The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1929-12-02
SUBWAY DICCERS
DEFY OFFICIALS;
SEIZE CONTROL
Thugs Smash Meet of
Local 63; Members
Assemble Again
Elect Strike Committee
Will Spread Struggle;
Mass Meeting Today

The subway construction workers
have taken control of their own
strike, elected a rank and file strike
committee, given it full powers to
spread the strike among the $4,000
of such workers in Bronx, Lower
Manhattan, Brooklyn, Long Island
and other parts of New York City
all in defiance of the officials of the
Compressed Air, Subway and Tunnel
Workers Union who have been SELL
ing out the strike of 500 at Bronx
Concourse for the last two weeks.
The subway construction workers
of New York are all anxious to put
up a struggle for better conditions
and more wages. The officials have
been pretending to agree with the
demands of the men that the present
strike of 500 be extended, that relief
machinery be established, etc. But
the officialdom has been collaborat-
ing with the employers and postpon-
ing action.
Force A Show down.
A strike committee of 7 elected
by the strikers met in Harlem Ter
race Friday and formulated a policy
of militant action. They came to the
meeting called by the officials of
Local 63 at Royal Hall, p. m, yes
terday. The officials paid no atten-
tion to the desire of the men. Dan
MacPartlan, secretary of the local,
reported for the executive board,
saying not word about the strike,
but only that, "in few months con-
ditions will be better"
Other officials also followed this
line. They made long and vicious
attacks on Communism-they didn't
talk about winning the strike.
Pasquale Georgia and Marcel
Scherer, of the strike committee, got
the floor to report their plan to i'm
mediately spread the strike, to start
Monday morning and have the
strikers go to all other sections and
pull out the workers. As soon as
they saw the rank and file were solid
for this program, the officers gave
the signal. Joe Moran, an official,
struck one of the committeeman, and
about so hired "gorrillas" started to
beat up Georgia and others, and
drove all the workers from the hall,
Meet Across Street.
To the number of over 200 these
then assembled in Manhattan Ly-
ceum across the street, elected a
strike committee of Is, and voted
them full power to continue the lead
ership and spreading of the strike.
At this meeting Scherer reported
for the committee Of seven, stating
that they had found the officials be-
traying the strike. The officials
have paid out $1,000 within the last
week to ten men supposed to be or
ganizing and spreading the struggle
None of these ten have been on the
picket line and none of them have
attended strike meetings. They are
just getting graft.
The union treasury has about
S125,000, but when the committee
approached the executive board Sat-
urday for strike relief, only 500 was
given, and no arrangements were
made for regular daily relief.
The committee went to the Work
ers International Relief, which i'm
mediately agreed to set up kitchen,
and help in collecting funds for
relief.
T.U.U.L. Was Right.
Pasquale Georgia spoke, and told
how he had assured himself the
union officialdom was working with
the contractors to prevent general
tie up of subway construction. He
fContinued on Page TaUc)