The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1929-12-26
By A. GERLACH
(Shop Nucleus 81, DetrOit.)

The Address of the Communist International
to our Party has opened the eyes of many
Party member to what extent the social dem
ocratic theology has prevailed in our Party IN
every phase of its activity. Prior to the
Address we have wondered time and again.
why it is, that react very slowly on the
questions of various campaigns and that
could not mobilize the entire Party to carry
on these campaigns on broader scale We,
in our Party could not see the third period
with its tremendous naturalization and con-
sequent effect on the working class generally
and the unorganized workers in the automo-
bile industry especially. We could not see
the rehabilitation of these unorganized work
ers, we could not see that these workers are
getting ready and in fact are struggling against
the terrific speed-up wage cuts and long hours.
We, who are working in the auto industry
could not see that the "small' department
strikes which broke out last spring and sum-
mer forerunners and expressions of these
unorganized workers response and reactions
to the capitalist naturalization.
Our Party members, working in the industry
could not see that these workers resisting
the wage cuts first with small department
strikes and later with larger strikes involving
a few hundred workers (Fisher Body strike,
Graham-Page strike in Wayne) and only few
months back with over 1000 workers in the
Murray Body Corporation of America. In some
cases we had members of the Party working
in the industry and not knowing that there
a strike in progress FLINT, Mich, Buick.
The unorganized workers were calling on the
Party and the Auto Workers Union for help,
while our Party members were much slower.
We have not yet been able to get to the point
where we while working in the shops, could
feel and foresee the feelings of the morgan
lied workers in the industry Our nuclei in
the shops are not as yet functioning as Com
munist nuclei in the enterprises, to gather the
unorganized workers to support us, because
our comrades in the shops are too much afraid
of losing their jobs, if they say anything to
their fellow workers about the rotten condi-
tions, speed-up, etc. We always wait, that the
"other fellow" starts, instead of us being the
starting and stimulating machinery in the
shops. We do not as yet act as the advance
guard of the working class in the fights against
the capitalist class. Our comrades, editors of
the shop papers, have to cross examine the
members at the meetings of the nuclei, like
district attorneys, to get shop news for
the paper. This holds true also as to reports
of working conditions in the shops Always
the same answer "there is nothing new" while
finally the organizer will squeeze out that
somebody was hurt, a wage cut took place.
ETC. We are getting fused" to these things
Wage cuts are nothing new, neither is the
speedup. These things happen every day. But
the workers in general are feeling these things
and we will have to learn to feel them very
eoon, or else we will not be the advance guard
but the tail end of the workers that I'M
trganized in the auto industry.
Our language fractions are still carrying on
activities among their national groups on a
narrow national basis, not linked up with