The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-10-30
Workers Freedom in the
Soviet Union
BY ROBERT w. DUNN
Author of "Sayiet Trade Unions"


labor unions. They are the best organized in
the world In Austria, not more than so per
cent of the workers are now organized and that
is the highest percentage that can be claimed in
any capitalist country. In the Soviet Union
where incidentally union membership is entirely
voluntary about 81 per cent of all workers are
organized, and 865 per cent of all the workers
in the industries.
1t is a pretty good record for backward
country to have over 100000 workers in
unions. The A. F. of L. has less than 100000
and only 10 per cent of the American working
class is organized.
Mathew Vol, president of the fascist National
Civic Federation and his monarchist advisors
contend that the Soviet unions are not free"
He says they are worse than American company
unions, and that they are run by the workers
state. If they were nice free unions they
would be run by the Civic Federation, Grover
Whalen, and Mathew Woll Furthermore, these
Soviet trade unions don't pay per capita to the
A. F. of L.! They don't support democrats in
one town and republicans in another. They
don't subscribe to insurance sold by the Union
Life Insurance Co. They don't do all sorts of
things Mr. Vol would like to have them do,
including the support OF a capitalist government
in the next war for imperialist plumber.
All of which is just too bad-for Mr.. Vol and
fessional patriots.
But it is very good thing for the workers of
Russia that they don't pattern their unions
after the rackets operated by Mr. Vol. 1t may
pain him terribly but we have to report that
the Soviet labor organizations are very different
from this f1ourishing business unionism"
Here few things about Russian unions
that the American Trade Union Delegation dis
covered, and I believe these facts have been con-
frmed by every honest worker who has since
visited Russia either as an individual or as
member OF any other delegation.
These Russian unions that Vol so fervently
hates participate actively in the building of the
national industries. They take an increasingly
important part in the building of socialism under
the Five Year Plan. AS Mr.. Vol detests So
cialism it is obvious that he should be peddling
lies about those who are trying to create So
cialist industry.
The workers in the Russian unions take the
greatest and most personal interest in produc
tion in new inventions, in everything that car
ries industry forward. Why? Because these
workers are already sharing in the results of
increased productivity. They are not subject to
more intense work or speed-up They are instead
the benifciaries of every new development in
production.
What are the concrete evidences of this2 The
of the workers-it will be universal next year.
The five-day week The fullest social insurance
in any country. Vacations with pay Economic
security. Educational and cultural opportuni-
ties exceeding those of trade unonists IN any
other land. These are few of the reasons why
the Socialist competition" of the workers has
made such progress in the Soviet Union.
remember some of the advantages the work.
ers told us they derived from union membership
| in the Soviet trade unions. Here are only few
| of them: Free dental, medical and other dis
pensaries. Reduced rates for all sorts of services
including rent, light, housing and amusement
! better chance to go to a Rest Home or
health resort Credit in the consumers CO.
operatives. Educational and health advantages
for the children of the trade unionists Addi-
tional benefits in case of unemployment 30
But do the workers really take part in these
unions that mean so much to them2 The ques-
| ton seems quite crazy to one who has had
chance to investigate the working OF unionism
| in all parts of Soviet territory I have never
heard more effective or creative" discussion in
| my life than in the meetings OF the textile
| workers union that attended in Moscow prov
| ince. The workers we're alert, keen, able to ex-
press themselves about the most vital questions
of industry and government. They seemed en-
tirely conscious Of the fact that it was their in
dustry, their government. their social system
| that they were developing with their own hands
| and ouC OF their own experiments and struggles
| should like to see Mr.. Vol face an audience
of these workers. 1t would be interesting to see
what this interchangeable agent of the capitalists
| would say to them what answers he would give
| to their flood of questions about his relations to
| American capitalists. Perhaps he would be as
| discreet as his friend the late James Duncan
A F. of L. Executive Board member, who was
the workers in the trenches fighting for "democ-
racy" Duncan gave the Russian workers lee
ture on the union label" Reports are to the