference on Youth and the Labor
Movement held at Brookwood Labor
College, Katonah, the last two days
of December.
A second conference is to be called
for New York City in the future. A
larger representation is to be secured
and the second conference which is
to have the cooperation of the Cen
trail Trades and Labor Council of
Greater New York as well as other
labor bodies, will seek to set in mo-
ton more definite steps for the Or
ganization of the young workers.
Countrywide Representation.
Over fifty delegates from every
part of the country and from a score
of trade unions and national bodies
journeyed to Brookwood to attend the
conference. High in the proceedings
were the general testimonies that the
officialdom of the organized labor
movement was doing nothing to or
ganize the young workers of the
country. Delegates from Philadel-
phia and New York pointed out that
these officials were even putting
obstacles in the way of such organic
ing efforts.
The delegates were welcomed by
A. U. Music, director of the Labor
College, who began the work of the
conference informally by picturing
the age old struggle between youth
and age. "1n every generation" he
said somewhat pathetically, "there is
a lack of understanding between
Youth and Age. This gap has unfor-
tunate results in life in general and
constitutes special problem in the
labor movement"
European Labor Leads.
Franz Longville, representative
of the Belgian labor movement re-
ported that in Europe the workers
organizations had taken up the pro-
blem of organizing the youth. In the
discussion which followed it was
pointed out that it was not sufficient
merely to organize the young work
els; II was necessary to bring them
into the actual struggle participated
in by the older workers and to in
still in them a loyalty to working
class political and economic programs.
The question of how to reach the
youth was one of the chief themes
considered by Tom Tippet, formerly
miner but now instructor at Brook
wood Rose Schneiderman, of the
Women's Trade Union League, spoke
on the relations of the Women's
Auxiliaries to the organization pro-
blem of the workers. Miss Schneider
man sought to defend The labor of
ficialdom against the charge which
had been made that it has sabotaged
the work.
Shows How Officials Hinder.
Issue was taken on this point by C.
E. Miller, representative of the Amer
lean Association of Plumbers Help
ers who gave facts from the exper-
fence of the helpers organization to
show that the union officials had not
only failed in the task of unionizing
the young workers but had actually
used methods of open hostility in
seeking to sidetrack the efforts of
his union.
Miller pointed out that from 25 to
80 per cent Of workers in various in
dustries are young 'men between the
ages of Is and "a. The task of organ
zing these young workers can in no
sense, be separated from the main
task of organizing the unorganized
workers throughout the country. The
only difference, he pointed out, is that
special methods of reaching and hold
ing these workers would have to be
worked out.
Craft Unionism Inadequate.
This view was agreed in by VIM
Schmitt, secretary of the Full Fash
toned Hosiery Union local of Phila-