The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1929-01-01
Gift Graft a
Favorite of
Labor Takers
By WILLIAM z. FOSTER.
Continued

Workers Union, the gift graft,
among others, is practiced. Its 1924
convention authorized the distribu-
ton of $4,000 in tokens OF apprecia-
ton as follows: "Pres. Sigman and
Sec'y Baroff, $3.50 each; Vice-Pres.
Feinberg, Breslaw, Heller, Dubinsky,
Wander, Ninfo, $3.50 each; Vice
Pres. Schoolman, Perlstein, Monno-
son, Lefkowitz, Seidman, Haipern,
Reisberg, Cohn, $175 each; Wolf and
Danish, $500 each; Yanovsky and
Render, $75 each; Finkelstein, $50;
Berry, $25."
Miscellaneous Instances.
President VIM. Green of the A.
F. of L. gets $4,000; W. D. Mahon
of the Street Car Mems Union, $10,-
900; B. M. Jewell, president of the
Railway Employees Dept, $500;
John Fitzpatrick and E. N. Nockels,
president and secretary of the Chi
cago Federation of Labor, each $5,-
200; and John H. Walker and V.
Olander, heads of the Illinois Fed
Grafton of Labor, each $4,000, etc.
The average yearly wage of adult
male workers at full time is only
$1,000.
Daniel j. Tobin, president of the
International Brotherhood of Team
sters, Chauffeurs, ETC., receives
salary of $4,000 yearly with an ex-
pense account to fit. He is just as
reactionary as his salary is over
swollen. 1t would take the average
yearly wages of about six of his
rank and file members to equal his
own salary.
VIM. Near, head of the Chicago
Milk Wagon Drivers Union, draws
$4,000 a year and all expenses.
The rest of his fellow officials are
real aristocrats and receive pro-
portionally high salaries.
James C. Petrillo is president of
the Chicago Federation of Musicians.
He was recently reelected. Prior to
the election his salary was 5000 per
week; it has since been increased
to $3.50 per week, or $4,000 per
year.
Innumerable similar instances of
exorbitant salaries are to be found
in all localities and in all unions.
When it comes to salaries the motto
of the labor faker is the time-honor-
ed railroad slogan of call the traffic
will bear"
Variegate1 Thieve.y.
Undoubtedly d great many Of the
trade union officialdom, st least of
the minor grades, are honest and de-
voted to the interest of the unions
as they understand that interest.
Nevertheless dishonest practices are
disastrously widespread. The pad
ding of expense accounts and the
screwing up of salaries to scaadalous
heights are almost universal. The
worst types OF officials, Of whom
there are all too many, also practice
many other forms of mulct;nS the
unions.
Strike, Organization, and Legal
Expenses.
Strikes offer prolific opportunities
for corrupt union officials to fatten
their bank accounts at the expense
of the workers and they often take
advantage of them. Although strik-
ers may be hungry there will only
too often be found union officials
degraded enough to steal from their
meager strike funds. The miners
have suffered much from this evil.
The scandal in District 5 of the U.
M. W. A., following the 1922 strike
was only one of the many cases of
such corruption that might be cited.
The needle trades and other unions
have also had their experiences in
this respect. The recent cloakmak-
ers' strike in New York was an ex-
ample. Although the general con-
troll of the strike was in the hands of
the left wing, the right wing lead
ers were strong enough to intrench
themselves in various committees
carrying on vital strike. activities.
Result, extensive graft by them in
spite of all efforts at proper con-
troll. Then, with fine irony, these
same corrupt officials, aided by
Matthew Woll and other ultra-reac-
tionaries, raised cries of graft
against the left wing leadership.
To Be Continued