The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-12-20
BY F. BoRICH.


sTHE main and fundamental shortcoming of
our Party lies in the fact that we have not
yet learned how to develop our work in the
enterprises"
Upon a correct solution of this fundamental
problem, pointed out in the report of the &C
Organization Department to the last Plenum,
depends the development of our Party and the
revolutionary unions, depends our leadership of
the developing mass movement and the success
of the movement itself.
This Was Not Shop Work.
The Seventh Convention of the Party raised
the slogan: Into shops, into factories!" Abso-
lutely correct slogan And, we Immediately be-
gan to carry it out" The leaflets of all kinds
were distributed in front of and even inside the
shops calling the workers to demonstrations,
mass meetings, affairs, etc. The stickers were
pasted inside the shops with revolutionary slo-
gans. The Daily Worker and even pamphlets
were sold and distributed in front of and some
times inside the shops. Factory gate meetings
were held, attended by hundreds of workers, who
even defended our speakers against police.
BY doing this we thought we were carrying
out the slogan, Into shops, into factories" and
that we were even doing shop work In fact,
we have carried general, abstract agitation and
propaganda in front of and inside the shops,
which formerly was done in the halls and from
house to house. This probably was necessary
stage in the development of our shop work.
We have also issued Shop Papers. But if there
were no articles on the Chinese Revolution, In
dian Revolution, Nicaragua Rebellions, War
Danger and many other international problems
Gin the most abstract manner), the paper was
considered "non-politicaL" Sometimes three
pages of the paper were filled with such articles
The rest would be the news on accidents, dis
charges, treatment of the workers by the BOSSES
etc. To crown it all the Section or District
Committee would coin out several demands,
which in most cases had nothing to do with the
actual conditions IN the shops and the real
grievances and demands of the workers. The
'lnop papers were general agitational and in
krmative rather than the fighting organs of
the workers in the shops. We did not under
stand how to mobilize the workers for the sup
port of the Soviet Union against War Danger,
etc, on the basis of their shop conditions
What Is Shop Work and How to Develop 1t?
Shop work must be based primarily on the
most immediate grievances of the workers in
the shop affecting their day-to-day life, regard
ess how small and insignificant these grievances
pay be- These grievances must be the starting
ppints for the development of struggle and Or
y&nization; they must be an introduction, so to
ay, to the struggle on higher plan.
IN order to successfully concentrate on
i1en shop, the leading committee, under whose
uAdance the concentration is being carried on,
1uSt know the minute detailed conditions in
ne shop. Just as it is necessary for the Party
have correct estimate of the economic and
official situation in the country and the degree
f the readiness of the workers to struggle in
rder to apply correct policy and tactics SO is
/; necessary to have clear understanding of
he situation in the shop in order to formulate
he proper demands as an allying point of workers
for struggle
The said committee must know the tactics and
schemes of the employer in order to counteract
them. 1t must know the real grievances Of the
workers, their demands, the conditions in the
shop mostly affecting the workers, the issue or
issues on which workers can be modified for
struggle, the sentiments of the workers, and last
but not least, it must know the most courageous,
most influential, most conscious workers in the
shop, particularly young elements. This, in my
opinion is the prerequisite for the successful
development of shop work, organization and
truggle.
This group of workers, with whom the con-
nections can be established through various ways
md means, such as: Comrades and sympathizers
vorking in the shnn- in front of the factory at