The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-12-17
Organize Auto and Aircraft
Industry

drive in the motor industry, announced LOT
Sunday, January 18th, while embracing only
the automobile city and vicinity, is OF ma
tional. in fact international significance, IN
view of the fact that this is period OF iran
tic preparation for another world war that by
comparison will make the last world war ap-
pear almost an incident,
Detroit is the center of one OF the most
highly concentrated war Industries IN Ine
whole country. Long the center OF the auto
industry. Detroit is now the center OF the
aircraft industry. This supremacy has been
attained within the past three and nan
wears. Out of the auto industry IN Detroit
has grown the aircraft industry. These two
industries are classified under the general
head-the motor industry. In Detroit alone
there are at present AZ concerns manutactur-
inc aircraft or aircraft parts and supplies
Their products last year were above S3,50O-
600 This year they have already exceeded
s5O0O.OO0 and the Detroit News estimates
that it may before January LIST, even double
the volume of last year.
In preparing for another world war the ar
craft industry is being stimulated by tne III
vestment of millions upon millions Oh oonars'
Every effort is made to see that this INDUSTRY
is carefully protected from labor agltators'
Only the most servile superlntendentS ana
forenen and picked crews OF workers We're
at first placed in the aircraft industry. But
the rand development of that Dranch OF
motors has compelled the employment OF
thousands of unsklled and semi-skiled work
ers. who can be organized.
The workers of the entire motor industry
have suffered unemployment that mas mace
nossible. because of a total absence OF ell
fective organization, a whole series Oh wage
cuts The speed-up has been lntensl1led 10
an unheard of degree So frighttul is tne
demands upon human vitality that only
workers with the strongest constitutions can
endure work in the industry even tor lew
wears. Workers in the motor industry are
worn out and thrown upon the human scrap
bean before the machines upon which they
work are thrown upon the Junk-plle
The bureaucracy of the American Fedora
ton of Labor in Detroit furnished classic
example of the depths to which this VICIOUS
machine can sink in the service OF the en-
ployers It appears openly IN alliance with
the most reactionary politicians and is part
of the republican strike-breaklng machlhe
the identical state machine that was formerly
dominated by the millionaire CRATER ana
crook, Newberry, and part of the national
machine of Cal Coolidge, Andrew w. Mellon
and Herbert Hoover. These Detroit labor
takers are open servants of the War-mongers,
fawning before General Motors, the House OF
Morgan concern, which is in one gigantic
war merger with United States Steel and
Dupont powder. None but an idiot would
expect this American Federation OF Labor
outfit to organize the slaves of the motor in
dustry against their political bosses.
The only trade union organization that at
present is capable of rallying the masses OF
auto workers is the Auto and Aircraft Work
ers Union. an industrial union, independent
of the American Federation of Labor. 1t is
that union that is calling the January 18th
conference of workers for the purpose of lay
ing plans for an intensive drive in the very
heart of the motor industry.
Every worker in Detroit and vicinity
should work day and night in order that the
conference may be successful; in order that
every organization of workers may be repre-
sented there and in order that thousands of
workers may join the auto workers union and
wage struggle to organize the other hun
dreds of thousands of men. women and youth
in the motor industry. A nucleus of thou
sands of the more conscious workers must
be created to blaze the trail over which the
great masses can march toward effective or
ganization against the wage-cuts the speed
UP and other tyrannies of the motor mag
mates.
An excellent opportunity for organization
is now afforded with the motor industry re-
spending to the new and sharp turn of Amer
lean Imperialism that is driving forward pell-
nell toward new war and that is opening
up new markets through deeper penetration
of Latin America symbolized by Hoover's
imperiaist tour.
An organization drive in the motor in
dustry is not merely an ordinary trade union
fight. 1t is in every sense of the word polit-
ical fight, drive against the war-mongers.
Every worker who really wants to put up an
effective fight against the imperialist war