The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1929-02-15

probably few from the Party /
staff.
The work Of the unit, like the old
local, must be sufficiently general
tc interest everyone. The campaigns
and policies Of the Party cannot be /
addressed to definite group Of
workers, because the communication
or address from the Party is left to
each individual member to apply to
his specific circumstances. No sys-
tematic recruiting is being done.
Now, as before, members are taken
in on the ground of friendship and
sympathy, ard not through active
work. The unit is ill-fitted to or
ganize shop nuclei, because it has
no contact in shops in its territory
and is not acquainted with conditions
in the shops. A worker in shop
cannot receive effective help from
his unit in the problems he is facing
because the unit, like the old local,
can only help from the outside.
Activize Fractions.
To overcome this defect we should
abolish the factory district unit and
throw the work to the trade and in
dustrial fractions. A fraction is
composed of workers in the same
trade, industry, or line of work.
They are already banded together;
they face the same problems; they
can apply themselves to concrete
situations. At present the work in
the fractions duplicate or parallel
the work of the units. They have
to discuss industrial policy over
again, and in carrying on the work
of the fraction they have to take
stand on political questions, ques-
lions of theology, woman's work,
youth and Negro work, with the re-
suit that all these problems have
to be discussed all over again, and
with the added difficulty that each
member brings a separate interpre-
tation culled from the highly general
discussion carried on by his unit.
We face the sad situation that
fraction meetings are neglected, and
in spite of the fact that everyone
agrees that our industrial work is
the most important of all. We face
the fact that no fraction meeting
can be held without the industrial
organizer being present to lay down
the policy. Opportunism is rampant
in the Party, and even Minority
comrades are susceptible to that
disease though they boast of Left.
ism. Comrades in fractions speal
of women in trade with contempt
and negligence, and of Negro com
rades they speak with an apology
There are additional advantages
Fractions are fitted for the organi
cation of shop nuclei. A worker il
trade has friends whom he ha
met on jobs, he has worked in vari
GUS shops and knows conditions, h
can penetrate into shop, and h
, can cultivate workers in his lin
J Systematically. He can recruit o.
| the basis Of working conditions an
7 Communist activities in that particu
lar line. Fractions can utilize un
employed workers by sending ther
, into shops which they know an
3 which it is desired to cultivate. An
e that would eliminate extra meeting
A which would mean better work. W
J. should rationalize our time m
: energy. Now with the organizatio
: Of the unorganized as our majc
!. problem it becomes doubly necessar
to have all comrades working in tn
J. same line banded together and al
q ply themselves to overcoming II
: same difficulties.
) This is not enough, Of cours
! Besides this we should make dri,
v to organize nuclei in all large shop
d We find in New York and vicinl'