The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-11-19
Organized Treachery Holds Its
b Convention

Federation OF Labor, the most corrupt anu
vicious trade union bureaucracy in the world,
opens its convention in New Orleans.
There will be no workers present, nor even
any sympathizers with the workers. 1t will
be a hal-full of prosperous professional men
whose trade is that of holding office over
and above the trade unions at profit OF all
the traffic will bear" If there are any dele
gates who may not precisely meet this
description, it will be but a sprinkling of
timid retainers long ago bought and paid for
by the higher bureaucrats with the small
change of patronage. 1t would not only be
futile, but an exhibition of stupidity, to de-
mand of these servants of the most powerful
and arrogant imperialism that they make any
move toward attempting the solution OF the
burning questions facing the working class
today.
In reviewing the past years activity of the
American Federation of Labor it would be
incorrect to say that the officialdom re-
treated before the assaults of the capitalist
class. Such an Interpretation would imply
that the officialdom had opposed the on
saughts of the open-shoppers upon the work
ers. The facts in the case are that instead
of opposing, even in the most puny manner,
the wage-cuts, the speed-up, the lengthenlng
of hours and all the impositions upon the
workers standard of living that is classified
under the head of the general term, rational
ization,' the traitors at the head of the labor
movement have actively and in the most vio-
lent manner supported the ruling class in its
anti-labor offensive Far from being enemies
of the bosses, the American Federation of
Labor official leadership are agents of the
bosses.
The very fact that this years convention
of the A. F. of L. is held in New Orleans will
force them to pay lip service to the necessity
for labor organization in the New South"
the South of the newest industrialization.
But that is as far as it will CO. This
thoroughly rotten machine will no more or
ganize the Southern industrial workers than
it organized the auto workers after its
bombast and fake resolutions at the Detroit
convention.
The only progress that can be registered
by the officialdom is greater servility to
the employers, more depraved fawning be-
fore every form of reaction. By trying in
every way to deprive the workers of the use
of the strike weapon, through support of
such plans for compulsory arbitration as the
Watson-Parker BILL through advocacy of the
B. & o. plan of class collaboration, the Mitten
plan, transformation of labor unions into
company unions, and through resorting to
open recruiting of strike-breakers in every
Important industrial struggle of past years,
the Green-Woll-Le combination has
sounded new depths in perfecting an
elaborate system of betrayal of the working
class.
John L. Lewis before the assembled labor
lieutenants of the capitalist class can boast
that, as the agent of the coal operators and
Andrew w. Mellon, he has finally succeeded
in smashing the once powerful United Mine
Workers of America. But his victory is far
from complete, for upon the ruins wrought
by him and other henchmen of the mine own
ers IS arising a new National Miners Union
that will carry forward into this period of
struggle all the best traditions of the old
fighting union ard reach new heights to con-
form with the new conditions in this stage of
development of the class conflict. Lewis will
serve his masters by villifying the Commu-
nists whose leadership is thwarting the plot
to wipe unionism out of the coal fields. Sig
man, the hero" of the attempts of the New
York bosses to revive the worst traditions
of the sweat shop with the aid of the Tam
many police, gunner and courts, will not
even be among those present, although his
Instructor and boss in e-breaking, Matt
WolI, will be on the job to boost his fake
labor insurance proposition which was
launched with the full approval of the in
surance companies who consider it weapon
against the demand for social insurance for
the working class.
The New Orleans convention, if it deals
with the question at all, will have to confess
that the policy of "rewarding friends and
Furnishing enemies in the capitalist parties