The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-07-06
OFFICIALS SEEK
TO DISCRED Dit
MILITANT Group
Rank and File Would
Build Amalgamated
by a Worker Correspondent

MILWAUKEE,, Wis, (By Mall
am enclosing the leaflet of the ANAL
gamated progressive group addressed
to the locke d-out workers of the Adj
Ter Shops in Milwaukee which has
aroused the anger of the Amalga-
mated officials here.
The officials are trying to persuade
the members of the union that: 1.
There is no progressive group in the
union. The leaflet is the work of the
Outsiders" the Communists. 2. The
leaflet is the work of the agents of
the Adler Co. who seek to disrupt
the ranks of the union. 3. The facts
in the leaflet are not correct.
In making all these accusations the
union officials are sidestepping some
of the important points contained in
the leaflet.
The main question is: Is the pro-
gram outlined in the leaflet of the
progressive group a correct program,
a program in the interest of the mem
bers of the Amalgamated union? The
demands Of the progressive group
are:
No promises by the union to make
the bosses prosperous. A 100 per
cent union shop. Higher wages. A
40-hour week. Elimination of piece
work. Elimination of the arbitration
clause from the agreement.
What is wrong about these de-
mands?
Instead CT answering this question
the union officials engage in Red
batting and accuse the progressive
group of being the agents of the
Adler Co.
1t is proper to ask the question:
Who are the agents of the Adler Co. ?
The progressive group which says:
"No promises by the union to make
the bosses prosperous? Or those,
who like Sidney Hillman, the presi-
dent of the Amalgamated, says: "The
policy of the Amalgamated is to make
The firm (that is the Adler Coz as
prosperous as possible?
The union officials question the
correctness of the facts contained in
the leaflet. Is it not true that the
policy of the union officials preced-
ing the strike was "close cooperation
with the bosses, giving in on almost
every demand made by the bosses at
the expense of the membership? Is
it not true that the union officials in
stead of making an appeal to the
workers of the Latin shop in Wiscon-
sin Rapids to join the union and to
help the Adler workers to win their
struggle were appealing to the boss
Latin, the man who conspired with
the Adler Co. to break the Amalga-
mated union in Milwaukee?
The time of the struggle is no time
for criticism of the leadership, say
the officials of the union We say:
the advocacy of the policy of cooper
alton between the union and the
bosses is especially dangerous at the
time of the unions struggle for its
existence and must be combatted if
the union is to survive. Some of the
Amalgamated officials do not hest
tate to practice such criticism in re-
gard to other unions engaged in
struggles as for instance Mr.. Krzycki,
when he criticizes (justly) the Lewis
machine in the United Mine Workers
for its betrayal of the workers. But
when the Amalgamated officials be-
come involved in the same policies
they must not be criticized. Why?
The best guarantee for the success
of the union is the militancy of it's
membership. 1t is this militancy that
built the Amalgamated into a pow
erful union. The progressive aims to
keep alive the militant traditions of
our union. Despite the statements of
the officials it is a bona-fide group
uniting those who stand for militan-
cy in the trade union movement and
against class collaboration (the CO.
operation between the union official.
dom and the bosses). The progress
sive group is here to stay and will
strive to win the confidence of the
rank and file on the basis of its cor,
rect policies.
A PROGRESSIVE.