The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-06-15
CONVENTION CALI
BRINGS new HOPE
To mine WORKERS
Rank and File Plan to
Build Union
lContinued fronl Paqe On

Continued from, Page One)
1922 was not only one of the most
reasonable acts in the history of the
entire labor movement but also one
of the biggest disasters in the life Of
the UMWA. In the recent Colorado
strike the UMWA officials played a
strike breaking part. Lewis whole
handling Of the present bituminous
strike situation, with his policies of
separate agreements, reliance on cor
rupt politicians, and fake senate IN
vestigation, collaboration with the
companies to drive out the unem-
ployed, etc, is a record of betrayal.
The general effect has been to isolate
the strikers in Pennsylvania and Ohio
and to enable the employers to shat
ter the strikers forces at their lei
sure, thus undermining the whole
miners organization. Because of
Lewis criminal attitude the strike is
now in desperate situation. It faces
the greatest dangers. The striking
miners continue to struggle with I'M
equalled heroism against Lewis sys-
tematic treachery, wholesale arrests,
and terrorism by the companies, po-
lice, etc.
4. Splitting the ranks of the miners,
Instead of extending the fighting
front of the miners and making the
demand for national agreement to
cover all miners a central policy of
the union, which is now more neces-
sary than ever in the face of the
growing power of the coal operators,
Lewis has systematically followed a
program of dividing the miners
against themselves, of narrowing
down the fighting front of the union.
One phase of this fatal policy was to
split the anthracite miners from the
bituminous miners by separate agree
ments expiring at different times.
The five-year anthracite agreement
was a crime against the miners. An
other phase was the ke-breaking
system Of signing up some mines of
a given company while the rest of its
mines were permitted to operate open
shop. In the present strike Lewis car
ried this policy of division still fur
Their by practicing a program of dis
trict and individual operator settle
ments. Even before the strike began
ne abandoned all fight for the Gem
trail Competitive field agreement. In
a situation imperatively demanding
national strike. Lewis fought desper-
ately against all efforts to spread the
strike. He split the Miners Union
into bits, isolating the strikers in the
key districts of Pennsylvania and
Ohio and making the union an easy
victim for the OPEN shop operators.
His whole strike policy has been a
crime against the miners.
). Speed-up agents of the operators
Lewis, Cappelini, Fishwick ETC.,
have become the speed-up agents, the
slave drivers, of the bosses. In Il
linois and the anthracite districts they
are working hand in hand with the
operators to introduce machinery and
new driving systems at the expense
of the workers. They disregard alto
gether that the job of union officials
is to defend the interests of the work.
ers at all times, not to become pro
duction experts for the employers.
Thus while prosperity comes to the
coal operators, conditions grow worse
for the miners and the union is rap
idly weakening. Lewis and his crowd
want to turn the UMWA into prac-
tically company union.
6. Betrayal of the unemployed.
The question Of unemployment is
life and death. matter for the min
ers. Never were so many of us out
of work. Never was unemployment
so chronic. The only way even tenn
porary relief can be secured is by the
establishment of the 6-hour day and
b-day week, and by the development
Of a system Of government unenlplov-
ment benefits, But Lewis opposes
these vital proposals. Instead of this.
he joins hands with the EMPLOYERS.
demanding that 100000 miners be
forced out of the coal industry. This
means they would have to starye in
the general army of UNEMPLOYED.
which at present amounts to at least
100000 Lewis also puts forward
the employers proposal for closing
the so-called "uneconomic" mines and
for the justification of the coal in
dustry. This would throw still greater
masses into permanent unemploy
ment, hasten the breakup of the I'M
ion and strengthen the employers at
the expense Of the workers. The
whole scheme is an open shop plan
for the coal industry. John L. Lewis.
agent of the operators, is it's loudest
advocate. Small wonder that recently
he was publicly thanked by that big
Mogul of the open shoppers, John D..
Rockefeller, Jr.
Z. Abolition of union democracy.
Under Lewis control the old-time
union democracy of. the UMWA has
been completely destroyed. Elections
are stolen; conventions are packed;
the appointive power is automatically
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