The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1929-08-28
Situation and Problems Confronting the

is true Tor the absolute majority of
union members. ....
Metal Trim.
The revolution in the building in
dustry confront the carpenter with
the problems not only of speed-up,
hire and fire, general rationaliza-
ton, ETC., but also with the problem
of metal trim instead of wood. Due
to the shifting from small dwell
ings to big apartments and heavy
construction work, we are more af-
fected by this change of material.
This adds an additional cause to the
ever growing army of unemployed
carpenters. Unemployment in the
building trades is becoming chronic.
Where formerly unemployment
among the carpenters was seasonal,
now we have standing army of
all year round unemployed. Did our
union officials bring before the
union membership concrete propos-
ais, as solution to the question of
unemployment? Not at all. Dur
ing the building boom, very few of
US realized what such a proportion
of unorganized would mean for US.
Now it is not hard to realize the
evil Of it. Due to elimination of
skill, to the division and simplifica-
ton of the carpenters work, it is
not hard to take any wood worker,
even furniture worker, and put
him on building job in order to
undermine our union conditions. The
failure to organize the great mass
of unorganized, gives the bosses the
opportunity of using these morgan
lied workers against us in times of
strikes or lockouts. What steps
have our union officials taken to
organize the many thousands of I'M
organized building carpenters, al
teration carpenters, store and office
fixture workers, furniture workers
and all the big Western mills?
Nothing at all. In fact, our union
officials are the greatest obstacle in
the way of organizing the morgan
lied. They hold fast to the high
initiation fee, the great masses of
unorganized have no confidence in
the Brotherhood of Carpenters union
which is automatically ruled by a
bunch of corrupt bureaucrats.
The negotiation of new agree
ments is made behind closed doors,
without discussing them at the local
union. In the collaboration of our
union officials with the bosses, we
have already lost the point of en-
forcing union made material on the
job. Due to the threatening lockout
by the Employers Association in
New York our officials are going to
lose the right of sympathetic strikes,
our traditional right to report nom
union men on the job Immediately.
Due to the rushing system, and by
neglecting to take the proper care
for safety devices, accidents occur
frequently on the building and in
the shops. Out state compensation
laws are inadequate, to say the
least. Our labor officials are lob
bying with the politicians Of the
capitalist parties. In whose inter-
est?
The progressive carpenters, as the
progressives in the whole building
trades as well as the progressive
workers in all the other industries
in the U. S., had already by their
experience learned the fact that it
was the "Trade Union Educational
League" which was their real guide
on trade union problems.
Our hope, faith and attention is
now directed toward the. Trade
Union Unity Convention which will
be held in Cleveland, Ohio, on Aug
ust 81, September 1 and Q.
(To be Continued)
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