The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-02-25
STARVE OR FIGHT!
A Challenge to the Unemployed

in marked reduction in the number Of work
ers employed in the Cleveland market. Those
who were forced to leave the industry were
in no way compensated.
Both of the schemes started by the I. L. G..
w. U. in the New York market have been
abandoned. The agreement in the dress in
dustry was entered into in February, 1925, and
discontinued in April, 1926. Workers con-
tributed 1 per cent of their earnings and the
employers per cent of the payroll. An ar
rangement was made whereby the employers
were to pay in proportion to all their work
ers, non-union as well as union. This was in
order to protect the union as about 40 per
cent of the industry-to make very con-
sentative estimate-was non-union.
By April 1926, union members had paid
$4,000 into the fund. The employers con-
tributions should have been double this
amount, S260,000, for their union payroll and
100000 for their non-union payroll, making a
total of $364000. Actually they paid in only
$4,000.
No unemployment benefits were ever paid
from the fund. The plan was abandoned in
April, 1926, the workers contributions being
returned to the union, and those of the EN-
ployers to their organization. The workers
never received one cent from the employers
part of the fund. The union payments were
averaged for the membership according to
Mr.. Julius Portnoy now the secretary treas
urer of the New York Joint Board of the Nee
die Trades Industrial Union. An average of
$11 per member was arrived at in this way.
Back payments in dues were deducted and the
remainder repaid to each member by the union.
The agreement in the cloak and suit branch
of the New York union was even more dis
astrous. The union had originally asked that
the scheme be financed entirely by the employ
ers. However, in the strike which took place
in 1924 the commission appointed by the gov
ernor ruled otherwise, and union officials ac-
copied plan of / per cent Of wages to be
paid by the workers, with 2 per cent of pay
roll to be paid by the employers. A joint board
administered the fund.
Payments began August 4, 1924, and bene-
fits were to start June l, 1925, the inter
mediate period being allowed for the fund to
accumulate. The fund was suspended January
II, 1927. In the meantime the entire Joint
Board-the left wing-had been expelled from
the union, the membership inundated and
the union disrupted.
At the time Of the suspension of the fund
the Industrial Councl-the administrative
body in control of the unemployment insur-
L
derstanding was that payments were to be
resumed in July, 1928. To date, January, 1880,
no payments whatever have been made.
By series of designations, the public rep
resentative on the Industrial Council, and the
three representatives of the employers, with
drew, leaving the right wing representatives in
complete control of all funds. What was done
with the 100000?
The left wing, through its president, Louis
Hyman, expelled manager of the Joint Board,
openly charged the international Ladies' Gar
ment Workers Union with misuse of these
funds, either for their own personal purposes
or to help in the reorganization of the right
wing union. No denial of these charges has
been made. No accounting of the fund has
been made to the membership, or to the public,
nor have unemployment insurance benefits
been resumed.
Ito Be Continued)