The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-08-16
The Declining American Fedora
ton of Labor

from 11,000 to 6,000 they still claim 10000
members in the United Textile Workers Of
America. This is a most fancifully exagger-
ated figure. Even the Department of Labor
comment on it is that this does not represent
actual membership but merely voting strength
in the A. F. of L.
The tremendous losses suffered by the A. f
of L. which they do not yet acknowledge is
evidenced also by the fact that the American
Federation of Musicians still claims in 1929,
$4,000 members the same figure as for 1926.
1t has become common knowledge that the
crisis amongst the musicians in the United
States brought by the tremendous exteE
sion of talking pictures and other mechanical
devices has DECEASED tens of thousands of
musicians and practically wiped olt this once
flourishing organization leaving nothing but
a treasury. This treasury is now being used
in pathetic attempt to win the public against
canned music'-talling pictures, radio, vic
trola, etc.-and for attending concerts.
Progress?
The report claims serious progress for only
group of unions. These are the unions
which include the government employees Even
in this list however, it is not the laborers
or other actual manual workers which in
creased organization but the most vely cor
rupted groups OF government employees. Thus,
for example, the international Association Of
Police Women doubled is membership from
500 to Co., The two unions which include the
postmasters the worst slave drivers possible,
increased their membership by ever 4s0O. The
American Federation of Teachers claims an
increase of 1900. This last is, however, very
doubtful.
The building trades according to the of.
fetal reports have been holding their own
during the three years under consideration.
However, because of the tremendous crisis
which this industry is suffering from at the
present time. where in many sections between
As and go per cent of the workers are un
employed, these unions have also lost con
slderably. For some time the official figures
as shown in the voting strength in the A F
OF l.. will not reflect the tremendous losses OF
membership which they are suffering from.
Especially the larger of the various crafts
have accumulated hundreds of thousands and
even millions of dollars in their treasures and
will continue to pay their per capita in the
A. F. of L. out of these funds irrespective of
actual dues payments within the unions.
Senility.
This is done by the bureaucrats so as to
better enable them to jockey for power against
one another. The perspectives especially for
this group of unions auger their futher weak
ening. The builders have already reduced
wages by at least 50 per cent in by far the
greatest p;rt of this industry. Thus though
carpenters wages in New York is still of.
ficially 1920 per day. there al ost no
carpenters getting these wages at this moment
which is supposed to be the height of the sea.
son. Because of economic conditions the car.
penters leave the reactionary unions which
are doing nothing to help them out OF the
misery of unemployment and go to work for
as little as three dollars per day. The Ma
tional City Bank, one of the biggest investors
in heavy industry declared in commenting or
this situation that wages must come down
if industry is to survive.
The A. F. of l.. is in the period of its sen.
iity. Next year marks It's fiftieth anniversary.
1t cannot and will not lead the workers IN
defense of their interests against the wagt
cuts and worsening conditions which are being
carried through.
TIE Lovcst9re AID To vie o. positions